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Early Voting Never Challenged In Aqueduct’s Withers

Seth Klarman's Early Voting delivered as the 6-5 post-time favorite in Saturday's Grade 3 Withers Stakes, leading the field from gate-to-wire to hit the Aqueduct finish line 4 1/2 lengths clear of his nearest rival. In just his second career start, the 3-year-old son of Gun Runner earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden to victory by Jose Ortiz, Early Voting ran nine furlongs over the muddy main track in 1:55.90.

“The plan was to sit second behind the one-horse [No. 1, Constitutionlawyer], but he broke sharply and I wasn't taking that away from him,” Ortiz said. “He finished well on a tiring track. One step at a time, but we're going the right way.”

Un Ojo closed from the back of the field to finish second at 28-1, earning 4 points, while Gilded Age (6-1) held third to earn 2 points. Grantham checked in fourth to earn the final point toward the Run for the Roses.

Debuting over a mile at Aqueduct on Dec. 18, Early Voting contested the early pace and drew away under steady urging in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths. This time, Ortiz sent Early Voting a bit quicker out of the gate to take the lead around the clubhouse turn, and allowed the colt to pull away for a 1 1/2-length advantage down the backstretch.

After early splits of :23.57 and :48.04, Early Voting pulled away from the field by three lengths, then by as many as six at the head of the lane. Ortiz kept the colt to task down the stretch, and Early Voting crossed the wire much the best. Un Ojo rallied from well off the pace to be second, while Gilded Age made a big move on the outside around the far turn and was just out-finished for the place. Grantham was forwardly-placed throughout and managed to hold fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm, Early Voting is the third foal out of the unraced Tiznow mare Amour d'Ete. His dam is a half-sibling to millionaires Speightstown and Irap. A $200,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September sale, Early Voting now boasts earnings of over $190,000.

“He showed some speed in his first race, so we were pretty confident that he would stretch out even further to a mile and an eighth,” said Brown's assistant Dan Stupp. “He broke well and Jose [Ortiz] did the rest from there. I was confident in the mile and an eighth. He's out of a Tiznow mare, so he's bred to run all day. We were very confident in the distance.

“He's a horse that's going to progress with each race. Each race is going to propel him, and we've seen that in the morning with him. He was very impressive in his works. Especially, in his last two works leading up to this. He's an exciting horse and I was really ready to see him run today. I think he'll move forward nicely in his 3-year-old year.

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Gun Runner Colt Takes it to Them ‘Early’ in Withers

Early Voting (Gun Runner) was hammered into 6-5 favoritism off a strong local debut win while facing much more seasoned rivals in Saturday's GIII Withers S. at the Big A and ran to the money with a dominating score.

Hesitant to get into the starting gate for the 1 1/8-miles affair offering 10 GI Kentucky Derby points to the winner, he had his mind on business once they sprung the latches. Hustled to the front by Jose Ortiz from his outside draw from post nine for this two-turn debut in the mud, Early Voting quickly cleared the field and it was pretty much over from there. The Klaravich Stables colorbearer led comfortably through sharp fractions of :23.57 and :48.04, gave them the slip rounding the far turn and was in a race of his own down the stretch to win by 4 1/2 lengths while becoming the fifth graded stakes winner for last year's champion freshman sire.

Longshot Un Ojo (Laoban) rallied from last of 11 to complete the exacta.

Early Voting, a $200,000 KEESEP graduate, previously dueled free to win on debut as the 4-5 favorite with a 76 Beyer Speed Figure going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Dec. 18.

“He showed some speed in his first race, so we were pretty confident that he would stretch out even further to a mile and an eighth,” said Dan Stupp, assistant to winning trainer Chad Brown.

“He broke well and Jose [Ortiz] did the rest from there. I was confident in the mile and an eighth. He's out of a Tiznow mare, so he's bred to run all day. We were very confident in the distance.”

Stupp continued, “He's a horse that's going to progress with each race. Each race is going to propel him, and we've seen that in the morning with him. He was very impressive in his works. Especially, in his last two works leading up to this. He's an exciting horse and I was really ready to see him run today. I think he'll move forward nicely in his 3-year-old year.”

Pedigree Notes:

Wunderkind Gun Runner, the runaway leading first-crop sire based at Three Chimneys, kickstarted 2022 the same way he ended 2021, with progeny performances in major races that leave one wondering what might be ahead for sire sensation. Approximately an hour after his sophomore filly Radio Days finished a close second in the GIII Forward Gal S. Saturday, his Early Voting did one better in the Withers. Additionally, his McLaren Vale was second in last week's GII San Vicente S., his Pappacap was recently third in the GIII Lecomte S., and his GISWs Echo Zulu and Gunite have yet to make their 2022 debuts. Overall, Gun Runner has eight black-type winners, with a remarkable five of them graded winners.

Early Voting was bred to be a racehorse. His unraced dam–a $1.75-million KEESEP yearling in 2013–is a full-sister to 2017 GII Blue Grass S. winner and MGISP Irap (Tiznow), as well as a half-sister to champion racehorse and leading sire Speightstown (Gone West). They're all out of Canadian champion Silken Cat and trace back to 1950 Broodmare of the Year Hildene (Bubbling Over), Silken Cat's fifth dam. Amour d'Ete has a 2-year-old full-sister to Early Voting, a yearling filly by Constitution, and was bred back to Volatile, all matings done by Three Chimneys. Amour d'Ete's pensioned sire, Tiznow, is the broodmare sire of 52 black-type winners, including 2020 Classic winner Tiz the Law (Constitution).

Saturday, Aqueduct
WITHERS S.-GIII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 2-5, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:55.90, my.
1–EARLY VOTING, 118, c, 3, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Amour d'Ete, by Tiznow
                2nd Dam: Silken Cat, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Silken Doll, by Chieftain
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($200,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Three Chimneys
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $137,500.
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $181,500. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Un Ojo, 118, g, 3, Laoban–Risk a Chance, by A.P. Indy.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Cypress Creek Equine;
B-Southern Equine Stables, LLC (NY); T-Anthony W. Dutrow.
$50,000.
3–Gilded Age, 118, c, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–Angela Renee, by
Bernardini. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($600,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Grandview Equine and Don
Alberto Stable; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-William I.
Mott. $30,000.
Margins: 4HF, HD, 1 3/4. Odds: 1.30, 28.25, 6.80.
Also Ran: Grantham, Noneedtoworry, Smarten Up, Courvoisier, Cooke Creek, Mr Jefferson, Unbridled Bomber, Constitutionlawyer. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Veteran Drafted Regains Winning Form In Toboggan

Dublin Fjord Stables, Racepoint Stables, Kevin D. Hilbert and Thomas E. O'Keefe's Drafted made a bold move in the turn to capture Saturday's re-scheduled Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Toboggan was initially slated for last Saturday's card which was cancelled due to the impact of a powerful winter storm in the New York City metropolitan area.

Trained by David Duggan and expertly piloted by Jose Ortiz, Drafted secured his first win since taking the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal in March 2019 at Meydan Racecourse.

Hopeful Treasure broke alertly from post 4 under Trevor McCarthy as Happy Medium, the 1-5 mutuel favorite, was urged to the front by Manny Franco from the outermost post 5 to mark the opening quarter-mile in 23.55 seconds with War Tocsin surging up the rail in an early pace battle.

Happy Medium wrestled away command in front of a stalking trio of War Tocsin, Repo Rocks and Hopeful Treasure through a half-mile in 47.04, but Ortiz and Drafted swooped the field through the turn with an energetic outside brush.

Drafted established a four-length lead at the stretch call and powered home a 4 1/2-length winner in a final time of 1:25.06 over a muddy and harrowed main track. Repo Rocks completed the exacta by six lengths over Happy Medium. Hopeful Treasure and War Tocsin rounded out the order of finish.

Duggan said he was pleased to see the veteran sprinter return to winning ways.

“They went fast enough up front and he got into a lovely rhythm. The speed stopped and I knew the seven-eighths would help him because he's got that patented run if you leave him alone,” Duggan said. “He's been showing up without getting his head in front, so it was nice to get him justified. He's a little hard on himself in the training, so he does a lot of pony work and a lot of lighter training.”

Duggan earned his first graded stakes score since Porte Bonheur captured the 2009 Grade 2 First Flight Handicap at Belmont Park.

“It's been a long time between drinks. I've been in layup for a while but the horses we have, we try to make competitive,” Duggan said.

Ortiz said Drafted touted his own early move.

“I was travelling well and as soon as I put him in the clear he jumped on the bridle and wanted to go,” Ortiz said. “I figured, I might as well go now. It was a small field and I knew the horse on the lead is a good horse. So I passed him early. I was hoping no one was coming from behind. I know it was an early move, but I did it to win.

“It was just a feeling,” Ortiz added. “I felt that it was a good time to pass everyone and I had enough to keep going.”

Drafted was conditioned in his 2016 juvenile campaign by Eoin Harty. He then joined the stable of trainer Doug Watson in Dubai, capturing the 2019 Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint ahead of his Mahab Al Shimaal score.

The 8-year-old Field Commission gelding made his first start for Duggan in November 2020, finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight at the Big A. He entered the Toboggan from an even third in the six-furlong Gravesend on December 19 at the Big A.

Michelle Nevin said Happy Medium, who entered on a three-race win streak, may have been hampered racing to the inside of rivals.

“The track might not have been the greatest down in there,” Nevin said. “We're just going to have to get him home and make sure everything is okay.”

Bred in Florida by John Foster, Barbara Hooker and Field Commission Partnership, Drafted banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 25-7-2-3. He returned $15.80 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with nine-race card featuring the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield in Race 4 and the $100,000 Ruthless in Race 8. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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Aqueduct: Withers Card Features Double Pick 6 Carryover Of $98,633

Saturday's nine-race card at Aqueduct Racetrack will be bolstered by a double Pick 6 carryover of $98,633 after the multi-race wager went unsolved on Friday.

The $1 Pick 6 returned $22,500.50 to those who selected 5-of-6 horses correctly.

Friday's sequence began in Race 4 with Pendolino [No. 8, $81.50] upsetting a one-turn mile claiming event for older fillies and mares as the longest shot on the board. Oscar Gomez engineered the upset for owner-trainer Eduardo Jones.

Write the Check [No. 1A, $22.80] surged to victory under Luis Rodriguez Castro for trainer Bruce Brown in Race 5, a one-turn mile maiden claiming event for state-bred sophomore fillies.

The parade of longshots continued in Race 6 with Forty Two Ace [No. 6, $30.20] splashing to victory in a one-mile starter allowance for older horses under Mike Luzzi for owner-trainer Charlton Baker and was followed by Gallina [No. 7, $12] rallying to win a starter allowance for older fillies and mares in Race 7 for Trevor McCarthy and owner-trainer Jimmy Bond.

Mystic Night [No. 6, $5] won as the 3-2 mutuel favorite in Race 8, a nine-furlong allowance optional claimer for older horses with Manny Franco in the irons for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

With the double Pick 6 carryover already confirmed, Incontrovertible [No. 10, $12.20] closed out the sequence in Race 9 for jockey Carol Cedeno and trainer Edward Allard in the one-turn mile maiden claiming event for older state-bred fillies and mares.

Saturday's Pick 6 will kick off in Race 4 at 2:18 p.m. Eastern and includes the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers in Race 8. First post on the nine-race card is 12:50 p.m.

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.

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