Un Ojo, who made his first start for trainer Dutrow in the Great White Way, has shown improvement across his four starts this year, breaking his maiden at second asking and finishing fourth in the Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., in his first try at the stakes level.

“When I went over him this morning, he seemed very good,” Dutrow said. “I was extremely happy that he continues to improve. You can see in each race that he keeps getting a little better. And he continued that pattern yesterday. He was ridden impeccably too.”

The son of Laoban, who is missing his left eye, was piloted from the outermost post 11 by jockey Trevor McCarthy and raced three-wide down the backstretch before being swung to the center of the racetrack between rivals in the turn and making a bid for the lead at the top of the stretch.

With urging from McCarthy, Un Ojo closed the gap between him and pacesetter Unique Unions but lost momentum when eventual winner Geno drifted out and brushed up against Un Ojo's eyeless left side and defeated the gelding by a half-length. With both an objection from McCarthy and a steward's inquiry resulting in no change to the order of finish, Dutrow said he was not upset with the ruling by the stewards.

“At 63 and having done nothing but horse racing my entire life, I've seen those calls yesterday go either way,” Dutrow said. “The stewards don't have an easy job; nothing is easy with horses. Should the horse have stayed up? Sure. If the horse had been taken down, would that have surprised me? No. But I'm not complaining. I don't have a problem with them keeping the horse up.”

Dutrow believes that Un Ojo's lack of vision might have contributed to his loss of momentum.

“I strongly think that if Un Ojo had both eyes, that little bump wouldn't have done anything to him,” said Dutrow. “As I was watching it, I really thought he was going by [Geno]. Then we saw the head-on and at the bump, his momentum stopped. And I do think it's because he has no left eye. When he's bumped, he doesn't know what is going on. So he was startled and if he had been able to see the horse coming in, I don't think it would have been a problem.”

Un Ojo is out of the multiple stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Risk a Chance, who herself is out of graded stakes-winning mare Seeking the Ante. Dutrow said he is confident that the dark bay's pedigree will allow him to stretch out going forward.

“I think the horse is crying to go a mile or a mile and an eighth,” said Dutrow. “I don't think there's a question about that being out of an A.P. Indy mare. I believe strongly that he can't wait for that. We've got no plans for him to be a six- or seven-furlong horse. I did learn that he's a decent enough horse to overcome a distance he does not prefer.”

Dutrow said he does not have a specific race circled on the calendar yet for Un Ojo.

“We aren't going to make the Jerome [on January 1] and I haven't really looked into it yet or talked to the client,” said Dutrow. “We would have to consider something at a mile and an eighth in February next.”

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Trainer David Donk said Geno will eye a return to state-bred stakes company in the $100,000 Gander on February 12 at the Big A.

“He cooled out really well, it was a pretty easy race on him,” Donk said. “He'll stick around. If he was just a grass horse, I would have turned him out for a bit.”

The Big Brown bay made a winning debut in September at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., against fellow New York-breds, followed by two starts against open stakes company, including a close second in the November 5 Awad.

Donk said he would like to see Geno stretch out in distance in the one-mile Gander.

“I'm not going to shorten him up. I'd rather go longer than shorter,” Donk said. “He'll get a little spacing and we'll go from there. We'll see how he runs there, I could always come back on the dirt or back to the grass in April. It will give me a lot of options.

“I debated first time out whether I should run him on dirt or turf,” Donk added. “He's a very good workhorse and he breezed very well on dirt going into this race. It was a big effort.”

Donk trained Geno's dam Weekend Hottie, a Sun King mare, through her last eight of 27 career starts, all of which were on grass.

“She was an average mare, but this is a pretty good-looking horse. He's big and scopey,” Donk said.

Bred in New York by Pete Martine [Mendham Racing Stable], Geno brought his lifetime earnings up to $337,250 following Saturday's winning effort, which garnered a 61 Beyer Speed Figure.

Donk said Joseph Bucci's Shesawildjoker, winner of the Shesastonecoldfox at Finger Lakes Race Track in Farmington, N.Y., two starts back, will target the $100,000 Franklin Square on January 15 for 3-year-old New York bred fillies going 6 ½ furlongs. The daughter of first-crop sire Practical Joke was a last-out third in the November 21 Key Cents at the Big A.

Donk said five-time winning turf sprinter Big Package, also a New York bred by Big Brown, is currently turned out at Dr. Patty Hogan's Hogan Equine in central New Jersey.

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The Union Jackson gelding breezed a half-mile in :50.08 over the dirt training track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

“It was hard to see because it was so foggy, but he did fine,” Schosberg said. “He doesn't need a whole lot coming off of his last race and I'm very pleased with the way he's coming along.”

Entering the Great White Way off a six-furlong state-bred maiden special weight victory on November 20 at Aqueduct, Schosberg said the gelding is ready for stakes company.

“We always thought he was a real quality horse and he's proving it,” said Schosberg. “He's got a wonderful personality and a good way of going. He stays low to the ground and I was impressed with his maiden victory.”

Unique Union's owners and Schosberg earned a stakes victory this year when A Bit o'Irish Sass won the New York Oaks at Finger Lakes Racetrack in Farmington, N.Y., in July, geared down and 4 1/2-lengths clear of runner-up U Guys Are No Fun.

The 3-year-old daughter of Laoban made her next start in the Fleet Indian at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on August 27, finishing a non-threatening fourth in the field of six. Away from the track since the Fleet Indian, Schosberg said the filly is making steady progress back to the races.

“She had a little issue after her last start and she just needed some time,” said Schosberg. “I was hoping I would have her back in time for the [NYSSS Staten Island] last weekend, but she needed more time. She's coming back to the barn from the farm [Saturday] and we are looking forward to having her back.”

Bossmakinbossmoves, a 2-year-old gelded son of Laoban, most recently finished fifth in a 6 ½-furlong state-bred maiden special weight at Aqueduct on December 5 after a pair of runner-up efforts earlier this year at Belmont.

Schosberg said the gelding could be a special one going forward.

“I was going to run him in the Great White Way also because he's eligible, but that race is going to be too short for him and he wants to stretch out,” Schosberg said. “He's going to be a nice horse, he just needs to cover some ground. He ran a good race last out, but I didn't want to run him in a stakes.”

Schosberg also serves as the president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's Take The Lead program, which helps to facilitate the transition of racehorses from the track to new homes in retirement. Now in its eighth year, Schosberg says the program is continuing to see strong support.

“We are approaching our 900th horse [through the program] very rapidly,” said Schosberg. “At the moment, I have 12 horses who are transitioning off the track. At any time of the week, we have anywhere from five to 10 horses on our list in different phases of transition. We are very busy and have horses leaving for retirement all the time.”

For more information on Take The Lead, visit https://www.take2tbreds.com/about-take-the-lead/.

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Londono, who left a career as a vet tech to pursue training, has a long history in the equine world – her father was a rider and her mother runs a breeding operation. After starting her training ventures as an assistant to Wayne Catalano, Mike Maker, Michael Trombetta, and a few others, Londono went out on her own five years ago.

“I never really wanted to be a trainer; it was never really my goal,” said Londono. “I actually had wanted to be a vet. But after working around the horses with my parents and then working as an assistant to other trainers, I asked, 'why can't I do it myself?'”

Londono, based at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., currently trains five horses and exercises them in the mornings, preferring to be hands on with each of her trainees. Starters for Londono have finished on the board at a 51 percent clip for a career record of 96-14-18-17 and nearly $600,000 in earnings.

Cash Logistics, a gelding by Unbridled Express, is the top performer from Londono's barn, awarding Londono the first stakes victory of her career when he won Indiana Grand's Sagamore Sired in 2020.

Stirdatpot, who finished second on debut at Churchill last time out sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over a muddy track on November 14, will be the second stakes starter for Londono.

Bred in Florida by Londono and co-owner Charlie Hancock, Stirdatpot is a son of 2012 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Trinniberg, who stood in the Empire State for five seasons.

As a registered Florida-bred with a qualifying New York sire, Stirdatpot is eligible for a wide array of conditions in both Florida and New York, an opportunity Londono says she would not have in many jurisdictions.

“We chose to nominate to the Stallion Series to give us some options going forward,” Londono said. “The purse is great and we know the kind of competition we are getting into.”

Now with Stirdatpot awaiting a run at the biggest race of her career, Londono said she is eager to see how the colt stands up against fellow New York-sired competition.

“It's definitely nerve-wracking,” said Londono. “But I'm excited for it. This would be huge to win. He showed enough in his first start to make me think he'll do well here. I'm having the best year of my career so far and I hope we can continue that in this spot.”

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One of three stakes on the finale of the 18-day fall meet at the Big A, the 38th running of the Great White Way will be joined by the $250,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue for juvenile fillies and the $100,000 Garland of Roses for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Owned by Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith, Dreamer's Disease started his career on dirt when eighth in July at Ellis Park. Trainer Robertino Diodoro moved the Kentucky-bred Laoban colt to turf for his next two starts, resulting in his second-out win on Aug. 8 at Ellis before running off the board in his stakes bow in the More Than Ready Juvenile on Sept. 7 at Kentucky Downs.

After posting a 4 1/2-length sore in his return to the main track on Oct. 3 at Keeneland, Dreamer's Disease stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for the first time in the most challenging race of his career in the Breeders' Cup. Serving as the pacesetter in leading the talented field of 14 through the opening three ports of call, Dreamer's Disease tired in the stretch but still earned a personal-high 80 Beyer Speed Figure for his sixth-place effort in a contest won by Essential Quality.

“He's training well and bounced out of the race really good,” Diodoro said. “We were going to give him a break but with this race here, and how he came out of it, we figured to give it a shot. The distance sets up well, especially coming off a mile and a couple of ticks, I think it's going to suit him quite well.”

Dreamer's Disease shipped from his base in Kentucky to New York on Wednesday.

“He flew up well and went out to the track just a little while ago, so I think it's all-systems-go right now,” Diordoro said.

Diordoro said his charge has improved physically since starting his career this summer and has given the connections positive signs after posting victories on both turf and dirt.

“He's versatile and long-term I think that's going to come in quite handy,” he said. “He's filled out more and that's helped him a lot, and mentally, he's matured. He's a little bit of a high-strung horse, but he's starting to mature over the last couple months.

“When the dust settles, I think he is a dirt horse,” he added. “Time will tell in his career, but anytime you have a horse that's versatile that can run on both surfaces, it definitely helps.”

Jockey Dylan Davis will pick up the mount from post 7.

Mathis Stable's Uno was an impressive 3 ¾-length winner in his debut on Nov. 12 over a muddy and sealed Aqueduct track. Like Dreamer's Disease, Uno is also by Laoban, and the Todd Pletcher trainee registered a 76 Beyer for his win.

A $255,000 purchase at this year's Ocala Breeders' Sale, Uno was bred in New York by Spruce Lane, Built Wright, Lynn Farm, Will Robbins and Copper Beach et al. Jose Ortiz, aboard for the victory, will have the return call from post 11.

Stakes-winner Hold the Salsa won the Bertram F. Bongard against fellow New York breds going the Great White Way distance on October 2 at Belmont Park. Stretched out to a mile on Big Sandy on Oct. 24, the Hold Me Back colt ran fourth in the Sleepy Hollow for owner and trainer Richard Lugovich.

Making his first appearance at the Big A, Hold the Salsa, who won his debut on July 12 at Belmont, will depart from post 8 with Junior Alvarado aboard.

Horn of Plenty will have the services of Kendrick Carmouche, who entered Thursday's live racing action as the meet's leading jockey as he looks to secure his first New York riding title. Trained by Mike Maker, the Emcee gelding won his first start on October 18 at Belmont before running fourth in the six-furlong Notebook over an Aqueduct main track rated good on Nov. 14. Horn of Plenty drew post 9.

Windy Nations, a first-out winner in August at Monmouth Park in a maiden-claiming sprint, will be making his first start since a runner-up effort against claiming company on Nov. 12 at Churchill Downs for trainer Mike Maker [post 12, Manny Franco].

Rounding out the field is The King Cheek, who broke his maiden at third asking on Nov. 9 at Parx for conditioner Jamie Ness [post 4, Luis Rodriguez Castro]; It's Gravy, looking for his first win after two runner-ups and third-place effort in three starts for trainer Kelly Breen [post 2, Joel Rosario]; New York One, who has won two of his last three starts for trainer James Chapman [post 3, Ferrin Peterson]; Market Alert, third in the Notebook on November 14 for trainer James Ryerson [post 6, Jose Lezcano]; Prospect Mountain, a first-out winner on November 15 at Aqueduct for trainer James Ferraro [post 1, Benjamin Hernandez]; Jacoba, who will be making his first U.S. start after three races at Woodbine for trainer Jeremiah Englehart [post 10, Jorge Vargas, Jr.]; and Jacks American Pie, stepping up to stakes company after four maiden special weight appearances for trainer Karl Grusmark [post 5, Charlie Marquez].

The Great White Way is slated as Race 8 on Aqueduct's nine-race program, which offers a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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