Aqueduct Racetrack | Horse Racing Free Tips

Levine Prepares Cupid’s Heart For Sunday’s Key Cents

Trainer Bruce Levine said Flying P Stable's Cupid's Heart, a grey daughter of Cupid bred by Sugar Maple Farm, is on target for next Sunday's $100,000 Key Cents, a six-furlong sprint for state-bred juvenile fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Cupid's Heart registered a 71 Beyer in a visually-impressive debut by overcoming a troubled start before drawing off to a 4 1/4-length score in a six-furlong state-bred maiden sprint on October 23 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Levine said he is warming up to the $50,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase purchase.

“She was half-mean and half-green when she came in and that's a wicked combination,” Levine said, with a laugh. “She trained well and she's a real pretty filly. She looks like a 3-year-old, she's put together so well.”

Levine said Cupid's Heart, who posted a half-mile breeze in :48.06 on November 6 over Big Sandy, will breeze again Monday at Belmont.

“She's doing very well,” Levine said. “She breezed back last week and went a nice, easy half-mile. She'll work tomorrow.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano is expected to retain the mount.

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Sisterson Points Channel Cat To Red Smith At Aqueduct

Trainer Jack Sisterson said Calumet Farm's homebred Channel Cat will ship to New York for Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Red Smith at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Initially training for a start in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf last Saturday at Del Mar, Channel Cat did not draw into the race and did not breeze last weekend. On Saturday morning, Channel Cat went a half-mile in :49.60 over the Keeneland main track.

“He's showing signs that he's coming up for a big effort,” Sisterson said. “We had his work schedule penned out to run in the Breeders' Cup. We missed a work with him because we didn't want to put him over the top.”

Last out, Channel Cat was a distant sixth in the G2 Kentucky Turf Cup on September 11 at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., when tracking the pace from third.

Sisterson said he would like to see Channel Cat, who will add blinkers, show the same early speed which earned him victories in the G1 Man o' War in May at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and the G2 Bowling Green in August 2019 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“I felt like his last couple of starts he lacked that little bit of spark and the addition of blinkers will help him do that,” Sisterson said. “In the race at Kentucky Downs, he didn't make the lead and didn't really finish up. I felt that there was something missing the last two races and I think blinkers will help.”

Channel Cat boasts a ledger of 29-6-3-5 with earnings in excess of $1.4 million.

Sisterson spoke of the recent retirement of Grade 1-winner Lexitonian, who upset the G1 A.G. Vanderbilt field in July at Saratoga at 34-1 odds. The son of Speightstown, a Calumet Farm homebred, was ninth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint last Saturday and will stand at Lane's End Farm in Midway, Kentucky for a $10,000 stud fee.

“It's a dream for myself, the barn, and the rest of the guys who do all the hard work for the horse to go on to a fantastic second career and to a farm like Lane's End,” Sisterson said. “It's very humbling that Calumet and Lane's End were able to work something out. He's every trainer's dream to have speed, be sound, and win a Grade 1. He should have a successful stud career.”

Lexitonian is the first progeny out of the Tapit mare Riviera Romper. His second dam is Swap Fliparoo, who captured the 2006 G1 Test at Saratoga.

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Mandate Pulls Upset In Artie Schiller At Aqueduct

Longshot Mandate with jockey Andrew Wolfsont went to the far outside to find running room and sealed the deal with a late move for the lead to win the Artie Schiller at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The gelded son of Blame sat toward the back of the pack early in the one-mile turf stakes, content to wait for the far turn to make a move for position. Wolfsont took Mandate three-wide on the turn, with leader Rinaldi still on the front as they hit the stretch.

In the Aqueduct straight, though, Rinaldi could not hold on, with Tell Your Daddy gaining ground to bid for the lead as Mandate built up momentum on their outside. In late stretch, the longshot took over, pulling away to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Tell Your Daddy was second and Flavius got up at the end to take third.

The final time for the Artie Schiller was 1:39.07. Find this race's chart here.

Mandate paid $91.50, $30.40, and $10.00. Tell Your Daddy paid $4.50 and $2.60. Flavius paid $2.80.

“He made that outside move and in that same position as in his last race at Laurel. It just looked like a replay of his last race. When I saw those white blinkers making up ground on the outside, I got excited. I had faith in the horse, he was doing everything well,” trainer Robert Johnston said after the race. “His last race made him eligible for the Claiming Crown so we could still go there. Laurel still has grass, too. If we went to the Claiming Crown, we would go and come back. We're team players so if he needs to stay down there with someone else, so be it. Whatever is best for the horse.”

“I'm on cloud nine. This is the biggest stakes race I've won in my career. I won a few other state-bred stakes up in Pennsylvania, so this is pretty special for me, ” Wolfsont told the NYRA Press Office after the Artie Schiller.

Bred in Kentucky by International Equities Holding Inc., Mandate is out of the Empire Maker mare Bonnie's Empire. He is owned by Bruno Schickedanz. The 4-year-old gelding was consigned by Gainesway and sold to Michael C. Stinson for $200,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

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Two-For-Two Nicky The Vest Returns From Nine-Month Layoff Next Week At Aqueduct

Robert LaPenta and Sol Kumin's Nicky the Vest, a New York-bred sophomore son of Runhappy, is slated to make his return next week at Aqueduct Racetrack in what will be his first start in nine months after having to skip the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino due to a knee chip.

Nicky the Vest is undefeated in two career starts – both against fellow state-breds going a one-turn mile at the Big A – graduating on debut in December ahead of an 11 3/4-length score in the Gander in February.

Trainer Jonathan Thomas said the bay colt, who posted a half-mile breeze in 50.80 seconds Friday morning over the Belmont dirt training track, will be entered in a state-bred allowance.

“He had trained like a very good horse and he backed it up in his races. We were fortunate to win with him in his only two starts,” Thomas said. “The timing of the injury was unfortunate but he's well-represented with his owners Mr. LaPenta and Mr. Kumin, who wanted to do right by the horse.”

The bay colt was marking his ninth local breeze this morning dating back to September 19.

“He was sent to Ocala to Niall Brennan who did a wonderful job with him and the horse has come back and trained well. We're looking forward to getting him back,” Thomas said. “He had a nice little move this morning and it went really well.”

Thomas said Nicky the Vest had trained well into what would have been his two-turn debut in April in the Wood Memorial, a key prep for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

“At that stage of his career against 3-year-olds, we certainly felt bullish enough about his ability to try it,” Thomas said. “As time goes on, some of these horses really identify themselves as true two-turn horses but I don't know yet. He might be a nice one-turn mile horse and if that's the case that's fine also.”

Bred by Highclere, Nicky the Vest, a half-sibling to stakes winner Moms Choice, is out of the Cat Thief mare Tazarine.

Augustin Stable's stakes placed Experienced [post 1, Manny Franco] is entered in Race 3 on Sunday at Aqueduct, an 11-furlong turf allowance for 3-year-olds and up. By Temple City, he is out of the Nureyev mare No Matter What who captured the 2000 Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks at nine furlongs on turf for Augustin Stable.

The well-related sophomore gelding is a half-sibling to graded-stakes winners Utley, Rainbow View, Winter View and Just as Well.

A nose winner on debut traveling one mile and 70 yards over the Delaware Park turf, Experienced followed with a closing second in the 12-furlong Bald Eagle Derby in July at Pimlico. He enters off a more than two-month layoff from a fifth-place finish in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Virginia Derby in August at Colonial Downs.

“He's training well. I love the post for him drawing the rail and getting the opportunity to save all the ground,” Thomas said. “There's limited opportunities, especially in the allowance ranks, to run horses this long. I feel the further he goes the better and we're looking forward to getting him started.”

McConnell Racing Stable's War Terminator [post 9, Manny Franco], a sophomore son of War Dancer, returns from a six-month layoff in Race 7 here on Sunday, a six-furlong turf sprint for state-breds 3-year-olds and up.

A state-bred maiden winner at first asking sprinting six furlongs over yielding Big A turf in April, War Terminator followed with a close second in a seven-furlong allowance sprint for New York-breds over firm Belmont turf on May 1 that garnered an 80 Beyer.

“He's come back pretty well. We've been able to get a couple of nice works under his belt,” Thomas said. “It's unfortunate that we're on the upswing with him at this time of year with the turf season coming to an end – especially as a New York-bred. But we're happy to be in the entry box and in with a shot.”

Thomas said recent stakes competitors Benbang and Bay Storm are likely to be freshened now with an eye to a return to stakes action in the New Year.

Bridlewood Farm's Bay Storm, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Kantharos, won the six-furlong Christiecat in September over firm going at Belmont and followed with a close second in the seven-furlong Glen Cove on October 15.

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Benbang, a 2-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Shanghai Bobby, graduated on debut in an off-the-turf maiden tilt over a sloppy and sealed Saratoga main track and followed with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Spinaway.

Last out, the talented bay was a game fourth in the Stewart Manor, defeated less than a length by the victorious Mystic Eyes in the six-furlong turf sprint on November 6 at Belmont.

“We're getting to the end of the season and they'll get a rest now to come back,” Thomas said. “Bay Storm ran great both times at Belmont. It was probably a little longer than she wanted to run last time with a hot pace, but we were so proud of her.

“Benbang was a little green on us in the lane last out and was getting in and she cost herself a place,” Thomas added. “But there was a stride or two where I thought she'd get up to win. I think backing her up in trip to 5 1/2 furlongs, especially at Saratoga next year, she'd be pretty adept.”

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