Un Ojo Eyeing Feb. 5 Withers; Gotham Next For Fromanothamutha

Cypress Creek Equine's Un Ojo is on track to make his graded stakes debut in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers on Feb. 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. The nine-furlong Withers offers 10-4-2-1 qualifying points on the road to the Kentucky Derby to the top-four finishers, respectively.

Trained by Tony Dutrow, the son of Laoban had his first work since his game effort in the Great White Way, breezing four furlongs in 49.13 seconds over Belmont Park's dirt training track on Friday in company with fellow Dutrow trainee Fair Haired Boy, a 5-year-old maiden winner.

“We had plenty of time between races, so we gave him a little bit of a break there immediately after the stakes and we're extremely happy with him,” Dutrow said. “If things keep going the way they are today, he'll be in the Withers.”

Un Ojo's second in the Great White Way was the first stakes placing of his career, fighting on valiantly with eventual winner Geno down the stretch to be defeated just a neck despite losing momentum when he was bumped by Geno at the sixteenth pole.

Dutrow said he is not concerned with Un Ojo's step up to the graded ranks for the first time.

“I think he'll manage it just fine. We're feeling very good about the distance and how the race is coming up,” said Dutrow. “His breeding says that the distance shouldn't be a problem. We are looking forward to it for sure.”

Other horses under consideration for the Withers include the top-three finishers of the Jerome – Courvoisier, Smarten Up and Cooke Creek – as well as maiden winner Constitutionlawyer.

Fromanothamutha G3 Gotham bound following maiden score
Trainer Ray Handal said recent maiden winner Fromanothamutha will target the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham on March 5, a one-turn mile offering 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Fromanothamutha, a 3-year-old son of Unified, broke his maiden gate-to-wire Thursday by 4 1/4 lengths in a seven-furlong maiden special weight under regular pilot Manny Franco, registering a career-best 87 Beyer.

Fromanothamutha entered Thursday's win from a distant seventh in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Remsen, but kept salty company throughout the maiden ranks, finishing behind subsequent stakes-winner Chattalot in his July debut at Saratoga. He would go on to finish second in his fourth start to Mo Donegal – the eventual Remsen winner.

“He's just been knocking at the door,” Handal said. “He bounced out of the Remsen in good order. We were looking at this race and if he were to win, then the Gotham from there. He should handle the mile just fine and he's shown that he's pretty legit.”

Handal said Franco, who piloted Fromanothamutha for the first time in the Remsen, benefited from the race experience aboard the dark bay.

“Manny said he thought he might have put him to sleep a little bit in the Remsen. He was getting a little bit lackadaisical,” Handal said. “This time, he kept him going at task in a spot where he was happy.”

Owned by Handal in partnership with Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Craig Taylor and Peter M. Rinato, Fromanothamutha is out of the Aptitude mare Prevention. He was bought for $120,000 out of the 2021 OBS March Sale.

Handal has won 5-of-16 starts in 2022 heading into Sunday's card, all of which were at Aqueduct. In addition to Fromanothamutha, he scored with Constitutionlawyer, who is bound for the Grade 3 Withers. Other victories for Handal this year include Just Read It and maiden winners Ribot's Valentine and The Honorable Ruth.

“We just have to keep it rolling along,” Handal said. “We're just happy to have nice horses and patient owners. It's great for the whole team.”

The post Un Ojo Eyeing Feb. 5 Withers; Gotham Next For Fromanothamutha appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Just Read It Looks For Second Stakes Win Saturday In Garland Of Roses

Just Read It, trained and co-owned by Ray Handal with Ken Russell and Brown Road Racing, will look to secure her second stakes win at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., in Saturday's $100,000 Garland of Roses, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

A second-out maiden winner at the Big A in January, the sophomore daughter of Constitution captured the six-furlong Cicada here on March 20. She returned from a nearly eight-month layoff on November 3 to finish a closing third in a six-furlong optional-claiming sprint at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

“It was a good effort,” Handal said. “She's matured from what I've seen in the morning. She's gotten bigger and she's mentally more put together. I expect her to run an improved race. We know she likes Aqueduct, so that always helps.”

Out of the Broken Vow mare Mybrokenhome, the Kentucky-bred was purchased for $70,000 at the OBS July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Fromanothamutha, owned by Handal in partnership with Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Craig Taylor, and Peter Rinato, faded to seventh after setting the pace in Saturday's nine-furlong Grade 2 Remsen won by Mo Donegal at the Big A.

The Unified juvenile, a $120,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, entered the Remsen from a prominent second to Mo Donegal in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on October 21 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Handal said Fromanothamutha earned his way into the Remsen.

“He looked like he was doing it pretty comfortably, I'd just chalk it up to him not liking the distance,” Handal said. “He was a maiden running in a Grade 2 but he was beaten a length to Mo Donegal going into it and Mo Donegal won the race, so I feel justified taking the shot in there.”

Handal said Fromanothamutha will look to clear the maiden condition before possibly taking a shot at the $300,000 G3 Gotham, a one-turn mile on March 5 at the Big A.

“He's a lovely colt and I think we'll just take him back to one-turn races,” Handal said. “I think I'll give him a two-week break and freshen him up and try and knock the maiden out and then look at something down the line like the Gotham.”

Merrylegs Farm's Thinking It Over, a 2-year-old daughter of Overanalyze bred in the Empire State by Merrylegs Farm North, garnered a 62 Beyer for a debut maiden score sprinting six furlongs in an off-the-turf state-bred maiden sprint on November 12 at Aqueduct.

“She was MTO that day and I thought it would take a really good New York-bred to beat her first time out,” Handal said. “When we got in off that spot, I thought she was going to be double tough.”

Handal said he would like to eventually target a state-bred stakes with Thinking It Over with the first opportunity being the Franklin Square, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies on January 15.

“We'll look towards the New York-bred stakes program through the winter with her, but I'd like to get her in a '1X' first,” Handal said.

Ken Russell and Richard Newman Racing's Foolish Ghost, a 6-year-old New York-bred son of Mineshaft, has posted a record of 37-9-7-5 for purse earnings of $462,122.

Handal said he's considering a number of options for the speedy gelding, who captured the 6 1/2-furlong John Morrissey in July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“We'll look towards an allowance race and get some confidence. He loves this track,” said Handal.

Foolish Ghost, who finished fourth last out in the Hudson on October 30 at Belmont, sports a record of 10-1-4-1 at the Big A.

The post Just Read It Looks For Second Stakes Win Saturday In Garland Of Roses appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights