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Donk Eyes Longer Distances For Geno After NYSSS Great White Way Win

Mendham Racing Stable's New York homebred Geno made a successful dirt debut in Saturday's seven-furlong $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way for eligible state-sired juveniles at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

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.

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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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Geno Outlasts Un Ojo To Win NYSSS Great White Way

Geno went wide on the lone turn of the Great White Way, part of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, to find running room on the outside of Unique Unions and outlasted a rallying Un Ojo to take the seven-furlong stakes by a neck.

Breaking from the middle of the field of 11, Geno settled in fourth behind Unique Unions, who took the lead out of the gate, with Kenner and Bustin Pietre content to sit behind the early leader. Through early fractions of :22.71 and :46.48, Unique Unions was a half-length in front of Kenner on the far turn, entering the stretch at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., poised to take the field gate to wire.

Geno went three-wide on the far turn to find running room in the Aqueduct straight, rallying on the outside of Unique Unions with jockey Trevor McCarthy driving Un Ojo to his outside. Geno passed Unique Unions inside the last sixteenth to take the lead and was able to hold off Un Ojo to win by a neck. Unique Unions held on for third with Hot Stepper fourth.

Jockey Trevor McCarthy lodged an objection after the race, as there was some contact between Geno and Un Ojo in the stretch. The stewards upheld the order of finish.

The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:25.88. Find this race's chart here.

Geno paid $18.80, $9.90, and $6.00. Un Ojo paid $15.20 and $7.90. Unique Unions paid $3.20.

“I love this horse. He's so classy. He does whatever you want him to do. Last time I rode him, I was sort of knocking my head because I didn't ride him that well. But everything paid off today,” jockey Jose Vargas said after the race.

“He came to me from Ocala and he just trained really well this summer. This horse has a lot of class, as much class as I've seen a horse have in a while. I debated first time out whether I should run him on dirt or turf. His mother [Weekend Hottie] won on grass and my success with Big Brown offspring have been on grass, so I ran him over it,” trainer David Donk told the NYRA Press Office after the Great White Way.

“I told Johnny [Velazquez] I liked the horse and he was good enough to win first out. He ran well in a stake [2nd in the Awad] next time. I don't think he got the greatest trip last time [6th in the Central Park]. He breezes really well on the dirt and I needed to try him somewhere on the dirt. This is as good a spot as I could have found. Jorge [Vargas, Jr.] gave him a great ride.

Bred in New York by Pete Martine, Geno is by Big Brown out of the Sun King mare Weekend Hottie. He is owned by Mendham Racing Stable. With his win in the NYSSS Great White Way, the 2-year-old colt has two wins in four starts for career earnings of

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Donk Prepares A Trio Of Hopefuls For Upcoming Aqueduct Stakes

Trainer David Donk, who will oversee a stable of 30 horses this winter in New York, will be represented by a trio of Empire State-bred competitors in upcoming Big A stakes races in Shesawildjoker, Geno, and Big Package.

Joseph Bucci's Shesawildjoker, a 2-year-old daughter of Practical Joke, is targeting next Sunday's six-furlong $100,000 Key Cents for fellow state-bred fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The $80,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase graduated on debut in June at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., besting eventual stakes winner November Rein by a head in a 5 1/2-furlong dash over Big Sandy.

Following an off-the-board effort in the Grade 2 Adirondack in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Shesawildjoker returned to state-bred company and completed the trifecta in the seven-furlong Joseph A. Gimma. She enters the Key Cents from a win in the six-furlong Shesastonecoldfox, contested over a sloppy strip on October 25 at Finger Lakes Race Track in Farmington, N.Y.

“She came in from the training center with the reputation that they thought she'd be OK. She trained well early on and ran a pretty good race first time out and was good enough to win,” Donk said. “She was scheduled to run in a New York-bred stake early in the meet at Saratoga but it didn't go, so we ran her open company and it was too tough for her.”

Out of the Speightstown mare Tarquinia, Shesawildjoker was bred by Three Diamonds Farm.

Mendham Racing Stable's Geno, a 2-year-old son of Big Brown bred by Pete Martine, is pointed to the open-company $100,000 Central Park, a 1 1/16-mile turf test on November 27.

A debut winner against state-breds in September sprinting six-furlongs over firm Belmont turf, Geno followed with a narrow nose loss to General Ken in the 1 1/16-mile Awad on November 5 at the same track.

“He ran a really nice race last time. It was a big step forward off of his first effort,” Donk said. “His first race was three-quarters versus New York-breds and he took a good jump into open company. I thought he would appreciate more distance and he ran a really nice race.

“He came out of that race very well,” Donk added. “There's a lot of upside to him and I think he'll go forward even more. He's a very kind horse and a very classy horse.”

Donk said Geno, out of the Sun King mare Weekend Hottie, should appreciate traveling two-turns for the first time.

“I don't think distance will be an issue. He's a big, scopey horse,” Donk said. “There's a route pedigree on the dam's side. I think he'll appreciate stretching out. Even though he won going three-quarters I think he was just good enough to do that. I don't think he's really a sprinter.”

Big Package, owned by Donk in partnership with Sean Carney, is targeting the six-furlong $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on November 27.

The Big Brown gelding, bred by Newtown Anner Stud, has enjoyed a productive 4-year-old season with a record of 7-3-1-2. The late-running bay notched an open allowance win sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs in August at the Spa and last out rallied to a 1 3/4-length score in an optional-claiming event on November 7 at Belmont, garnering a career-best 95 Beyer.

“It was a really good race,” Donk said. “It was a good field the other day. I was hoping he would run well and he ran a big race.”

Donk said Big Package, who will return off 19 days' rest, will take a breather following the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship.

“I'm not afraid to run them and run them when they're good,” Donk said. “Three weeks is plenty of time. It's a big step up in company but with good horses, ideally you get pace, too. It would be his last race of the season regardless.”

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