aqueduct | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Acting Like He’s Three’: Ageless Mr. Buff Returns In Saturday’s Stymie

Chester and Mary Broman's New York-bred legend Mr. Buff will attempt to notch his 11th career stakes victory in Saturday's 65th running of the $125,000 Stymie contested at a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 7-year-old son of Friend Or Foe has put together a notable resume, which includes back-to-back wins in the Alex M. Robb at Aqueduct in 2018-19 and Empire Classic at Belmont Park in 2019-20 as well as victories in the 2019 Saginaw and Evan Shipman and the 2020 Haynesfield at the Big A, which he won by an astounding 20 lengths while recording a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

Mr. Buff arrives at the Stymie off a seven-length romp in the nine-furlong Jazil on Jan. 23, which he won for the third straight year in a stellar 2021 bow. The sizable homebred, who sports a 43-16-8-4 lifetime record, has banked $1,295,786 in earnings while boasting a highly consistent 16-9-4-0 ledger at Aqueduct.

Mr. Buff has trained forwardly for conditioner John Kimmel since earning a 102 Beyer for his Jazil score. He has breezed three times over the Belmont training track, most recently a half-mile move in :48.40 on February 20.

“He's doing fine and even though he's seven he's acting like he's three. He's handling everything really well right now,” said Kimmel, who won the 2001 Stymie with Windrush.

Kimmel said that Mr. Buff's optimal conditions include the freedom to get into his own rhythm and avoid being forced into speed duels.

“He's got good tactical speed, but the times he's gotten in trouble is when he's been pushed past his comfort zone and intent on going to the lead,” Kimmel said. “As he has shown in races past, he has been able to sit behind horses that have shown a little more speed. That's key to this race being an eighth of a mile shorter. There might be a little more pace in there. He's always been a good gate horse. The most important thing is getting him to find his rhythm in the first part of the race.”

Jockey Manny Franco will ride Mr. Buff from post 3.

Runnymoore Racing's Alwaysmining ships to New York from Laurel Park for trainer Austin Trites, who saddled the son of Stay Thirsty to a one-mile optional-claiming score on January 30 at Laurel Park. The 10-time winner of 24 starts has won at least two stakes races in his last three seasons, which began with a pair of juvenile victories in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity and the Heft in December 2018 at Laurel while under the care of trainer Kelly Rubley.

Alwaysmining's sophomore campaign encompassed victories in the 2019 Miracle Wood, Private Terms and the Federico Tesio at the Maryland oval before a distant 11th in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

In 2020, Alwaysmining kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with two more stakes victories, beating fellow Maryland-breds in the Jennings before stepping to open company in the John Campbell, where he garnered a career-best 101 Beyer.

Despite capturing most of his stakes wins in frontrunning fashion, Alwaysmining registered his most recent victory coming from fifth, four lengths off the pace, and was in command inside the eighth pole kicking clear to a three-length win last month.

Jorge Vargas, Jr. has the mount from post 5.

Michael Dubb's Musical Heart will try and build on stakes black type from his last two efforts for trainer Rob Atras.

The 6-year-old Maclean's Music chestnut was claimed by Atras for $62,500 following a close second to Backsideofthemoon going nine furlongs on November 13 over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track. He followed up with a more distant second to his familiar foe in the Queens County on December 19 before finishing third in the Jazil behind winner Mr. Buff.

Musical Heart, who has placed in seven of his last eight starts, will break from post 2 under Dylan Davis.

Completing the field are Brian and Kerry Novak Inc.'s Limonite [post 4, Eric Cancel], who is fresh off a five-length allowance score going nine furlongs at Aqueduct for trainer Amira Chichakly; and John O'Connor's Tintoretto [post 1, Trevor McCarthy], a German-bred who seeks his first triumph in North America for trainer Tom Albertrani.

The Stymie is slated as Race 3 on Saturday's nine-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

The race honors Ethel D. Jacobs' 1945 Champion Older Horse, who captured some of New York's marquee events such as the Whitney, the Metropolitan Handicap and the Manhattan. Campaigned by Hall of Famer Hirsch Jacobs during his prosperous years, Stymie retired with $918,475 in earnings and a record of 131-35-33-28. He was elected to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1975.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post ‘Acting Like He’s Three’: Ageless Mr. Buff Returns In Saturday’s Stymie appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

With Wood Memorial On Calendar, Risk Taking Posts First Drill Since Withers Victory

Klaravich Stables' Risk Taking, who earned a career-best 89 Beyer winning the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers last out at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., had his first breeze back on Sunday morning.

The Medaglia d'Oro bay went a half-mile in 50.06 on the Belmont dirt training track working in company with 4-year-old Mystic Night, a $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase who earned an 80 Beyer in his third-out graduation on January 30 at the Big A.

“Risk Taking had his first work back since his win in the Withers and it went very well,” said Dan Stupp, the New York-based assistant to trainer Chad Brown. “I was pleased with the work. He came out of the race in great shape and his energy and appetite have been good.”

Risk Taking, a $240,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, is 2-for-2 traveling nine furlongs at Aqueduct. He graduated on December 13 at the distance ahead of his rallying Withers score which garnered 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Following the Withers, Brown said Risk Taking would likely target the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3 at the Big A. The nine-furlong Wood Memorial is the final local prep for the Grade 1, Kentucky Derby and awards the top-four finishers qualifying points according to a 100-40-20-10 scale.

Louis Lazzinnaro's The Grass Is Blue, a sophomore daughter of Broken Vow, impressed with a one-length win last out in the nine-furlong Busanda on January 24 at the Big A. The chestnut, who earned a 72 Beyer in victory along with 10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, worked a half-mile in 49.21 Sunday.

“The Grass Is Blue worked a solo half and worked very easy,” said Stupp. “It was a very nice maintenance work and I'm happy with her work.”

The Grass Is Blue captured an optional-claiming sprint at Keeneland in October sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs ahead of an off-the-board effort in the Songbird in November at the same distance at the Lexington oval. She entered the Busanda from a closing third in the 1 1/16-mile Anne Arundel County in December at Laurel Park.

“She appreciated the stretch out in the Busanda,” said Stupp. “Earlier on, we thought she wanted to go short but watching her races Chad decided to see if she would be better stretching out and she certainly showed that in her last race. She certainly handled the mile and an eighth. She's trained very well out of that win and seems to have improved a lot for us here over the winter.”

The post With Wood Memorial On Calendar, Risk Taking Posts First Drill Since Withers Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Joseph Works Drain The Clock, Super Strong For Possible Gotham Engagement

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said he is still undecided who he will send to New York from South Florida for the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham on March 6.

Graded stakes winners Drain the Clock and Super Strong are both possible for the one-turn mile Gotham which offers 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby points to the top-four finishers. Both horses recorded five-furlong works this weekend.

Sonata Stables' Super Strong worked on Saturday, completing his move in 1:01.60 at Palm Meadows Training Center. The son of Super Saver won the Group 1 Classico Agustin Mercado Revron at Camarero in Puerto Rico on debut.

On Sunday morning, Grade 3 Swale winner Drain the Clock was clocked in 1:00.52 over a fast main track at Gulfstream Park.

“I thought Drain the Clock worked very well this morning,” Joseph said. “I had him going the last quarter in 22.4 seconds. It was a good, strong work and as good as we could have asked for.”

Bred by Nick Casato, who co-owns the son of Maclean's Music under the Slam Dunk Racing moniker, Drain the Clock has won both his sophomore starts in the Limehouse on January 2 before winning the last-out Swale, both at Gulfstream Park.

The post Joseph Works Drain The Clock, Super Strong For Possible Gotham Engagement appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Cross Country Pick 5 Pays $1,263 After Three Favorites, Two Longshots Win

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, encompassing live racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs, paid $1,263.50 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The sequence's total pool was $80,134.

Aqueduct started the first of its three total races in the wager when Good Culture registered an upset win in a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds going a one-turn mile in Race 5. Under jockey Manny Franco, Good Culture rallied from seventh at the quarter pole and third in the stretch to post a two-length score, returning $21.60 on a $2 win wager.

Kaleidoscope Kid commenced the sequence's Tampa Bay leg with a 6 ¼-length score at 6-1 odds in Race 8. Piloted by Antonio Gallardo, Kaleidoscope Kid drew away to capture the one-mile and 40 yard claiming contest for 4-year-olds and up, paying $14.40.

Action alternated back to Aqueduct, as the Eric Cancel-ridden Eloquent Speaker was the first favorite to win in the Cross County Pick 5, besting Wailin Josie by 1 3/4 lengths in a six-furlong allowance race for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-years-old and up in Race 7. Cancel, who won three races total on the day, rewarded Eloquent Speaker's favoritism, with the Anthony Dutrow trainee paying $3.40.

Another favorite, Himelstein, followed with a victory in Tampa Bay's Race 9. Under jockey Hector Diaz, Jr., Himelstein returned $5.20 for winning the six-furlong maiden claimer for 4-year-olds and up, registering a half-length win.

Make Mischief capped the Cross Country Pick 5 by winning the sequence's lone stakes contest, rallying to edge Brattle House by a neck in the $100,000 Maddie May for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies in Race 8. As the 8-5 favorite, Make Mischief was forwardly placed by Cancel before finding a seam along the rail and overtaking Brattle House in the final sixteenth for a thrilling finish in the one-turn mile. Make Mischief ($5.30) won her first career stakes after three runner-up efforts.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

The post Cross Country Pick 5 Pays $1,263 After Three Favorites, Two Longshots Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post