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Drain The Clock Breezes Ahead Of Return To Races Friday

Grade 1 winner Drain the Clock breezed a half-mile in :45.48 Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., producing the fastest of 53 workouts timed at the distance in preparation for a return to action Friday.

The 3-year-old son of Maclean's Music, who captured the G1 Woody Stephens on the June 5 Belmont Stakes undercard, has been on the sidelines since finishing fourth in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes August 28 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Sunday's breeze was the latest in a series of five workouts in preparation for his return in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance in Friday's Race 7 feature.

“He's had good preparation. We'll get him started in the allowance, and after that, we'll come up with a plan for where we'll go to next,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.

Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Drain the Clock, who will take on six rivals, including Todd Pletcher-trained Nocturnal, who has been idle since breaking his maiden and winning an optional claiming allowance back-to-back during last season's Championship Meet.

Drain the Clock has won three races in four starts at Gulfstream, including last season's G3 Swale. His only loss at Gulfstream came in a second-place finish in the two-turn G2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes.

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Bank Sting Dominant In Staten Island At Aqueduct

Hidden Brook Farm's and Joseph and Anne McMahon's Bank Sting opened up in the stretch to easily take down the first of two New York Stallion Series Stakes on Sunday's card at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., earning her second career stakes win in the $150,000 Staten Island division for eligible state-sired fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going seven furlongs over the main track.

Bank Sting, who earned her first stakes victory in the Critical Eye at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in May, improved off a fifth in the Empire Distaff last time out to secure her fifth win of the year for trainer John Terranova. Bank Sting has found an affinity for Aqueduct, scoring four of her five career wins at the Big A.

Ridden by Dylan Davis from post 4, Bank Sting broke inwardly and, along with Mad for Fame from post 2, squeezed Trinni Luck in post 3 at the start. Post-time favorite The Important One was sent to the lead by Jose Lezcano shortly after the break and was quickly overtaken by Trinni Luck, who led the field of seven through an opening quarter in :22.60. After taking the lead again around the half-mile pole, The Important One notched the half-mile in :46.10 while Bank Sting remained in third, three lengths off the pace while racing two-wide down the backstretch.

Closing the gap between The Important One and a tiring Trinni Luck, Davis angled Bank Sting six-wide to the outside of The Important One, overtaking the lead at the eighth pole and never looking back. Widening her margin under a hand ride from Davis, Bank Sting crossed the wire 8 ¼ lengths in front, stopping the clock in 1:26.27 over the fast track.

Byehubbyhellomoney made up ground on the rail to overtake second by 1 1/2-lengths from The Important One, who held onto third by a neck over Awillaway. Rounding out the order of finish was Fight On Lucy, Mad for Fame, and Trinni Luck.

Davis, who rode the Central Banker filly for the first time in the Staten Island, said Bank Sting was comfortable the whole way to victory.

“It was pretty much a perfect setup for her,” he said. “She's a nice filly and she tries hard. She broke well and I was able to get into a good tracking position. I just didn't want to have too much for her to do being that was my first time being on her. She engaged at the two-and-a-half on her own, I just allowed her to keep her stride going. I didn't want to get in her way. After that, I got her out in the clear and she responded well and went all the way nicely to the wire.”

Terranova said he was pleased to see his filly give a big effort in the Staten Island after her summer and fall schedule were disrupted after being scratched at the gate in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.Y., this summer.

“She's trained really well,” he said of the leadup to the Staten Island. “We were a little hurried with her after the incident at Monmouth in July. She missed most of the summer and we were hurrying up to make Empire Showcase Day. We jumped into the Distaff and the conditions were sloppy and it was her first race back. Ideally, if we had got a prep race going into that, it probably would have helped her cause. She came out of that race well and trained forward. Every day has been a good day since then.”

After her memorable Staten Island performance, Terranova said he has not yet decided on the next race for the 4-year-old filly.

“It set up great. The two speeds were in there and Dylan has been on her in the morning, so he knew she could do a little bit of anything,” Terranova said. “There was going to be a pace to run into, so we were hoping they'd come back to us a little bit. I'm proud of her. She's been a special New York-bred for us. We'll take it one race at a time with her.”

Eric Cancel, jockey of runner-up Byhubbyhellomoney, said the filly's patience allowed her to make up ground late to secure place honors.

“The filly ran very good,” Cancel said. “The pace was a little quick for her, but she did what she always does – she sits and makes a run from the quarter-pole down. I was glad the whole rail opened up for me.”

Bred in New York by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Bank Sting earned $82,500 for her victory to increase her total career earnings to $351,300 and improve her record to 7-5-0-0. She returned $7.90 for a $2 win ticket.

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Live racing resumes Thursday with an eight-race card to kick off the winter meet at the Big A. First post 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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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.

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Lady Rocket Gets Freshening After Go For Wand Win Saturday

Co-owner Frank Fletcher said he was elated to see Lady Rocket relish the stretch out in distance to a one-turn mile when she dominated the $250,000 Grade 3 Go for Wand on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

A wire-to-wire winner of the Go for Wand, Lady Rocket set quick fractions with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, coasting through an opening quarter in :23.22 and a half-mile in :46.54. Geared down in the final sixteenth, Lady Rocket crossed the wire nine lengths the better of Bella Vita in second, stopping the clock in 1:36.52. She earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure for her impressive effort.

Racing at a mile for the first time in the Go for Wand, going longer was a question for the 4-year-old filly, who had to dig down and fend off a late bid from Glass Ceiling to win her division of the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., by a neck in her last start.

With her hard-earned Pumpkin Pie victory in mind, Fletcher, who co-owns the daughter of Tale of the Cat with Ten Strike Racing, said he watched the Go for Wand with bated breath.

“I was really nervous because of the mile,” Fletcher said. “Her best distance was seven furlongs coming into this race and that was a really close race. We were scared to death of the mile. When she won as well as she did, we were shocked and surprised. I'm very pleased with how she ran. We watched it on the TV dumbfounded.”

With her first graded stakes victory now on her resume, Lady Rocket will be given time off to prepare for her 2022 campaign. Both Fletcher and trainer Brad Cox hope her performance Saturday is the start of a successful journey to Grade 1 glory.

“She'll be at Belmont for a bit before getting some time off,” Fletcher said. “Brad [Cox] said he thinks she needs a little break; she's been racing once a month for a while. She'll be on the farm for two or three months and then we'll point her to a Grade 1. She's becoming a lot stronger and is finding a new gear. I think she could even go beyond a mile now seeing how well she handled it.”

Along with Lady Rocket, Fletcher also owns multiple graded stakes winner Frank's Rockette and G3 winner Candy Man Rocket, who are both stabled with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Frank's Rockette, who finished third in the listed Dream Supreme at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in her last start on November 13, has now joined Mott's Florida string of horses after spending the fall in Kentucky.

“She was training at Churchill and is in Florida right now,” Fletcher said of the Into Mischief mare. “We'll point her to a nice race there. She came out of her last race well.”

Candy Man Rocket made an appearance on the road to the Kentucky Derby this spring when he won the G3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla., and finished off the board in the G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct.

Away from the races since a runner-up effort in the six-furlong Gold Fever at Belmont in May, the 3-year-old son of Candy Ride is working his way back to a campaign that will see him sprinting going forward.

“He's down at Payson Park (in Indiantown, Fla.) right now working on getting his feet a little better,” Fletcher said. “We found out in his last race that he didn't want to go long. He ran a great race at six furlongs and got caught at the wire. We think he'll be hard to beat at the sprint distance. He'll come back in a race down in Florida; we aren't sure where yet.”

As for next year's Kentucky Derby hopefuls, Fletcher shared his excitement for recent maiden special weight winner Rocket Dawg, who was a debut winner going seven furlongs at Churchill on November 19 by 5 ½ lengths. After flashing his talent in his debut, a step up to graded stakes company could be in the Classic Empire colt's future.

“He was very impressive in that debut. He's got a ton of potential and we're excited about him,” Fletcher said. “We'll run him back in an allowance and if he can hold the form from his maiden win in allowance company, we'll point him to the Southwest at Oaklawn. We think he'll do well.”

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Rocket One, another impressive maiden winner for Fletcher this fall, will be returning to turf after giving the dirt a try with a pair of sixth-place finishes in the G2 Castle and Key Bourbon at Churchill on October 10 and an optional claimer in his most recent start on November 27.

A 1 ½ length winner of a maiden special weight at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., in his third career start, Fletcher said switching back to the turf makes the most sense for the 2-year-old Into Mischief colt.

“He's down at Payson Park right now and we'll get him back on the grass at Gulfstream Park this winter,” Fletcher said. “He showed us his potential and talent in that turf maiden and we know that's where he wants to be. I would like to have dirt horses since I prefer to run at Oaklawn, but I also want to win. So we'll get him where he needs to be to win.”

J L's Rockette, who finished seventh in the G2 Adirondack at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and ninth in the Ainsworth at Kentucky Downs in her last start on September 12, will be turned out and freshened for a few months before making her return to the races.

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