Reid Trio Target Wood Day Stakes

Trainer Butch Reid, Jr. has three sophomores aiming for stakes on Aqueduct's Apr. 6 Wood Memorial card. Michael Milam's Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion), aiming for the GII Wood Memorial, worked five furlongs in 1:02.09 (3/15) Saturday at Parx. It was the colt's first official work since winning the Feb. 3 GIII Withers S.

“The work went very well, we couldn't be any happier. He did it well and came out of it great this morning, ate up everything last night,” said Reid. “We had a horse in front of him to chase after and he went after him.”

Due to a now-lifted Equine Herpesvirus quarantine at Belmont Park, Uncle Heavy shipped to a farm in Pennsylvania following the Withers and returned to Reid's Parx base Feb. 25.

“The time off, believe it or not, actually did him a bit of good. He put his weight back on,” said Reid. “He's big and fat and healthy now, so we are very happy with the way he is going.”

Cash is King and LC Racing's Carmelina (Maximus Mischief), a last-out runner-up in the Mar. 2 Busher S., is expected to line up in the GIII Gazelle S.

“I think a mile and an eighth is the edge of how far she wants to go, but we will see how it comes up and she definitely could get involved,” Reid said. “Speed can be dangerous at a mile and an eighth, too.”

Reid, LC Racing and Cash is King's Maximus Meridius (Maximus Mischief), who earned 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points with his fourth-place effort in the one-mile GIII Gotham S., will ditch the Derby trail in pursuit of the seven-furlong Bay Shore S.

“We like a little bit of a turn back. He had to go from the one-hole last time and used a little bit out of the gate to not get swallowed up,” said Reid. “Right now, it doesn't look like he is going to be a Classic horse, so this race should be a nice turn back, to keep him going shorter.”

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Slider Heads East for Gotham

Hall Racing, Pearl Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds' Slider (Jimmy Creed) will ship east in search of additional qualifying Kentucky Derby points in Saturday's GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct. Winner of the Speakeasy S. over the turf at Santa Anita last October, Slider was ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He returned to the main track to be third in the Jan. 6 GII San Vicente S. last time out.

Trained by John Sadler, Slider turned in bullet five-furlong work in :59.00 (1/121) at Santa Anita Sunday.

“He worked very well,” Sadler said Sunday. “He ended up catching a couple horses that broke off in front of him, but for me, it was more about how he galloped out since this will be the furthest he's ever run. If he looks good tomorrow, he gets on a plane early Tuesday to be there Tuesday afternoon to run Saturday.”

Sadler said timing was the main reason Slider was making the 2,792-mile journey from Santa Anita to Ozone Park for the Gotham.

“The spacing is good from his last race and we like a one-turn mile with him, so there's a lot of things to like for him [in the Gotham],” said Sadler.

Jose Lezcano, who won last year's Gotham aboard Raise Cain (Violence), will pick up the mount Saturday.

Sadler nominated two other colts to the Gotham, but said the duo will have other Derby prep assignments.

West Point Thoroughbreds' Scatify (Justify) returned from a debut win at Los Alamitos in December to be third behind the runaway winner Nysos (Nyquist) in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita Feb. 3.

“He might be looking at the [Mar. 2 GII] San Felipe or the [Mar. 9 GIII] Tampa Bay Derby,” said Sadler. “We were anxious to get him started and he was a little later getting to me than some of the other ones. We were pleasantly happy with his first race, and missed a little time before the Bob Lewis. He wasn't going to beat the winner that day, but I think if things had gone a little differently, he could have been second.”

Hronis Racing's Tapalo (Tapiture), most recently second in the Feb. 10 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate, will likely remain on the synthetics and make his next start in the Mar. 23 GIII Jeff Ruby S. at Turfway Park.

“Tapalo will probably go to the Jeff Ruby,” said Sadler. “That was synthetic at Golden Gate and he ran a really nice race up there. I think he's a developing horse and it was a close race. He's progressing.”

Maximus Meridius Set to Make Stakes Debut in Gotham

Trainer Butch Reid is pointing Maximus Meridius (Maximus Mischief) to the Gotham. The bay colt worked four furlongs in :47.68 (2/33) at Parx Saturday.

“He breezed beautifully in :47 and change like breaking sticks. He's ready to go,” Reid said. “He did it on his own, he tends to get a little keyed up in company.”

Owned by LC Racing, Cash is King and Wellesley Stable, Maximus Meridius romped to a 10 1/2-length debut victory at Parx last November. He was third, beaten two lengths by Frankie's Empire (Classic Empire), who exited that race to win the Swale S. at Gulfstream Park, in a Dec. 26 optional claimer. Adding blinkers for his third start, Maximus Meridius returned to the winner's circle with a front-running victory going 6 1/2 furlongs at Parx Jan. 30.

Reid said the colt came to him via his brother, the retired Pennsylvania Hall of Fame trainer Mark Reid, who is known by the family as 'Uncle Heavy.'

“He's been very impressive from the beginning,” Reid said of Maximus Meridius. “He's a big, strong horse that we found out of a field in Chester County, Pennsylvania at my brother's place. He's been very forward the whole time we've had him.”

Reid said Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion), a last-gasp winner of the GIII Withers S. Feb. 3, will aim for the Apr. 6 GII Wood Memorial S.

Due to an Equine Herpesvirus quarantine at Belmont Park, Uncle Heavy was shipped to a farm in Pennsylvania following his Withers victory, but was able to return to his Parx base Sunday with the quarantine now lifted.

“He was on the jogging machine and he didn't lose any fitness. He looks fantastic,” Reid said. “We'll have time for three or four good breezes. I'm not worried about fitness at all.”

Reid said he was impressed with Uncle Heavy's late-running win in the Withers.

“The key was the way he finished up. His last five strides were huge, big strides and he gobbled that horse up,” Reid said. “That was very impressive his first time going a mile and an eighth and we'll see if we can confirm that coming back in the Wood.”

Owned by Michael Milam, Uncle Heavy was bred by Reid's sister-in-law Barbara Reid and named for his brother.

“It's a great story and he's been a real find so far,” Reid said.

Uncle Heavy has banked $293,580 with a 4-3-0-0 record.

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Good Samaritan Colt Pulls off Bourbon Shocker

Longshot Can Group rallied from last to first at 27-1 in Sunday's GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. at Keeneland to narrowly stamp his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Last-out Sapling S. scorer Noted came out on the wrong end of a tight photo, while Pepsi Juvenile Sprint S. winner Vote No rounded out the lucrative trifecta.

Sandwiched at the start and back to last as the full field scrambled for position into the first bend, Can Group was still patiently handled by Francisco Arrieta as they straightened. He was able to sneak through a seam in midstretch, kicked it into high gear from there and zoomed down the center of the course to nip Noted at the line.

Official fractions and a final time were never posted. TimeformUS's Craig Milkowski later tweeted an estimated final time of 1:43.73.

“He was [last going into the final turn],” noted Arrieta, who was celebrating his first Keeneland stakes win. “When I moved and he saw the leaders, he just took off and, wow, it was amazing. I felt like I crossed the wire in front. He was rolling. I won with him at Kentucky Downs and he came from off the pace very nice, slow, so today I planned the same. Relax, give him time and make one move, and he showed up.”

The winner was third in a pair of dirt sprints at Ellis to kick off his career before breaking through in visually impressive fashion going seven panels on the Kentucky Downs sod Sept. 2.

Sunday, Keeneland
CASTLE & KEY BOURBON S.-GII, $350,000, Keeneland, 10-8, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, fm.
1–CAN GROUP, 118, c, 2, by Good Samaritan
                1st Dam: Blue Gallina, by Street Sense
                2nd Dam: Miss Del Gallo, by Hennessy
                3rd Dam: Ligurian, by Ogygian
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($100,000
Ylg '22 FTKOCT). O-D. J. Stable LLC and Cash is King LLC;
B-Wynnstay Inc. & H. Allen Poindexter (KY); T-Mark E. Casse;
J-Francisco Arrieta. $198,013. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-2,
$307,013. *1/2 to Flat Out Speed (Flat Out), GSW, $364,916.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Noted, 120, c, 2, Cairo Prince–Sea View Millie, by Proud
Citizen. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP).
O-Repole Stable; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$63,875.
3–Vote No, 118, g, 2, Divisidero–Sistas Ready, by More Than
Ready. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($7,500 Ylg '22 KEEJAN;
$11,000 Ylg '22 OBSOCT; $50,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN). O-Joseph
Morey, Jr.; B-A. John Price (KY); T-William E. Morey.

$31,938.
Margins: NO, 1, HF. Odds: 27.17, 3.18, 18.15.
Also Ran: First World War, Tok Tok, Depiction, Palm Tree, Double Your Money, Coin Miner, Gorilla Trek, Fortune Seller, Nomos. Scratched: Good Bali, Tireless, Tough Little Nut. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

Pedigree Notes:

Can Group builds on a strong month-plus in Kentucky for his young sire (by Harlan's Holiday), who was also represented by the $1-million GIII Big Ass Fans Music City S. winner–his first at the graded level–and $1-million Dueling Grounds Oaks runner-up on the same weekend Can Group earned his diploma. He is one of 32 stakes winners and 13 group/graded winners worldwide out of Street Sense mares.

The winner's unraced dam has now been responsible for a trio of juvenile stakes winners, including 2019 Prairie Gold Lassie and Iowa Sorority S. winner Flat Out Speed, who stretched out effectively to take the GIII Iowa Oaks at three. Starlight Racing purchased Blue Gallina's yearling filly by Authentic for $310,000 at Fasig Saratoga. She failed to produce a foal for 2023, but was bred back to Jack Christopher for 2024.

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Morning Matcha Tops Field Of 11 For NYSSS Fifth Avenue

Cash Is King Racing, LC Racing and Gary Barber's two-time winner Morning Matcha headlines a field of 11 for Saturday's 35th running of the $500,000 Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The seven-furlong test for eligible New York-sired juvenile fillies is one of two stakes races on Saturday afternoon for state-sired 2-year-olds, along with its counterpart race, the $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way.

“We're pleased to be offering these important races – the richest juvenile sire stakes races in the country – which demonstrate the strength of the New York-sired program and offer a great incentive to breed to New York stallions,” said NYRA racing secretary Keith Doleshel. “Our New York-sired and New York-bred programs are integral to NYRA racing and we look forward to continuing to support the New York breeding industry.”

Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., Morning Matcha will cut back a furlong after defeating winners by 6 ¼ lengths going a two-turn mile on Nov. 16 at Parx. She registered a field-best 81 Beyer Speed Figure last out, saving ground along the rail before angling several paths wide around the far turn and drawing off to a 6 ¼-length victory as the 1-9 favorite.

The daughter of leading New York stallion Central Banker, who stands at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds for a $7,500 stud fee, has never finished out of the money in six career starts.

The consistent bay earned a stakes-placing in the Finest City on Sept. 13 at Presque Isle Downs en route to a 6 ½ furlong Parx maiden score 12 days later.

Reid, Jr. kept a small division of horses at Saratoga this past summer, including Morning Matcha, and said he had been looking forward to more ground since watching her train at the Spa. Morning Matcha sprinted against restricted maiden company twice at Saratoga, finishing a respective third and second.

“No doubt the longer distances have helped,” said Reid, Jr. “We've been waiting to stretch her out in distance since we had her at Saratoga. A mile was perfect for her so this won't be out of reach either.”

Reid, Jr. will have five stalls at Gulfstream Park this winter. Following the NYSSS Fifth Avenue, Morning Matcha is scheduled to join his small South Florida division.

“After this, we'll stretch her back out. She'll head to Florida after this and train in some nicer weather,” Reid, Jr. said.

Kendrick Carmouche, the pilot in both victories, will return aboard Morning Matcha from post 6.

“It'll be up to the jock wherever she's most comfortable,” Reid, Jr. said. “Inside or outside, she appears to have no qualms with anything. Kendrick has done a great job with her.”

Bred in Pennsylvania by Crane Thoroughbred Services, Morning Matcha is out of the stakes-placed Iam the Iceman mare Home Ice and was bought for $18,000 out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Mid Atlantic Sale.

Trainer Michael Trombetta will send out Howdyoumakeurmoney, a dual-surface winner and the lone stakes-winner in the Fifth Avenue field.

The Commonwealth New Era Racing-owned Freud bay graduated at second asking on turf against fellow New York-breds on September 3 at Saratoga and one month later captured the 6 ½-furlong Presque Isle Downs Debutante, defeating next-out winner Battle Charge.

Howdyoumakeyourmoney, bred in New York by Davie Bloodstock and Peter Colon, arrives from a runner-up effort in the seven-furlong Glorious Song on Oct. 30 at Woodbine.

Mychel Sanchez will be aboard from post 7.

Joseph Bucci's Laoban's Legacy will seek her first stakes victory, coming off a runner-up effort against open company winners for trainer Jeremiah Englehart.

Bred in New York by Sequel Thoroughbreds, the daughter of the late Laoban was a dazzling 7 ¾-length winner in July over a sloppy and sealed Saratoga main track on debut en route to a distant third in the Seeking the Ante the following month at the Spa.

Breaking from post 3, Laoban's Legacy will be ridden by Manny Franco – a two-time winner of the NYSSS Fifth Avenue.

Trainer Christophe Clement will send out Barry Schwartz's Shigeko following a 6 ¾-length maiden win at second asking. Bred in New York by Schwartz's Stonewall Farm, the daughter of Japan found the winner's circle on Oct. 30 over a sloppy and sealed main track in an off-the-turf mile for state-breds at Belmont Park.

Dylan Davis will ride Shigeko from post 11.

Completing the field are She's a Big Deal [post 1, Raul Mena], Alicia's Way [post 2, Benjamin Hernandez], Laochi [post 4, Eric Cancel], Yo Cuz [post 5, Jose Ortiz], Half Birthday [post 8, Trevor McCarthy], Bank On Anna [post 9, Jose Lezcano], and Mrs. Banks [post 10, Mike Luzzi].

The NYSSS Fifth Avenue is carded as the penultimate event on Saturday's nine-race program. First post is 12:20 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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