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Derby, Oaks Preps Highlight Saturday’s Broadcast Of America’s Day At The Races

Exciting live racing from Aqueduct Racetrack, Fair Grounds and Tampa Bay Downs will comprise Saturday's broadcast of America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will air from 2:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Eastern on FS2, including four graded stakes from Fair Grounds, highlighted by the Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star for sophomores going 1 1/8 miles at the New Orleans-based track in Race 13 at 7:18 p.m. Eastern.

The Kentucky Derby prep race offers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers. Leading the charge is Grade 3 Lecomte-winner Midnight Bourbon for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Midnight Bourbon ran third in his only appearance in New York in the Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 10 that closed out his juvenile campaign. He started his 3-year-old season with a one-length win going 1 1/16-mile in the Lecomte on Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds.

Proxy, the runner-up to Midnight Bourbon in that contest, will get the chance to turn the tables for trainer Michael Stidham, while Lecomte third-place finisher Mandaloun will also look to improve for trainer Brad Cox.

The Risen Star is the last of four consecutive graded stakes at Fair Grounds and five stakes overall, which starts with the Albert M. Stall Memorial for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up going 1 1/16 miles on the turf in Race 9 at 5:12 p.m.

The broadcast's graded stakes portion commences with the Grade 3, $200,000 Mineshaft for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles in Race 10 at 5:44 p.m. Maxfield, a perfect 4-for-4, will look to stay unbeaten for trainer Brendan Walsh after closing his sophomore year with a win in the Tenacious in December at Fair Grounds following victories in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity and the Grade 3 Matt Winn.

Wells Bayou, who ran third in the Grade 3 Louisiana last month in his first start since running in the 2020 Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, will be seeking his first win in 11 months for Cox. Chess Chief, who ran off the board in the 2019 Grade 1 Runhappy Travers at Saratoga will also go for trainer Dallas Stewart.

Rounding out the undercard for Risen Star is the Grade 3, $150,000 Fair Grounds in Race 11 at 6:16 p.m. that will see 4-year-olds and up go 1 1/8 miles and feature a formidable duo by Cox in Factor This and Set Piece. Factor This has netted triple digit Beyer Speed Figures four times in his career, including a 110 for his win in the Grade 2 Dinner Party on Preakness Day, Oct. 3, at Pimlico. The English-bred Set Piece has won three of his five starts since arriving from Europe last year.

Race 12 at Fair Grounds showcases the Grade 2, $300,000 Rachel Alexandra for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles in a contest offering 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. Post time is 6:47 p.m.

Souper Sensational, a $725,000 purchase in 2019 and trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, will make her graded stakes debut and seeks her second stakes win overall after capturing the Glorious Song in October at Woodbine.

NYRA paddock analyst Maggie Wolfendale will be reporting live on-site from Fair Grounds.

Tampa Bay Downs will offer the $100,000 Pelican for 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs in Race 9 at 4:19 p.m. Cool Arrow, winner of the Grade 3 Smile Spirit in September at Gulfstream Park, will seek more stakes blacktype.

Aqueduct will host a nine-race card with a first post time of 1 p.m. America's Day at the Races will broadcast races 5-through-9.

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 64,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official online wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

For the current broadcast schedule and additional programming information, visit NYRA.com.

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Mott: Both Candy Man Rocket, Nova Rags ‘Earned Their Way Into Another Prep Race’

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who sent out 1-2 finishers Candy Man Rocket and Nova Rags in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, said he hopes to return to Tampa Bay Downs with at least one of the 3-year-old colts on March 6 for the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.

“It was gratifying to see both horses pass the two-turn test,” said Mott, who sent his son Riley Mott to Oldsmar from south Florida for saddling duties. “They both ran big races and it looked like they were strong at the finish. They came out of the race well, so I think both horses would be possible for the (Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby).”

The March 6 card will feature five stakes, four graded, worth a total of $1-million in purse money. The other stakes include the Grade 2, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes for older fillies and mares on the turf; the Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on the turf; the Grade 3, $100,000 Challenger Stakes for horses 4-years-old-and-upward on the main track; and the $75,000 Columbia Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf.

The victory by Candy Man Rocket was the first for Mott, jockey Junior Alvarado and owner Frank Fletcher Racing Operations in the Sam F. Davis. Alvarado also won Saturday's Grade 3, $175,000 Tampa Bay Stakes on the turf with 4-year-old gelding Get Smokin, owned by Mary Abeel Sullivan Revocable Trust and trained by Thomas Bush.

Alvarado and Mott teamed to finish second with 4-year-old filly New York Girl in the Grade 3, $175,000 Lambholm South Endeavour, won by Counterparty Risk.

Mott said he would prefer Candy Man Rocket and Nova Rags not square off again in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, run at the identical mile-and-a-sixteenth distance of the Sam F. Davis.

“It would be nice to run one of them there, knowing they both like the track, but maybe we will try to split them up next time,” he said.

Hidden Stash, who rallied for third, also looks like a good candidate for the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.

Candy Man Rocket came into the Sam F. Davis off a 9 ¼-length, 6-furlong maiden special weight score on Jan. 9 at Gulfstream Park, while Nova Rags was attempting to duplicate his victory here on Jan. 16 in the 7-furlong Pasco Stakes. The winner received 10 qualifying points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” while Nova Rags, bred and owned by Michael Shanley, earned 4 points.

The points increase dramatically for the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, with 50, 20, 10 and 5 awarded to the first four finishers.

Mott stressed that both horses still have much to prove before entertaining serious thoughts of making it to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve starting gate on May 1.

“I know everybody this time of year is thinking of the Triple Crown, but there is still a long road ahead for that,” said Mott, who finished 1-3 in the 2019 Run for the Roses with Country House (moved up via disqualification) and that year's Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner, Tacitus. “You just have to take things one step at a time.

“Put it this way: I think both horses earned their way into another prep race.”

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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 From Aqueduct, Tampa Bay Downs Pays $872.50

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, featuring stakes action from New York's Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs in Florida, paid $872.50 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The sequence's total pool was $123,055.

Aqueduct started the wager when Dublinornothin upset favorite Mabel Island in a seven-furlong allowance race for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-years-old and up. The Eduardo Jones trainee rallied from fourth in the stretch under jockey Andre Worrie to post a half-length victory. Dublinornothin returned $19 on a $2 win wager.

Curlin's Catch started the sequence's stakes portion with a 4 1/2-length score in the Suncoast for 3-year-old fillies going a mile and 40 yards on the Tampa Bay main track. Conditioned by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Curlin's Catch sat off the pace before drawing away under Antonio Gallardo as the favorite. She paid $5.60.

Aqueduct hosted a Kentucky Derby prep race with the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers in Race 8, which Risk Taking won by 3 3/4 lengths. Risk Taking, trained by Chad Brown, was expertly ridden by Eric Cancel, who earned his third career graded stakes win as his charge picked up 10 qualifying points for the “Run for the Roses.” The favorite returned $5.80.

Just minutes later, Brown added another stakes win with a favorite owned by Klaravich Stables, as Counterparty Risk outkicked New York Girl by one length to win the Grade 3 Endeavour at Tampa Bay. Piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Counterparty Risk won the 1 1/16-mile turf contest for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up, paying $3.80.

Tampa Bay concluded the sequence with Candy Man Rocket winning the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis for sophomores going 1 1/16 miles on the main track in a race that, like the Withers, awarded 10-4-2-1 Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's Candy Man Rocket defeated Nova Rags by one length under jockey Junior Alvarado. The 3-1 selection returned $8.20.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

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Candy Man Rocket Passes Two-Turn Test, Leads Mott Exacta In Sam F. Davis

For a few fleeting seconds nearing the turn for home in the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., it appeared pace-setter Boca Boy was about to pull away from his closest pursuer, Candy Man Rocket.

But Junior Alvarado, the jockey on Candy Man Rocket, wanted to wait a little longer to launch his move.

“I didn't really want to engage the horse up front (Boca Boy) or make any quick move too early. I just had to move a little bit, keep holding my position and wait as long as I could,” Alvarado said. “He doesn't have a real quick turn of foot, but he started grinding it out so I started picking it up and I was really pleased by the quarter pole turning for home.”

Then, when he requested more, Candy Man Rocket delivered.

“At the sixteenth pole when I switched my stick to the right hand and showed it to him to see what I had left, he put his head low and kept grinding his way there,” Alvarado said after posting a one-length victory over stablemate Nova Rags, ridden by Samy Camacho.

The Sam F. Davis was the centerpiece of a Festival Preview Day 41 Presented by Lambholm South card that set a Sam F. Davis Day handle record of $13,200,523, an increase of more than $2.1-million from last year. The total handle is the third-largest in track history. Three other stakes were contested, including two graded races on the turf, with total stakes purse money of $750,000.

Riley Mott, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and his father's assistant, had a good feeling Candy Man Rocket was going to earn the $120,000 Sam F. Davis winner's share when Alvarado turned him loose.

“He got into a real nice comfort zone down the backside and Junior let him out a notch going to the three-eighths-mile pole and at that point there wasn't a whole lot coming from behind,” the younger Mott said. “He hit the front a little bit early, which was concerning – he's still inexperienced and sometimes when they get to the front too early, they tend to wander – but Junior kept him to the task and he really ran on well and passed the two-turn test.”

Mott also saddled Nova Rags, who won the Pasco Stakes here on Jan. 16.

“He is a quality horse, and he sat a good trip too,” Mott said. “We weren't sure about the two turns, so to see him come back and pass the two-turn test and run so well to a good horse and his stablemate was pretty encouraging.”

Candy Man Rocket paid $8.20 to win as the second betting choice in the 12-horse field. His time for the mile-and-a-sixteenth on a fast dirt track was 1:44.30. He won by a length, with Nova Rags and Camacho holding on for second by a neck from Hidden Stash. Boca Boy finished fourth.

The top two were both racing around two turns for the first time.

Candy Man Rocket, a son of Candy Ride–Kenny Lane, by Forestry, is owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations. He is 2-for-3 in his career. The Sam F. Davis is a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race, with Candy Man Rocket taking away the top award of 10 points.

The 1-2 finish by the Mott charges puts the Grade 2 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby squarely in their sights, although Riley Mott said the March 6 race might come up a little quick for Nova Rags. Regardless, having options is what it's all about for 3-year-olds at this stage of the year.

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