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Pete’s Play Call Hits Paydirt In Gravesend After Recent Claim By Rudy Rodriguez

Michael Dubb's Pete's Play Call started his 8-year-old campaign the same way he concluded 2020, saving his best for the stretch in registering a victory in Saturday's 62nd running of the $100,000 Gravesend for 4-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Pete's Play Call outkicked Stan the Man by 2 1/2 lengths to win his first start since being claimed for $62,500 out of a win on November 27 at the Big A. Now trained by Rudy Rodriguez, the gelded son of Munnings was forwardly placed in second position behind Happy Farm, who led the five-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.09 seconds on the muddy and sealed main track.

Under jockey Jorge Vargas, Jr., Pete's Play Call overtook Happy Farm, with the half-clocked in 46.99, and held the advantage out of the turn, taking position near the center of the track. Stan the Man, the runner-up of the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap last out on November 29 on the same track, made a late bid under rider Eric Cancel. But Pete's Play Call pressed to the wire, completing 6 ½ furlongs in a final time of 1:17.63.

“Rudy told me he was going to run big today and he did. All credit to him, he had him ready off the claim,” said Vargas, Jr., who won two races on the card. “I was pretty happy where I was and when I asked him, he took off. He's quick. I was just trying to keep him happy and where he was comfortable.”

Off at 4-1, Pete's Play Call [bred in Maryland by Mr. and Mrs. Charles McGinnes] returned $10.20 on a $2 win bet. He improved his career earnings to $648,421. It was his first stakes win since the Bonapaw in December 2019 at Fair Grounds.

“He was training very good. He's a hard-knocking horse,” Rodriguez said. “He's been doing very well since we claimed him. I thought we paid top dollar for him, but seeing him working in the morning, it looked like he was worth every penny.”

Stan the Man, owned by Long Lake Stable and trained by John Terranova, finished 3 ¼ lengths the best of Drafted for second. My Boy Tate, the 7-5 favorite, and Happy Farm completed the order of finish.

“He handled the track good,” Cancel said. “He's a good horse and goes with everything. He doesn't have any excuse. He just got beat by a horse that was ready to run and never gave up.

“I was comfortable with where I was and I made the move when I had to,” he added. “The horse reacted quick with it, but the horse that beat us never gave up.”

Live racing resumes Sunday at Aqueduct with a nine-race card headlined by the $100,000 La Verdad for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-year-olds and up in Race 8. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Hold The Salsa Seeks Start To Kentucky Derby Campaign In Jerome Stakes

Two-time stakes winner Hold the Salsa has already displayed superiority against his New York-bred counterparts during his juvenile campaign, but will seek a first triumph against open company when he takes on a field of four other newly turned 3-year-olds in Friday's 151st running of the $150,000 Jerome going one mile at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Inaugurated in 1866, the Jerome has been won by all-time greats Tom Fool (1952), Bold Ruler (1957), Kelso (1960) and Carry Back (1961). The Jerome is also a Kentucky Derby qualifier, offering 10-4-2-1 points to the top-four finishers.

Trained, owned and bred by Richard Lugovich, Hold the Salsa posted three wins in six starts in his 2-year-old year, including a last-out triumph in the seven-furlong NYSSS Great White Way on Dec. 6 at the Big A.

The Hold Me Back colt tracked the pace in mid-pack, came under urging approaching the quarter pole, and made a winning four-wide move in the stretch while fending off late challenger It's Gravy.

Two starts prior, the son of Hold Me Back won the Bertram F. Bongard on Oct. 2 at Belmont Park, also a seven-furling event, by 1 3/4 lengths. Hold the Salsa has been training forwardly at Lugovich's stables at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, breezing five furlongs over the all-weather training track in 1:01.40 on Dec. 23.

“He's been training super. I know he'll run well, it just depends on how well,” Lugovich said. “I want him to go a little farther and I think longer distances are going to suit him. He gallops beautifully every day. He's a very kind and nice horse.”

Boasting $237,775 in career earnings, Hold the Salsa was a 26-1 upset winner of his debut on July 12 at Belmont, defeating subsequent stakes winner Thin White Duke.

“It's always exciting to get good horses and I can tell he's getting better and better,” Lugovich said. “Even though he's quiet he's very good looking and a very handsome horse. Watching him gallop is when you can tell he's a nice horse. He always drops his head. That's good when you're coming to the finish line.”

Hold the Salsa will be ridden by Romero Ramsay Maragh, who piloted the horse to his maiden triumph, from post 3.

“He won on him the first time and I like him,” Lugovich said. “He also rode [upset maiden winner] Copper Chalice and he paid over $100 earlier in the Belmont meet. He was a first time starter as well.”

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez earned himself his first Kentucky Derby starter when New York-bred Vyjack won the 2013 Jerome and hopes that E.V. Racing Stable's Eagle Orb will take a similar path when breaking from post 4.

The son of Orb, who defeated Vyjack in the 2013 Kentucky Derby, will be stretching back out to a mile after capturing the six-furlong Notebook on November 14 at Aqueduct and registered a 74 Beyer. His prior effort in the Sleepy Hollow on Oct. 24 at Belmont Park was his lone start at one mile, where displayed frontrunning dimensions but was passed up nearing the sixteenth pole by Brooklyn Strong, who subsequently won the Grade 2 Remsen.

“The mile won't be a problem. The first time we ran at a mile he did well and now he has more seasoning into him,” Rodriguez said. “He's been very good. It's a step up for him and we're going to see what we got. We always can come back against New York-breds. Right now, it's the start of 3-year-old season so we have to see what he can do.”

Eagle Orb won his debut, besting eventual two-time stakes-placed It's Gravy going six furlongs on Aug. 21 at Saratoga. Bred in New York by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb is out of the stakes-placed Harlan's Holiday mare Lady On Holiday. Eagle Orb will be ridden by Manny Franco.

Trainer John Terranova will attempt a second victory in the Jerome when saddling maiden winner Original for owner Eric Fein. The son of Quality Road was a gate-to-wire winner last out in his second start when breaking his maiden over a yielding Aqueduct outer turf course by two lengths on Nov. 14.

Original was obtained for $425,000 from the 2020 OBS April Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the Empire Maker mare Unforgettable. Breaking from post 5, Original will be ridden by Jose Lezcano.

Ten Strike Racing and Kueber Racing's Swill cuts back to one turn following a fourth-place finish in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs for trainer Brad Cox. Third time was the charm for the son of Munnings, who broke his maiden by three lengths in September going seven furlongs over the Churchill Downs main track.

Swill will be piloted by Kendrick Carmouche from post 2.

Completing the field is Big Cherry Racing and Leonard Liberto's Capo Kane, who broke his maiden in wire-to-wire fashion on Nov. 25 at Parx Racing going a mile and 70 yards for trainer Harold Wyner. Capo Kane will break from the inside post under Dylan Davis.

The Jerome 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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Backsideofthemoon Earns Career Best Beyer In Return To Rudy Rodriguez Barn

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez reported that all was well with Repole Stable's Backsideofthemoon, who registered his first stakes win in nearly three years when capturing the nine-furlong $100,000 Queens County on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 8-year-old son of Malibu Moon recorded a 105 Beyer Speed Figure for the six-length victory, where he led at every point of call while setting an easy tempo up front before kicking clear under jockey Jose Lezcano. He boasts a record of 47-8-9-7 and $722,216 in earnings through a career that began in September 2015. The 105 Beyer was his first triple-digit number over six racing seasons.

Backsideofthemoon appears to have an affinity for the Aqueduct main track, as six of his nine career victories have taken place there, including a triumph in the Jazil in January 2018 for former trainer Leo O'Brien.

Rodriguez claimed Backsideofthemoon from O'Brien in August 2019 and two starts later won going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct under Rodriguez's tutelage before being claimed by trainer Robert Klesaris. Rodriguez then claimed him back in September after a second-place finish in a one-mile allowance optional claiming event at Belmont Park.

“He's a cool horse to be around. He likes his job,” Rodriguez said. “When I claimed him before he was good and Bobby [Klesaris] did a good job of keeping everything together. There aren't too many horses his age that run the way he runs.”

Rodriguez gelded Backsideofthemoon after claiming him for the first time last August.

“The only thing we did was geld him when I claimed him before,” Rodriguez said. “He always trained well and if you look at him physically, he looks like a stakes level horse. He's a nice, solid strong, big horse. The coat he has right now looks like he's in Florida. He has a very shiny coat and not many horse, in the winter have that kind of coat.”

Rodriguez said he was unsure as to where the seasoned veteran's next start would take place, but that the $100,000 Jazil on January 23 could be in play.

“I'll talk to the boss and see what he says,” Rodriguez said. “He ran a big number, so we'll keep it together and hope for the best.”

Rodriguez also reported EV Racing's Eagle Orb, the New York-bred son of Orb who won the November 14 Notebook at the Big A, could target either the $150,000 Jerome on January 1 at Aqueduct – a 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifier – or stay against state-breds in the $100,000 Rego Park on January 11 at going 6 ½ furlongs.

“We have those two races in mind for him and me and the owner are still trying to decide which spot is best. He's training well,” Rodriguez said.

Bred in New York by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb is out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Lady On Holiday and was purchased for 95,000 from the Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale last August.

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Backsideofthemoon Shines Bright In Aqueduct’s Queens County

Repole Stable's Backsideofthemoon went nearly 12 months between victories. But after earning a winner's circle trip last out going 1 1/8 miles on November 13, the Rudy Rodriguez trainee capped his 2020 with a second straight score, leading gate-to-wire to win Saturday's $100,000 Queens County for 3-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Backsideofthemoon broke sharp from post 4 under Jose Lezcano, surging to the front and angled near the rail with even-money favorite Musical Heart in close pursuit with the opening quarter-mile in 24.18 seconds, the half in 48.39 and three-quarters in 1:13.17 on the fast main track.

Out of the final turn, Lezcano kept Backsideofthemoon to the inside and opened up in the final furlong to draw away a six-length winner. The 8-year-old son of Malibu Moon completed the 1 1/8-mile course in 1:52.94, earning his first stakes win in 11 attempts dating to the Jazil in January 2018.

“He broke very well,” said Lezcano, who registered his third win of the day. “I sent him a little bit and after that he just jumped right in the bridle. He seemed very confident the whole way around. When I asked him, he gave me everything he had and just kept on going.”

Off at 7-2, Backsideofthemoon returned $9.20 on a $2 win wager for winning the 115th edition of the Queens County. He improved his career earnings to $722,216.

The Kentucky bred won for the sixth time in 19 starts over the Big A main track.

“All the credit goes to [owner] Mike [Repole]. We were going to scratch and run tomorrow,” Rodriguez said. “I called Mike and he said, 'You know what, Rudy? Just leave him there. I think he'll be good in there.' So, I have to give the credit to Mike. He plays the game very aggressively. We'll see what he wants to do next out.”

After winning last month at the same distance in a race moved off the turf, Rodriguez said Backsideofthemoon handled the return to stakes company with aplomb. Rodriguez is 2-for-2 with his charge after claiming out of a second-place effort on September 24 at Belmont Park.

“We never expected to see him on the lead, but Jose said he broke so sharp and was really in the bridle,” Rodriguez said. “He just left him alone. He always tries; that's why we claimed him.”

Musical Heart, trained by Rob Atras and ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, cruised to a second-place finish, 12 ¼ lengths in front of Empty Tomb. Mirinaque, Danny California and So High completed the order of finish. Forewarned was scratched.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Aqueduct with a 10-race card. First post is 11:50 a.m.

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