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Ortiz Jr., Pletcher Win Leading Jockey, Trainer For Aqueduct Fall Meet

Irad Ortiz, Jr. led all riders at the 15-day fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack to earn his eighth riding title at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher compiled 13 wins, leading all trainers through the fall meet, with Klaravich Stables claiming the title as leading owner with five wins.

Ortiz, Jr., 29, finished the meet with a record of 76-21-7-12 and earnings of more than $1.44 million, winning at a 27.63% clip. He garnered five stakes victories during the Big A fall meet including a triumph aboard Peter Brant's Serve the King in the Grade 2 Red Smith on November 20 as well as the Key Cents when piloting the Pletcher-trained Classy Edition.

On Saturday, Ortiz, Jr. added three more stakes victories to his ledger when piloting the Brad Cox-conditioned Lady Rocket [G3 Go for Wand], as well as Mo Donegal [G2 Remsen] and Nest [G2 Demoiselle] to their respective wins for Pletcher on Cigar Mile Day.

Despite not riding in New York on Sunday, Ortiz, Jr., who was in his native Puerto Rico to ride at Camarero, maintained his lead over all other riders, with Jose Lezcano and Luis Saez tying for second with 17 wins apiece.

Pletcher scored five stakes wins during the meet, spearheaded by Americanrevolution capturing the G1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets. In addition to his trio of Cigar Mile Day scores, he saddled Repole Stable's Never Surprised to victory in the Gio Ponti on November 26 and Classy Edition in the Key Cents.

Pletcher boasted a ledger of 52-13-8-7 for the meet with earnings in excess of $1.55 million, while winning at a 25% clip. It was his first Aqueduct fall title since 2018, when he tied with Rudy Rodriguez with a dozen victories apiece.

“We've had a good fall,” Pletcher said. “We had a solid Belmont meet and we were fortunate enough to have a good Aqueduct meet as well so we're thankful. The main thing is you just want the horses to perform to their capabilities. We're fortunate enough to train horses like these. You want to do the best you can with them and it's gratifying to see them do so well.”

Pletcher finished two victories ahead of both Christophe Clement, who captured the 2020 fall meet title at the Big A, and Chad Brown, who won this year's Saratoga and Belmont fall titles.

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables captured their fourth owner title on the NYRA circuit this season when taking the Aqueduct fall meet title for the second straight year.

Last year, Klaravich Stables tied with Repole Stable for the 2020 fall meet, each owner earning five wins apiece. Klaravich Stables mimicked that amount of victories this fall meet, which included maiden scores with the Chad Brown-trained Inflation Adjusted, Core Conviction, and Marketsegmentation.

Klaravich Stables, NYRA's overall leading owner for the past two years, exited the fall meet with a 17-5-0-5 record and purse earnings of nearly $260,000. Michael Dubb and Repole Stable tied for second with four wins each.

Live racing resumes on Thursday when Aqueduct will kick off the 56-day winter meet which runs through Sunday, March 27. The winter meet will feature 46 stakes races worth nearly $6 million in purses. First post on the eight-race card 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.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall 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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Americanrevolution Beats Following Sea To Wire In Cigar Mile

On a day that had its share of inquiries, Americanrevolution survived an inquiry to take the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. Contact between the winner and Plainsman led to the inquiry, with stewards ultimately deciding to leave the order of finish intact, the son of Constitution victorious over his stablemate Following Sea.

At the break, Pipeline was the fastest out of the gate, but Following Sea, who finished third behind Aloha West in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar Nov. 6, took over the lead as they crossed onto the Aqueduct backstretch. Following Sea maintained his one-length lead until the stretch, when Ginobili made his bid for the lead, taking over briefly as they straightened out into the stretch.

Following Sea fought back, passing Ginobili inside the final eighth of a mile as Plainsman and American Revolution made contact briefly as they made their bids for the front in the stretch. Americanrevolution dug in and took over the lead inside the last sixteenth of a mile, finishing a half-length in front of Following Sea. Plainsman was third, with Olympiad fourth. The inquiry sign went up after the race as stewards looked into contact between Plainsman and Americanrevolution in the stretch, but the results were allowed to stand.

The final time for the one-mile G1 stakes was 1:36.68. Find this race's chart here.

Americanrevolution paid $7.50, $4.10, and $3.30. Following Sea paid $5.10 and $4.10. Plainsman paid $5.60.

“Luis [Saez] rode him terrifically. He kept him going in the turn when he was in traffic and things were getting tight. He responded to an energetic ride. He never gave up on him and I think that was important, especially backing up from the mile and an eighth. He never wanted to take his foot off the peddle. He kept coming and we knew he'd be fit backing up in distance,” trainer Todd Pletcher said after the race.

“We weren't 100 percent positive about the mile, but a lot of times good horses do multiple things really well and I think he's a great example of that. Constitution puts so much determination into his offspring and they're just like he was – very tough horses and versatile. It's great to see him get that Grade 1 win.”

“When he came around the three-eighths he was a little bit off the bit. I had to start riding him to get the momentum and at the top of the stretch, when he switched leads, he gave me that kick. After that, I knew I could win the race but I wasn't sure because I still had Following Sea in front of me and he was battling but in the end, Americanrevolution made his move and he got there,” jockey Luis Saez told the NYRA Press Office after the race.

“I feel like Manny [Franco, aboard Plainsman] tried to come out and he was trying to push me away and wanted my spot, but I was in my lane and it looked like the horse inside came out a little bit too and that's what made it look like that.”

Bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Hertrich III and John D. Fielding, Americanrevolution is out of the Super Saver mare Polly Freeze. He is owned by China Horse Club, Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the son of Consitution was purchased by China Horse Club and Maverick Racing for $275,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Preferred New York Bred Yearling Sale. With his win in the G1 Cigar Mile, the 3-year-old colt has five wins in six starts in 2021 and career earnings of $944,535.

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Vergara Repels Challenge From She’s A Mia To Win Tepin At Aqueduct

Gary Broad's Vergara made a strong move from the outside at the top of the stretch to overtake Tasweya and Solib before out-dueling She's a Mia in the final sixteenth to post a win by three-quarters of a length in Sunday's $100,000 Tepin for 2-year-old fillies competing at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Vergara, who graduated with a 1 1/4-length win at second asking last out in October at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., shipped to an out-of-state track for the first time and displayed the ability to both travel and handle stakes company.

Departing from post 3 under Luis Saez, the Noble Mission filly tracked in third position as Tasweya led a 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :23.73 and the half in :50.10 over firm going in the fourth running of the Tepin.

In the final furlong, Vergara responded to Saez's left-handed encouragement by surging past Tasweya from the outside while She's a Mia, at 25-1, gamely fought on from the rail under rider Jalon Samuel. In the final sixteenth, Vergara drew away to complete the course in a 1:44.50 final time.

“She broke pretty badly but after the second jump she was right there,” Saez said. “She was running a little green at the three-eighths and she came in behind heels, but when she came into the stretch, she started running.

“We were looking to cover up and relax. She was a little green,” Saez added. “She came in behind horses and I don't want to be at the top of the stretch trying to come out. That's why I did that before the stretch and she responded really well.”

Off at 6-1, Vergara paid $14.60 on a $2 win wager. Purchased for $130,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Vergara improved her career earnings to $87,200.

Trainer Graham Motion breezed Vergara at the Maryland-based Fair Hill facility and kept her local for her first two starts, which saw her run third in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint at Laurel on September 30 before her win last month at the same track when stretched out to 1 1/8 miles. She handled going two turns again, showing a strong turn-of-foot.

“She ran better,” Saez said. “She had good speed to break and be right there. It was a great race. Graham said to ride her however you want. I stayed with the pony [during the post parade] because going long, I don't want to be too rank.”

She's a Mia, who won her turf debut in her second overall career start last out going six furlongs on October 16 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., for trainer Cleveland Johnson, again teamed with Samuel and earned a placing, edging Mischievous Kiss by a neck for runner-up status.

“She had a very nice trip. It's the first time she's ever gone the distance and the winner had gone a mile and an eighth already,” Samuel said. “I was trying to track them, but the winner got an edge on me at the distance.”

The favorite Caironi, Anador, Solib, Determined Star, Louella Street, Tasweya,photos and Kingdom Queen completed the order of finish. Main-track only entrant Waters of Merom scratched.

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Live racing resumes Thursday at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.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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Sy Dog Gets First Stakes Win In Central Park At Aqueduct

The stakes action at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., on Saturday got off to a thrilling start as second-time starter Sy Dog came out on top over longshot Ohtwoohthreefive in a desperate finish in the $100,000 Central Park for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the outer turf course.

Trained by Graham Motion for Head of Plains Partners, Sy Dog entered the Central Park having just one race under his belt, a promising, four-length score going seven furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., on October 24, while Ohtwoohthreefive was one of the more experienced runners in the field having already made five starts in his young career.

Despite his lack of seasoning, Sy Dog was sent off as the very narrow 9-5 favorite over the Chad Brown-trained stakes winner General Ken, also 9-5 in the betting, who won the Awad at Belmont in his last start on November 5.

Deploying a tactic that netted him his impressive debut win, Sy Dog again found himself near the back of the pack under Luis Saez early in the Central Park as stretch-out sprinter Trust Daddy went out to lead the field with fellow Laurel Park shipper Wish Me Home keeping him company in second. The mid-Atlantic invaders ambled through reasonable splits of :24.44 for the opening quarter-mile, :49.12 for the half, and 1:13.28 for three-quarters, though both came up wanting when the field turned for home.

Under a full head of steam beneath Kendrick Carmouche, it was Ohtwoohthreefive that made the first move and blew the race wide open in upper stretch as Sy Dog remained patiently handled at the rear of the field. With a furlong to go, it looked as though Ohtwoohthreefive was home free, but the upstart Sy Dog came with a relentless rally to just get his nostril down on the wire and prevail in a photo finish.

“I was a little worried,” said Saez. “The horses on the lead kept going, but when he switched his lead he gave me that last turn of foot, so he came pretty fast and right on time. A pretty exciting race.

“I didn't really know [if I'd won], it was pretty tight,” added Saez. “It was close and the wire was right there so I wasn't sure, but in the last jump we found we got it.”

Sy Dog, bred in Kentucky by Head of Plains Partners and Madaket Stables, completed the distance in 1:43.42 and returned $5.80 on a $2 win wager. With the winner's share of the purse of $55,000, his career earnings stand at a nascent $104,500.

“You never know in the maiden races what you're up against,” said Motion. “He's made some of my other 2-year-olds look slow in the morning because he does things so easily. He's very classy.

“I think we'll get him down to Florida now,” added the trainer. “I'm not in a hurry to get him back but the Gulfstream stakes for 3-year-olds on the grass make the most sense.”

The New York-bred Maseta finished third, a length behind the runner-up and a head in front of a very unlucky General Ken. Ridden by Dylan Davis, General Ken was sitting in a pristine, stalking spot for the majority of the race, until his ground-saving journey turned out to be his undoing as he was glued to the rail in the stretch and unable to find any running room late.

Completing the order of finish were Grand Sonata, Geno, Wish Me Home, and Trust Daddy.

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Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with a 10-race card featuring the $150,000 Autumn Days in Race 7, the Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight in Race 8 and the $100,000 Tepin in Race 9. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

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