Trained by Rudy Rodriguez for owner Michael Dubb, the 8-year-old Pete's Play Call was claimed for $62,500 out of a winning effort in an optional-claiming sprint on Nov. 27 at the Big A. He made first start for new connections a winning one when capturing the 6 1/2-furlong Gravesend last out on Jan. 2 at Aqueduct.

Pete's Play Call was hustled out of the gate in the Gravesend by Jorge A. Vargas, Jr. and sat to the outside of pacesetter Happy Farm. After establishing clear command approaching the quarter pole, Pete's Play Call held off a late charge from fellow Toboggan aspirant Stan the Man to win by 2 ½ lengths over the muddy and sealed track.

Pete's Play Call, who has gone 4-1-0 in his last six starts, worked five-eighths in 1:01.58 on January 22 on the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“In his last four or five races, it looks like he's improving a little,” said Rodriguez, who saddled Head Heart Hoof (2013) and Sassicaia (2016) to Toboggan scores. “He's been doing great. We're just trying to keep him happy and keep him fit. He really looks like he's been coming along well and I hope that he stays the way he's been doing. He worked very well the other day. He's full of himself right now.”

The seasoned son of Munnings boasts the most victories in the Toboggan field with a 46-14-9-6 lifetime record and earnings of $648,421.

Bred in Maryland by Mr. and Mrs. Charles McGinnes, Pete's Play Call is out of the 2019 Maryland Broodmare of the Year Taft Lil Queen, who also produced graded stakes winner Kiss to Remember. He comes from the same family as dual Grade 1-winner Spun Sugar.

Vargas, Jr. will return to the saddle from the inside post.

Long Lake Stable's Stan the Man will attempt to turn the tables on Pete's Play Call in search of a third stakes victory and first graded score for trainer John Terranova, who won the 2010 Toboggan with Wall Street Wonder.

The four-times graded stakes-placed Stan the Man arrives at Saturday's event with consistent form, having finished in the money in his last five starts, all of which were at stakes level.

Prior to finishing a late-closing second in the Gravesend, the 7-year-old Broken Vow chestnut was a close second to Toboggan-rival Share the Ride in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight on Nov. 27 at the Big A.

Stan the Man enjoyed a prosperous campaign in 2020, which included a triumph in the seven-furlong Tale of the Cat at Saratoga and three placings against graded stakes company. At the tail end of 2019, Stan the Man notched his first stakes victory when taking the Queens County at Aqueduct going nine furlongs.

“He's been a good horse and a fun horse for us, very consistent. Especially lately, since the summer,” Terranova said. “We're proud of him. He's happy and healthy and this looks like the right spot for him.”

Jockey Eric Cancel will be aboard from post 4.

Silvino Ramirez's Share the Ride vies for his second graded stakes victory for trainer Antonio Arriaga.

The dark bay or brown son of Candy Ride won the Grade 3 Fall Highweight at the Big A two starts back and arrives at the Toboggan off a close runner-up finish to Wendell Fong in the Fire Plug on Jan. 16 at Laurel Park.

Jockey Manny Franco will be aboard from post 3.

Misty Hollow Farm's 7-year-old Drafted will seek to get back to his winning form for trainer David Duggan. After a 2-year-old season with trainer Eoin Harty, the son of Field Commission raced for the barn of Middle East-based Doug Watson, for whom he won two Group 3 events at Meydan Racecourse in the winter of 2019. In his last effort, he finished third beaten 5 ¾ lengths in the Gravesend.

Jockey Dylan Davis rides from post 2.

Rounding out the field is American Power, who attempts a third consecutive victory after besting stakes winner Mihos and next out-winning stable mate Lil Commissioner in a Dec. 11 optional claiming tilt going seven furlongs.

Trained by Rob Atras and owned by Sanford J. Goldfarb and Irwin Goldfarb, the 6-year-old son of Power Broker won three races in a row during his 2019 campaign for trainer Linda Rice.

Big A winter meet leading rider Kendrick Carmouche has the mount from post 5.

The Toboggan is slated as Race 4 on Saturday's nine-race program, which has a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter 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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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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John Terranova took out his trainer's license in 1992 and conditioned his first winner in April of the following year. A native and resident of Syosset, Terranova was introduced to racing by his father, who owned Thoroughbreds.

He got his big break in 2000 when becoming the trainer of Gatsas Thoroughbreds' Gander, who went on to be a multiple New York-bred champion and made over $2 million in lifetime earnings. Additionally, he has conditioned Grade 1 winners Negligee, Franny Freud, Laragh and Lilacs and Lace. Terranova's 2020 highlights include winning three stakes races with New York-bred Funny Guy and capturing Saratoga's Tale of the Cat with Stan the Man.

In terms of training horses, what was the most challenging part of this year given the COVID-19 pandemic?

Terranova: For a while, it was just dealing with the uncertainty of when racing would come back. In this game, as things go, we're only as good as our last group of horses that have run. We just had to keep going and waiting for the next meet to happen and hope we do well and keep moving forward. Also, there was uncertainty as far as the owners not knowing what to do with their horses; should we give them a break? Turn them out? Rest them? How long is it going to be? It was hard to train horses with no races, targets to point for or any races in mind. That was challenging – not knowing when or if racing was going to start back. Thankfully, looking back, it was only a short period of time, but it felt like an eternity. Two days felt like two weeks, two weeks is like two months in this game. A lot can happen in a short amount of time.

It was a lot of wanting everyone to stay healthy, too. That was really the most important thing. The uncertainty of whether or not your family, workers, or yourself would get sick and how bad it would be. Even now, it continues to be something that's on our minds. When it comes down to it, that's [staying healthy] the most important thing.

What was your favorite on-track moment this year?

Terranova: Funny Guy winning the Commentator [June 12 at Belmont Park]. We had just started back racing after being shut down because of the pandemic and he had been ready for quite a while. We didn't know where to go, what to do or what would be the right spot to get him back. We hoped for an allowance type race to start, but we knew we had a solid New York-bred that was a barn favorite. Everybody loves him. After all that time off, we were just trying to do right by him and make the right call for him and the owners. He was doing really well and he really exceeded our expectations that day. It's not like he was the favorite. He went off at double-digit [11-1] odds. We were beyond thrilled with the way he ran, and it was a nice way to kick off the resumption of racing in New York for us and our team.

What was the best ride on a horse of yours?

Terranova: Joel Rosario on Funny Guy in the Commentator was a hell of a ride. He had never breezed him, never rode him in a race or anything [prior]. He's obviously a world-class rider, so guys like him are able to adapt to all types of horses in all types of situations. He went in with a lot of confidence riding him that day. He had a bit of trouble in the race where he had to check a couple times. Rosario certainly gave a beautiful ride on him and I'm grateful he had the horse to do it with. That would certainly stick out. All around, it was the biggest thrill of this unprecedented season.

Who would you say has been your most improved horse?

Terranova: Stan the Man rebounded very well for us this year. He started off early in the winter with a couple of disappointing efforts and it had us scratching our heads. We knew he had done well at Aqueduct previously and he didn't give us any real indication of what was going on. The shutdown gave us even more time to get him back going. We changed some things up with him and it sort of did a turnaround from the way he started off. Certain horses needed the time, but obviously at the time, we didn't know. It changed things up for him. What was interesting with him was that generally, his time off was over the summer. He was a horse we used strong and hard through the winter and into the spring and the summer would be his downtime and he'd come back in the late fall. This year, with all that went on, we had to switch things up with him and we had to space his races out. He got to run at Saratoga and that was something different for him.

What was the best improvement at a NYRA track in 2020?

Terranova: The new track at Saratoga is right up there. I know they're remodeling and expanding the Oklahoma [training] track which is a necessity given how many horses train up there during the offseason and how many horses train on that one track during the meet. The barns also have been a big improvement, but that's gone on for several years.

I know there was much more focus and a whole lot more attention to the overall safety of the horses and that's always an important move forward. You can't get anywhere without trying. Obviously, there are steps being made in the right directions. The main track at Saratoga is one of them. Anywhere a horse steps needs to be maintained to the best it can possibly be on a regular basis. Whether it's the surface, the horse paths, anything. Obviously, weather plays a part in it. I know there are a lot of efforts made and they listen to people. A lot more voices have been heard.

As you look ahead to a 2021 campaign what are you looking most forward to?

Terranova: We're going to take and do the best with what we have, and we're hopeful that we have one or a few of them rise to that occasion where we can have some fun and compete to the graded stakes level. Maybe a horse or two can take us to a place we've never been. We're just grateful to be racing and that we have fantastic owners and great people that are supporting us. We're hoping we can do that best we can with each one of them and that good fortune comes our way.

The 2020-21 winter meet at Aqueduct returns to action on Thursday, December 31 and continues through Sunday, March 28.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

For additional information, and the complete winter meet stakes schedule, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule.

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Trained by Antonio Arriaga for owner Silvino Ramirez, the son of Candy Ride ran just 11 days ago, where he bested six others in a seven-furlong allowance at Parx by 7 ½ lengths, garnering a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Breaking from post 5 in the seven-horse field, jockey Jose Ortiz hustled Share the Ride through the first few strides out of the gate and secured his mount a path to the outside as Tribecca dictated terms on the front end through an opening quarter-mile in 23.03 seconds over the fast main track.

Around the far turn, Share the Ride inched his way closer to Tribecca under no urging from Ortiz, who looked over both shoulders as they approached the quarter-pole through a half in 46.14.

Ortiz gave Share the Ride his cue just outside the three-sixteenths pole, but a stubborn Tribecca did not retreat and dug in toward the rail as multiple stakes-winner Stan the Man and five-time winner Absentee made late bids in tandem to the outside.

Share the Ride edged clear of Tribecca just inside the eighth-pole to hit the wire a three-quarter length winner in a final time of 1:10.62.

Late closers Stan the Man and Absentee finished a respective second and third. Tribecca, Drafted, Arch Cat and Majestic Dunhill, who was compromised by an unfavorable beak, rounded out the order of finish.

Share the Ride has been a model of consistency through his 5-year-old campaign, winning 4-of-9 starts, including a triumph in the Mr. Prospector on September 12 at Monmouth Park. He also was third to Firenze Fire in the Grade 2 Vosburgh on September 26 at Belmont Park and was a game runner-up to Majestic Dunhill in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler on October 31 at Belmont.

Returning $5.20 as the favorite, while carrying 133 pounds as the co-highweight, Share the Ride upped his lifetime earnings to $369,860 and record to 20-8-3-4.

“Everybody had a little extra weight today, but my horse was very game,” Ortiz said. “It was a great training job. This horse was 100 percent ready. He broke well and sat second and relaxed. I asked him to go passing the three-eighths pole to engage Tribecca. I wanted to be close to him at the quarter-pole because he's hard to beat on the lead and he digs in. I was in good range to win the race and they battled down the lane; two good horses in a match race and then the other horses were coming too, at the end, but he dug in.”

Bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms, Share the Ride is the second progeny out of the multiple stakes-winning and Grade 1-placed Graeme Hall mare Belle of the Hall.

Live racing resumes Thursday at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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A son of Majesticperfection that always seems to pack a late punch, Majestic Dunhill is in career form as his 5-year-old campaign winds down. Majestic Dunhill was at one time strictly a turf horse, having run on grass for the first nine starts of his career before making his foray onto the main track late in 2018. His first dirt start, which came in the ungraded City of Laurel at Laurel Park, resulted in a win, and his connections then decided to focus exclusively on dirt races for his 2019 campaign.

Despite running well on a number of occasions, including a near miss in the 2019 Grade 2 General George at Laurel, Majestic Dunhill failed to pick up a win as a 4-year-old and the drought continued in his initial start of 2020, which prompted Weaver to try him on turf again in the First Defence at Belmont Park, a race he very nearly won.

After a disappointing seventh in an optional claimer on the Belmont lawn, however, it was back to dirt for the dark bay gelding, where he finished up the track in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga Race Course. Following another near miss in an optional claimer on September 25 at Belmont, Majestic Dunhill finally got back to his winning ways with a last-out victory in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap on October 31 at Belmont over a muddy track.

Interestingly, Majestic Dunhill has flashed new and improved early speed in his last two starts, which should be beneficial as he cuts back from seven furlongs to three-quarters for the Fall Highweight. With his rider for those last two starts, Joel Rosario, out of town on Sunday, Jose Lezcano will pick up the mount from post 3. He's been assigned co-highweight of 133 pounds.

To make it two straight, Majestic Dunhill will have to deal with the classy Dubai shipper Drafted, who hasn't run since finishing sixth in the Saudi Cup Sprint on February 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack. A son of Field Commission, Drafted was at one time a contender in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, having won a pair of graded events in the UAE in the lead-up to the 2019 Golden Shaheen. After finishing a decent fifth in the race, the Florida-bred gelding was forced to hit the sidelines for a long time before he returned with a third-place finish in the Group 3 Dubawi at the start of 2020, which he followed with a fourth in the Group 3 Al Shindagha, both at Meydan in Dubai.

Previously trained by Doug Watson, Drafted will make his first start for the New York-based David Duggan on Sunday and his third domestic run as he raced twice in the U.S. as a 2-year-old when he was under the care of trainer Eoin Harty and Godolphin LLC.

“When quarantine hit in Dubai my longtime friends decided to redirect him to America,” said Duggan, who trains Drafted for Misty Hollow Farm. “He's been here a couple months now. He spent a month in Maryland and then came to me. He's straightforward. He can be a little funny to gallop but his works have been very good and on his best day he can be competitive here. He could be a little ring rusty, but this race is just a starting point. I wish it were an easier spot but that's the way it goes in New York. He's working well and is fit enough, so I can't complain.”

A six-time winner from 16 lifetime starts, Drafted will be ridden for the first time by Dylan Davis from post 2 while carrying 131 pounds.

Claimed for $16,000 earlier this year by Silvino Ramirez, Share the Ride will look to keep his magical season going and overturn the decision from the Bold Ruler two starts ago, in which he finished a neck behind Majestic Dunhill. Since being claimed in his first start of 2020 on July 5 at Monmouth Park, the 5-year-old Candy Ride gelding has been in raging form, possibly due to the addition of blinkers, which occurred on September 5 in the Grade 3 Red Bank on turf and have been equipped ever since.

It took him awhile to find the winner's circle for his new connections, but he did so in style on September 12 at Monmouth, taking the Mr. Prospector by a widening 3 ¾ lengths before finishing third in the Grade 1 Vosburgh and second in the Bold Ruler.

Jose Ortiz will take the call from post 5 aboard Share the Ride, who makes a quick turnaround for the Fall Highweight having recently dominated an allowance event at Parx Racing on November 18. He was assigned co-highweight of 133 pounds.

Another reformed claimer, Tribecca will attempt to win his fourth race of the year on Sunday. A New York-bred son of Bustin Stones, Tribecca was haltered for $25,000 last summer by trainer Chris Englehart and owner Ronald Brown and has won six of nine starts for his new connections, including an emphatic victory last out in the Hudson on October 24 at Belmont.

Kendrick Carmouche will retain the mount aboard Tribecca from post 7 at 130 pounds.

Trainer John Terranova will send out the salty older dirt runner Stan the Man, who turns back in distance following a distant third-place finish in the Grade 2 Kelso in his most recent outing. The 6-year-old Broken Vow gelding has won at distances ranging from six furlongs to 1 ⅛ miles on the main track and has been a force at the Big A, where he's notched five of his seven lifetime victories. Although he struggled earlier in the year, he seems to have benefited from his connections removing blinkers two starts ago, which resulted in a win in the Tale of the Cat at Saratoga.

Eric Cancel, who was aboard Stan the Man in the Kelso, will take the call again from post 6 at 132 pounds.

Burns Thoroughbred Racing's Arch Cat, trained by Daniel Velazquez, finished third last out in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler. A 13-time winner from 38 career starts, Jorge Vargas, Jr. will have the call from the inside post aboard the 6-year-old Arch gelding at 130 pounds.

Absentee, a five-time winner exiting an off-the-turf score at Belmont on October 29, completes the field for trainer Jorge Duarte, Jr. and Colts Neck Stables. Junior Alvarado has the call from post 4 under 128.

The Fall Highweight is slated as Race 8 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 11:50 a.m. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the Aqueduct fall meet with coverage to air on FOX Sports and MSG Networks.

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The Kelso is one of five graded races on Saturday's card which includes the Grade 1, $250,000 Belmont Derby Invitational, a 10-furlong turf test offering a berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf; the Grade 1, $250,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at 12 furlongs on the turf for 3-year-olds and up; the Grade 2, $150,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap at 6 ½-furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up; and the Grade 2, $150,000 Pilgrim for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16-miles on the turf.

Code of Honor enjoyed a tremendous sophomore campaign, capturing the 10-furlong Grade 1 Runhappy Travers at Saratoga ahead of a dramatic stretch duel with Vino Rosso in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in which Code of Honor was elevated to victory. A standout 2019 season included graded scores in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park and the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont, the latter following a game effort in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, where the talented chestnut was elevated to second.

Following a brief freshening, Code of Honor has breezed five times, including a half-mile effort in 48.45 seconds Monday on Big Sandy. McGaughey said the colt is training forwardly as he prepares for the second half of his 2020 campaign.

“He's doing really well and has trained well into this,” said McGaughey.

McGaughey, who won the 1993 Kelso with Hall of Famer Lure, said he preferred to bring Code of Honor back at a shorter distance rather than defend his title in the Grade 1, $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup on October 10.

“After the Whitney I had to start over with him, so this is the restart,” said McGaughey. “I don't want to run him a mile and a quarter after I backed off on him.”

Code of Honor will exit post 5 under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, taking over from Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who will be piloting Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Authentic in the Grade 1 Preakness at Pimlico.

Godolphin homebred Endorsed sports a record of four wins and three seconds from 11 starts as he looks for his first career stakes score for Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott.

The regally bred Medaglia d'Oro colt, out of the 2012 Grade 1 Gazelle-winner Dance Card, opened his 4-year-old campaign in January with an optional claiming score at Gulfstream Park for former conditioner Kiaran McLaughlin. Following a fifth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March, Endorsed was transferred to the care of Mott and promptly won an optional-claiming tilt traveling 1 1/16-miles on May 2 at Oaklawn Park.

Endorsed proved stubborn down the lane with a prominent trip to be second in the Grade 3 Westchester ahead of a seventh in the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile. Last out, the versatile bay completed the exacta behind Spinoff in the restricted nine-furlong Alydar on August 9 at Saratoga.

Mott, in search of his first Kelso win, said Endorsed will appreciate the turn back in distance.

“I think the one-turn mile is good for him,” said Mott. “I think that he's effective from a mile to a mile and a quarter, but he seemed to run real good here in the one-turn mile and a sixteenth in the Westchester.”

Junior Alvarado will have the call from post 3.

Klaravich Stables' lightly raced Grade 1-winner Complexity will look to give four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown a second Kelso score following Patternrecognition's winning effort in 2018.

The 4-year-old Maclean's Music bay won the 2018 Grade 1 Champagne at second asking at Belmont but was tenth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile to complete the campaign. Complexity made three sophomore starts with an optional-claiming score on Big Sandy sandwiched between off-the-board efforts in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont and the Grade 1 Malibu in December at Santa Anita.

Complexity kicked off his 4-year-old season with a smart 2 ¼-length score over Win Win Win in an optional-claiming mile on July 2 at Belmont, but had to settle for second to that same rival last out in the Grade 1 Forego contested through a rainstorm over a sloppy Saratoga main track on August 29.

Complexity will emerge from post 4 under Jose Ortiz.

Long Lake Stable's Stan the Man, trained by John Terranova, scratched out of last Saturday's six-furlong Grade 2 Vosburgh to enter the one-turn mile Kelso. Although cross-entered in Saturday's Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, he will compete at Belmont this weekend.

A veteran of 24 career starts, the Broken Vow chestnut boasts a record of 7-7-2 and enters from a last-to-first score in the restricted Tale of the Cat at six furlongs on August 20 at the Spa.

Stan the Man, who won the 2019 Queens County at the Big A, will be in search of a first graded stakes score in his fourth attempt. The gelding was sixth in the 2018 Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct; a front-running second in the 2019 Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont; and fifth in the 2019 Grade 2 True North.

Eric Cancel, aboard for the Cigar Mile effort, will guide Stan the Man from post 2.

Ron Paolucci Racing's Mo Dont No, a 7-year-old Ohio-bred son of Uncle Mo who is cross-entered in Friday's Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland, will instead make his New York debut in his 45th career start.

Trained by Anthony Quartarolo, the multiple stakes-winning Mo Dont No boasts a record of 20-10-3 with purse earnings in excess of $1 million. Two starts back, Mo Dont No captured the Governor's Buckeye Cup for the third time when traveling 10 furlongs against fellow Ohio-breds. He enters the Kelso off a flat sixth in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Charles Town Classic held August 28.

Manny Franco picks up the mount from the inside post.

The Kelso is slated as Race 8 on Saturday's 10-race program, which offers a first post of 12:40 p.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Killybegs Captain delivered, springing a mild upset in the $200,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) at Laurel Park. Though the horse and the venue have changed, Terranova is looking to repeat the pattern with Stan the Man Saturday, Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

The 29th running of the six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up is part of an all-stakes Preakness Day program featuring the 145th renewal of the $1 million Preakness (G1), contested this year as the final jewel in a refashioned Triple Crown, and the 96th edition of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), one of the country's premiere events for 3-year-old fillies.

Named for the late president and chairman of both Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, and not run in 2008 or 2010, the De Francis' illustrious roster of past winners includes Hall of Famer Housebuster, fellow sprint champions Cherokee Run, Smoke Glacken, Thor's Echo and Benny the Bull, and Lite the Fuse, the race's only two-time winner (1995-96).

This year marks only the third time the De Francis has been run at Pimlico, where it debuted in 1990 and returned in 2004. A win would allow Terranova to join Rick Dutrow as the lone trainer to win the De Francis in back-to-back years. Dutrow trained Lite the Fuse as well as 2007 winner Benny the Bull.

“Certainly, we're just thankful that we have horses of that caliber that can run in those races and be competitive or have a shot to win them. It looks like right now Stan the Man is in good, good form,” Terranova said. “It would be really neat to come and have a real shot at winning that race a second time. That would be nice.”

Long Lake Stable's Stan the Man is a two-time stakes winner, taking the 1 1/8-mile Queens County last December at Aqueduct and the six-furlong Tale of the Cat last time out Aug. 20 at Saratoga after running second behind Grade 1 winner Firenze Fire in the True North (G2) June 27 at Belmont Park.

Terranova scratched Stan the Man from the Vosburgh (G2) Sept. 26 at Belmont, won by Firenze Fire, to point for the De Francis. Stan the Man breezed four furlongs in 48.89 seconds Sept. 27, ninth-fastest of 67 horses at Belmont.

“He came out of Saratoga well and has trained on forwardly,” Terranova said. “He's doing fantastic. He's in really good shape. I loved his breeze [Sunday] morning. He looks sharp and good to go.”

Stan the Man has a win and three seconds at six furlongs, but has also had success at seven, eight and nine furlongs. Now 6, he has finished third or better in 16 of 24 lifetime starts and is approaching $500,000 in purses earned.

“He looks to be doing really well sprinting at the moment, even though he's versatile. We've gone long with him in the past and he's done different things,” Terranova said. “He's held his own against some stiff competition right from the very beginning. He's been a pleasure, just a fun horse, a neat horse, and we've taken our time with him over the years. He's had a few off races here and there for one reason or another, but he's certainly come back and looks great as a 6-year-old.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride Stan the Man from Post 7 in a field of 8.

Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki, a stakes winner each of the past four years, will look to give trainer Damon Dilodovico his second De Francis victory following Immortal Eyes 9-1 upset in 2013, when the race wasn't graded. Laki, 7, won the Oceanport Centennial July 3 to open his 2020 season and has run second three times since, a pair of seven-furlong allowances and most recently in the six-furlong Polynesian Sept. 5 at Laurel.

“We're close to a month between races so I'm comfortable with the timeline. He came out of the Laurel Park race clean,” Dilodovico said. “He got kind of bounced around early on and when that happens it's not uncommon for him to get kind of out of sorts, but we didn't have that issue so we were able to just proceed right along and he gave us a nice breeze last weekend.”

While he has enjoyed success over his home track at Laurel, where he ran second in last year's De Francis, Laki is winless in two tries at Pimlico. He was fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 2017 and 2018 Maryland Sprint (G3), not run this year but previously part of the Preakness program that was postponed from May 16 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We just kind of let him move into the race without being too keyed up. The thing about him is, his first two race attempts here at Pimlico have not been that good, so earlier in the spring I wasn't looking to run him back in the Maryland Sprint Handicap at that time. But, we'll give it a shot,” Dilodovico said. “Maybe the Covid worked out for him because that little bit of extra time probably was a blessing for him. Not that he was doing poorly, but I just think time for most horses is important. He's an older guy and we'll try to keep him around a couple more years and maybe try to do some of the stuff we did with Immortal Eyes.”

Regular rider Horacio Karamanos will be aboard from Post 4.

Robert D. Bone's Eastern Bay, who beat Laki by 1 ¼ lengths in the Polynesian, will be just inside Laki in Post 3 under Angel Cruz. The 6-year-old gelding has won three of four starts since being claimed in February by leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez.

“He's a classy horse, very classy. He likes what I do with him and he shows it when he runs. He's a nice horse for any trainer to have. He breezes well and does everything right,” Gonzalez said. “If you look back at his lifetime races, all the time this horse tries. Those are the kind of horses we like to claim.”

Haltered for $35,000, Eastern Bay was nearly but back in for the same tag until Gonzalez convinced Bone otherwise. He has responded with the best stretch of his life, which includes 10 wins and $419,184 in purse earnings from 33 starts.

“Bob Bone is very happy. He wanted to put him in again for the [$35,000] but I said this horse was showing me he's going to be OK. We decide not to put him in for the claim again and now he's won the stake.”

Eastern Bay's only loss with Gonzalez came in an open allowance Aug. 20 at Laurel going seven furlongs. Eastern Bay has a record of 7-1-1 from 16 tries at the De Francis distance.

“That day when he ran seven it looked like he was going to win the race and then he stopped,” Gonzalez said. “I believe that six furlongs is a better distance for him.”

Rounding out the field are Admiral Lynch, third in last year's Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico and second in the World of Trouble Sprint (G3) in February; 2019 Gallant Bob (G2) runner-up Landeskog; Midtowncharlybrown, whose 11 career wins include four stakes; 2019 Woody Stephens (G1) and Amsterdam (G2) runner-up Nitrous; and 8-year-old 13-time winner Krsto Skye, exiting a second in the Smile Sprint (G2) Sept. 5 at Gulfstream Park.

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The six-furlong event over the main track is named in honor of the late Walter S. Vosburgh, the official handicapper for the Jockey Club and for the New York racetracks from 1894-1934, and is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event, which offers an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland.

The prestigious race has been championed by all-time greats Bold Ruler (1957), Dr. Fager (1967-68), Forego (1974) and Ghostzapper (2003), while also helping cement Champion Sprint Horse honors for My Juliet (1976), Dr. Patches (1978), Plugged Nickel (1980), Guilty Conscience (1981), Groovy (1987), Housebuster (1991), Rubiano (1992), Not Surprising (1995), Artax (1999), Kodiak Kowboy (2009).

Boasting the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field with $1.95 million Firenze Fire made a successful 2020 debut with a four-length win in the Grade 3 General George on February 15 at Laurel Park.

Firenze Fire will attempt to make amends after a distant 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on August 29. He breezed a sharp five furlongs in 59.20 seconds over the Belmont Park main track on September 17 in his first move since the Forego.

Jockey Jose Lezcano will have the mount from post 5.

Trainer John Terranova will send out two strong contenders in multiple New York-bred stakes winner Funny Guy and two-time stakes winner Stan the Man.

Owned by R.A. Hill Stable, Gatsas Stable and Swick Stable, Funny Guy was a last out fourth in the Grade 1 Forego on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course, where he finished a game fourth as the lukewarm favorite, beaten 2 ½ lengths over sloppy and sealed going.

“The conditions that day were just horrendous in that rainstorm,” Terranova said. “There was so much water it was like a river down on the inside. He tried to make a couple of moves and didn't get beat far, but it just didn't work out.”

The 4-year-old Big Brown bay has defeated his Empire State-bred counterparts at distances ranging from 6 ½ furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, including triumphs in last year's NYSSS Times Square at Aqueduct and the Albany at Saratoga. He began his 2020 campaign with a victory in the Commentator on June 12 going a one-turn mile over Big Sandy, where he garnered a career-best 101 Beyer and followed with a win in the John Morrissey on July 30 at Saratoga.

Funny Guy has trained forwardly since returning to Terranova's downstate division at Belmont Park, most recently logging a five-furlong move in a bullet 59.66 seconds on September 20.

“The race looked like a good opportunity and I loved his workout the other day,” Terranova said. “He's obviously shown that he's a versatile horse when it comes to distance and he's done well at distances like this one. He's doing great right now and this just seemed like a really good spot for him.”

Funny Guy has shown versatility in distance as well as pace tactics. In the Commentator, he came from five or six lengths off the pace to victory and tracked just a length off frontrunners in his John Morrissey triumph.

“It's hard to say what he'll do from a pace standpoint,” Terranova said. “He's a real smart horse and he just puts you right where he needs to be. He's the type of horse that you can do different things with.”

Jockey Joel Rosario has piloted Funny Guy in his trio of starts this season and retains the mount from post 2.

“Joel knows the horse really well, he knows what he has underneath him,” Terranova said.

Long Lake Stables' Stan the Man arrives at the Vosburgh off a victory as the favorite in the restricted Tale of the Cat on August 20 at the Spa. The 6-year-old son of Broken Vow is in pursuit of his first graded stakes victory but has twice placed against such caliber with runner-up efforts at Belmont Park in the Grade 3 Westchester last May at and the Grade 2 True North on June 27.

“He's a good horse also. He's been a bit of an off-the-pace sprinter and he's able to do a few different things as well,” Terranova said. “The good thing is that both horses are doing really well at the moment.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, a three-time winner of the Vosburgh, has the mount from post 3.

Calumet Farm's True Timber has put together a resume which includes eight placings against graded stakes company and lifetime earnings of $1,038,650, but will seek his first stakes win for trainer Jack Sisterson.

The 6-year-old Mineshaft bay was a last out third in the Grade 1 Forego, when matching strides with Complexity in the early stages, but was unable to hold off a devastating late charge from Win Win Win and finished 1 ½ lengths as a 37-1 longshot. True Timber made his debut for Sisterson two starts back when running third in a 6 ½-furlong allowance optional claiming event at Keeneland on July 12 behind next-out winners C Z Rocket and Copper Town.

“Going into the Forego, we didn't think there would be too much speed, we thought Chad's horse [Complexity] would go out there and set the pace,” Sisterson said. “We had the [Grade 2] Kelso [on Saturday, October 3] in mind, but the Vosburgh ended up becoming more of a wide open race so we figured we would give it a shot. I think he's the type of horse that can run over just about anything. He just has a lot of class.”

True Timber has run a respective second and third in the last two runnings of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. Sisterson said he hopes that third time is the charm for True Timber, and that he plans on pointing towards a third attempt in the $250,000 event set for December 5 at the Big A.

“We're targeting the Cigar Mile at the end of the year with him,” Sisterson said. “He's cutting back to three-quarters for this race and may stretch out next time. We'll just see how he does Saturday and take it from there. But for now, the Cigar Mile is the long term goal.”

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche, who piloted True Timber in the Forego, will climb back aboard from post 1.

Woodford Racing's Engage will seek a victory off a nearly 11-month layoff in Saturday's race. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the son of Into Mischief last saw action in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 4 at Santa Anita, where he was fourth beaten four lengths to stable mate and Champion Sprinter Mitole. Engage will seek his third graded stakes victory having won the Grade 2 Phoenix last October at Keeneland over Grade 1-winner Whitmore and the Grade 3 Futurity at Belmont Park during his juvenile campaign in October 2017.

Jockey Jose Ortiz, who guided Takaful to a 2017 Vosburgh win, will ride Engage for the 11th time from post 6.

Completing the field is Silvino Ramirez's New Jersey invader Share the Ride for trainer Antonio Arriaga.

The 5-year-old son of Candy Ride will attempt back-to-back wins after a wire-to-wire triumph in the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park, which he won by 3 ¾ lengths while securing a 104 Beyer.

Jockey Manny Franco will ride from post 4.

The Vosburgh is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race program, which offers a first post of 1:00 p.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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