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Channel Cat Will Add Blinkers For Extra ‘Spark’ In Saturday’s Red Smith Handicap

Calumet Farm's Channel Cat headlines a deep field assembled for Saturday's 61st running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Red Smith Handicap going 1 3/8 miles for 3-year-olds and upward over the inner turf at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Channel Cat, a 6-year-old son of late turf champion English Channel, seeks his first triumph since capturing the Grade 1 Man o' War in May at Belmont Park for trainer Jack Sisterson.

The chestnut fended off a confrontation from dual Grade 1-winner Gufo in late stretch to win the 11-furlong Man o' War by a nose in his third start of this season. He arrives off a distant sixth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Turf Cup on Sept. 11 at Kentucky Downs, where he was forwardly-placed but finished 9 ¾ lengths back of the winner Imperador.

As the lone millionaire in the Red Smith, Channel Cat boasts earnings in excess of $1.4 million through a ledger of 29-6-3-5. He captured the Grade 2 Bowling Green in July 2019 in wire-to-wire fashion while racing for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Channel Cat will see an equipment change for Saturday's engagement and will sport blinkers for the first time since May 2019 when finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy at Belmont.

“He lacked that little bit of spark in his past couple of starts 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.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will seek his fourth Red Smith triumph when piloting Channel Cat, who will carry 126 pounds from post 7.

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle a pair of contenders in Serve the King [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 124] and Value Engineering [post 2, Dylan Davis, 122].

Owned by Peter Brant, who captured the 1979 Red Smith with Waya, Serve the King enters off a sharp runner-up effort when completing a Brown-trained exacta in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational on October 9 at Belmont. The 5-year-old Kingman bay garnered a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, where he saved ground in fourth and made a move in between horses in mid-stretch to finish two lengths to stablemate Rockemperor.

Serve the King sports a consistent leger of 10-4-2-1 which includes a victory in the restricted John's Call on August 25 at Saratoga and a troubled fourth in the Grade 1 United Nations on July 17 at Monmouth Park.

“The horse is training really well. It looks like a really solid race,” Brown said. “He's coming off his best performance. He's one that keeps developing and one that we thought a lot of. He's well bred, very consistent and he's in good form right now.”

Also representing the Brown stable is Value Engineering, a consistent 5-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid who makes his stakes debut for Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stable.

The three-time winner has never finished off the board in 11 career starts and arrives off a rallying victory going nine furlongs four weeks ago over the Belmont inner turf. His other two victories include a third-out maiden triumph in August 2019 covering 1 3/16 miles at Saratoga and a 10-furlong score against winners off a nine-month layoff in June 2020 at Belmont.

“It's a big step but we always thought he was a stakes horse all along,” Brown said. “He lost his way a little bit and needed to breakthrough. I thought his last race was a breakout performance. He's got to step up but there aren't too many options for a horse like him this time of year, so we're giving it a shot.”

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Pletcher will seek his third Red Smith coup when saddling Donegal Racing's Shamrocket, who added a stakes win to his resume last out in the Point of Entry on October 24 at Belmont going 12 furlongs.

The 4-year-old Tonalist bay rounded out the trifecta in the July 5 Grand Couturier at Belmont ahead of a late-closing third in the Grade 2 Bowling Green on July 31 at Saratoga.

“I thought he got the trip we were looking for last time, it was nice to see him get that stake win,” Pletcher said. “I think the cutback is fine. He's had some success going three turns and seems to run well no matter what you throw at him.”

Shamrocket will leave from post 5 carrying 124 pounds. under Javier Castellano.

Wertheimer and Frere homebred No Word, also for the Pletcher barn, was a last out fifth in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker on October 10 at Belmont. The 4-year-old Silent Name colt has earned graded stakes placings three times, including a runner-up effort in last year's Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.

Carrying 122 pounds, No Word will be piloted by Jose Lezcano post 9.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso's Solider Rising will face elders for the first time while attempting to become the first 3-year-old to win the Red Smith since Monarch's Maze in 1999. The son of Frankel strives to make amends after cutting back to nine furlongs and finishing fifth as the beaten favorite in the Grade 2 Hill Prince on October 23 at Belmont.

Soldier Rising was second in both the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 7 and the Jockey Club Derby Invitational six weeks later at Belmont for trainer Christophe Clement.

“I think he's good enough to make the jump,” said Clement, who saddled previous Red Smith winners Flag Down [1995] and Grassy [2010]. “I thought he ran well last time, but we asked of him an impossible task being so far back.”

Solider Rising, who will carry 118 pounds, is owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso. Jose Ortiz will ride from post 3.

Completing the field are Tide of the Sea [post 1, Luis Saez, 126], Corelli [post 6, Manny Franco, 126], Sanctuary City [post 8, Ruben Silvera, 122] and Price Talk [post 10, Eric Cancel, 122].

Known as the Edgemere Handicap until 1981, the Red Smith pays tribute to the late Pulitzer Prize winning author and sportswriter Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith, whose 55-year career in journalism covered a wide array of sports, including horseracing, for the New York Herald Tribune and the New York Times. The Red Smith will be carded as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race program. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall 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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Thursday’s Insights: Unbeaten Nicky the Vest Returns at the Big A

3rd-AQU, $74k, OC45k/N2X, (S), 3yo/up, 1m, post tme: 1:19 p.m. ET

NICKY THE VEST (Runhappy), sidelined since running his record to a perfect two-for-two with a runaway score versus state-breds in the Gander S. Feb. 14, returns to action at the Big A Thursday. The New York-bred, forced to miss the GII Wood Memorial S. due to a knee chip, faces seven rivals in a state-bred optional claimer with first-time Lasix in his comebacker. Both of his previous wins came over this same track and trip.

“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,” trainer Jonathan 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.”

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Trevor McCarthy Returns To New York With Joe Migliore As Agent

Jockey Trevor McCarthy will make his return to New York for the Aqueduct meet next Thursday, reports the Daily Racing Form, having spent the spring and summer in Southern California. Joe Migliore, a bloodstock agent and the son of former jockey Richard Migliore, will represent McCarthy in his return.

“Tremendously excited about how his return has been received, lots of people looking for us in the mornings, and we've been very active in the mornings,” Migliore told DRF. “Excited to build upon the success he had last year before going to California and think that we'll be able to repeat if not expand that success this winter and beyond.”

McCarthy, who left New York partly because of a wagering rule that requires married jockeys to be coupled in the wagering, went 9-for-156 in Southern California, and missed the last 11 weeks due to an ankle surgery. McCarthy now plans to ride year-round in New York, and he and his wife, jockey Katie Davis, are expecting their first child in December.

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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