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Aqueduct’s Fall Meet To Cover 18 Race Days, Include 11 Graded Stakes Events

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced race dates for the 18-day Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet, offering 29 stakes, including 11 graded events, worth $3.41 million in purse money, that will kick off on Friday, November 6 and run through Sunday, December 6.

Opening weekend of the Big A fall meet, which coincides with the Breeders' Cup set for November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course, begins with the $100,000 Tempted for juvenile fillies and $80,000 Atlantic Beach for juvenile turf sprinters on November 6.

The opening weekend stakes action continues on November 7 with the Grade 3, $100,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap and the Grade 3, $100,000 Nashua for 2-year-olds on November 8.

The Saturday, November 14 card will feature the $100,000 Artie Schiller for turf milers 3-years-old and up and the $100,000 Notebook, a six-furlong sprint for New York-bred juveniles. The following day offers the $100,000 Winter Memories at 1 1/16-miles on turf for sophomore fillies and the $100,000 Key Cents for New York-bred juvenile filly sprinters.

The Grade 3, $100,000 Red Smith, a 1 3/8-mile turf marathon for 3-year-olds and up continues the graded stakes action at the fall meet on Saturday, November 21. Two divisions of the New York Stallion Stakes Series will take centerstage on Sunday, November 22, featuring the $100,000 Thunder Rumble, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, and it's filly counterpart, the $100,000 Staten Island, also at seven-eighths on the main track.

Thanksgiving Week at the Big A will feature three days of exciting racing action beginning Friday, November 27 through Sunday, November 29 with 10 stakes worth $1 million.

A trio of stakes on November 27 includes the Grade 3, $100,000 Comely sophomore fillies at nine furlongs; the $100,000 Gio Ponti at 1 1/16-miles on the turf for sophomores; and the $100,000 Forever Together also at 1 1/16-miles on the turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

The Saturday, November 28th card boasts four stakes keyed by a pair of Grade 3 tests including the $100,000 Long Island at 11 furlongs on the turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up along with the $100,000 Discovery for at nine furlongs for 3-year-olds. The card is bolstered by the $100,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up and the $100,000 Central Park for juveniles at 1 1/16-miles on the turf.

Sunday, November 29 is slated for three stakes, led by the Grade 3, $100,000 Fall Highweight Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and upward. The card will also feature the $100,000 Autumn Days at six furlongs on the turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up and the $100,000 Tepin at 1 1/16-miles on the turf for juvenile fillies.

Closing Weekend of the Big A fall meet features seven stakes worth $1.4 million beginning on Saturday, December 5 with the 32nd renewal of the Grade 1, $250,000 Cigar Mile for 3-year-olds and up, headlining a lucrative card which includes a pair of prestigious Grade 2, $150,000 nine-furlong events for juveniles in the Remsen and its filly counterpart, the Demoiselle, as well as the Grade 3, $100,000 Go for Wand Handicap for fillies and mares at a mile.

The New York Stallion Stakes Series will offer a pair of rich races for 2-year-olds on Sunday, December 6 with the Great White Way for juvenile males and the Fifth Avenue for juvenile fillies, with purses of $250,000 each. Sunday's Closing Day card will also include the $100,000 Garland of Roses at six furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Following opening weekend, live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday with the exception of Thanksgiving Week, when live racing will not be offered on Thanksgiving Day, November 26.

New York state currently requires all racetracks to operate without spectators in attendance to combat the spread of COVID-19. NYRA will issue updated guidance regarding COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys, trainers and owners in the near future.

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.

DATE	RACE	Gr.	2020 PURSE	AGE	DISTANCE
Fri., Nov. 6	Tempted		100,000	F2YO	1 Mile
Fri., Nov. 6	Atlantic Beach		80,000	2YO	6 F (Turf)
Sat., Nov. 7	Turnback the Alarm (Hdcp)	III	100,000	F&M 3&UP	1 1/8
Sat., Nov. 7	Stewart Manor		80,000	F2YO	6 F (Turf)
Sun., Nov. 8	Nashua	III	100,000	2YO	1 Mile
Sat., Nov. 14	Artie Schiller		100,000	3&UP	1 Mile (Turf)
Sat., Nov. 14	Notebook (NYB)		100,000	2YO	6 Furlongs
Sun., Nov. 15	Winter Memories		100,000	F3YO	1 1/16 (Turf)
Sun., Nov. 15	Key Cents (NYB)		100,000	F2YO	6 Furlongs
Sat., Nov. 21	Red Smith	III	100,000	3&UP	1 3/8 (Turf)
Sun., Nov. 22	New York Stallion Series		100,000	3&UP	7 Furlongs
	Thunder Rumble Division (Restricted)
Sun., Nov. 22	New York Stallion Series		100,000	F&M 3&UP	7 Furlongs
	Staten Island Division (Restricted)
Fri., Nov. 27	Comely	III	100,000	F3YO	1 1/8
Fri., Nov. 27	Gio Ponti		100,000	3YO	1 1/16 (Turf)
Fri., Nov. 27	Forever Together		100,000	F&M 3&UP	1 1/16 (Turf)
Sat., Nov. 28	Long Island	III	100,000	F&M 3&UP	1 3/8 (Turf)
Sat., Nov. 28	Discovery	III	100,000	3YO	1 1/8
Sat., Nov. 28	Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship		100,000	3&UP	6 F (Turf)
Sat., Nov. 28	Central Park		100,000	2YO	1 1/16 (Turf)
Sun., Nov. 29	Fall Highweight (Hdcp.)	III	100,000	3&UP	6 Furlongs
Sun., Nov. 29	Autumn Days		100,000	F&M 3&UP	6 F (Turf)
Sun., Nov. 29	Tepin		100,000	F2YO	1 1/16 (Turf)
Sat., Dec. 5	Cigar Mile (Hdcp)	I	250,000	3&UP	1 Mile
Sat., Dec. 5	Remsen	II	150,000	2YO	1 1/8
Sat., Dec. 5	Demoiselle	II	150,000	F2YO	1 1/8
Sat., Dec. 5	Go For Wand (Hdcp)	III	100,000	F&M 3&UP	1 Mile
Sun., Dec. 6	New York Stallion Series		250,000	2YO	7 Furlongs
	Great White Way Division
Sun., Dec. 6	New York Stallion Series		250,000	F2YO	7 Furlongs
	Fifth Avenue Division
Sun., Dec. 6	Garland of Roses		100,000	F&M 3&UP	6 Furlongs

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‘It Doesn’t Matter What Year You’re In It’: Joseph Looking Forward To Ny Traffic’s Run In Kentucky Derby

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said he was looking for a little more out of Ny Traffic in his penultimate work towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on September 5 at Churchill Downs, and the conditioner got just what he wanted when the four-time graded stakes placed son of Cross Traffic went a sharp five-eighths in 59.03 on Thursday morning over the Saratoga main track.

“He seems happy and that's the most important thing,” Joseph Jr. said. “I think that was our stiff work and it went as well as we could have wanted it to go. We just wanted him to come into a bit of urgency so the work will bring him forward and I think he got something out of it.”

Bred in the Empire State by Brian Culnan, Ny Traffic will arrive at the Kentucky Derby off runner-up finishes in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 21 at Fair Grounds, the Grade 3 Matt Winn on May 23 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 18 at Monmouth Park, where he came up a nose shy of victory to wire-to-wire winner Authentic.

Ny Traffic will have one more work at Saratoga before shipping to Churchill Downs either next Sunday or Monday.

“We're ahead of schedule. We planned it that way in case we have to change things because of the weather,” Joseph Jr. said. “Right now, the weather has rain on Thursday or Friday so he could work next week any day between Thursday or Saturday of next week.”

Joseph Jr. is still relishing the opportunity to compete in the historic event for the first time.

“Obviously we are in a strange year, but in 30-40 years when you look back, it doesn't matter what year you're in it,” Joseph Jr. said. “It's still the Derby. If we can win it this year, it won't mean any less. It will mean everything.”

Ny Traffic is fifth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 110 points, which he garnered from his three runner-up efforts as well as a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Risen Star at Fair Grounds in February.

Joseph, Jr. said he is cautiously optimistic his colt will put in a winning performance against fellow New York-bred and likely race favorite Tiz the Law.

“We definitely feel that we're taking a horse with a chance. He's an outsider, but he has a legit chance,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Sometimes you take horses there that you know have no chance, but you still hope. But we feel that we have a horse that on his best day could upset them. Tiz the Law, he's a class above everybody. His record speaks for itself and we respect him, but we hope we can beat him.”

Also working for Joseph, Jr. on Thursday morning was Math Wizard, who provided the conditioner with his first Grade 1 victory when taking last year's Pennsylvania Derby. The son of Algorithms went a half-mile in 48.71 seconds and will most likely compete in next Saturday's Grade 2 Charles Town Classic, but is possible for the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward on September 5 at Saratoga.

“Charles Town is in play, but the Woodward is on the backburner,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He worked well this morning and it would be his last work if he ends up going to Charles Town. We'll play it by ear and talk to the owner and see what they want to do.”

Two-time graded stakes winner Tonalist's Shape went five furlongs in 1:01.22 over the Saratoga main track and is likely for either the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on Friday, September 4 or the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs on the same day.

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Got Stormy, Uni Will Renew Rivalry In ‘Win And You’re In’ Fourstardave

Gary Barber's Got Stormy will take on reigning Champion Turf Female Uni as she looks to defend her title in Saturday's 36th running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave at Saratoga Race Course.

The one mile event over the inner turf for 3-year-olds and upward is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event which offers an automatic entry towards the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland on November 7.

The Fourstardave pays homage to “The Sultan of Saratoga” who was best known for winning at least one race at the Spa every year from 1987-1994 in a racing career that featured 100 starts. Trained by Leo O'Brien and owned by Richard Bomze and Bernard Connaughton, Fourstardave was a 10-time winner at Saratoga, with five of those races taking place on the turf, including two editions of the West Point and back-to-back editions of the Grade 3 Daryl's Joy in 1990-91, which is now run as the Fourstardave.

Trained by Mark Casse, Got Stormy will seek to become the first back-to-back winner of the Fourstardave since two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan scored back to back victories in 2012-13. Got Stormy put together a sensational campaign last season, included a 2 ½-length victory in the Fourstardave in which she became the race's first female winner, posting a track record time of 1:32 flat while registering a 109 Beyer Speed Figure. The daughter of 2010 Fourstardave winner Get Stormy was a hard fought second to Uni two starts later in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita before capping off her season with a win in the Grade 1 Matriarch at Del Mar.

Got Stormy will look to end a streak of four straight losses. In her most recent start, she was fourth beaten 3 ½ lengths in the Grade 3 Poker going one mile over the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

“She's training well and she's back to Saratoga, which is where she did her best running last year, so we're hoping for the best,” Casse said. “We know she likes that course, we know that she likes firm turf. She's got to come with her A game. She's the same horse, she looks great and trains great. She's just been a little bit unlucky. She ran over some good turf courses and she wants it to be really firm.”

Regular rider Tyler Gaffalione will return to the saddle as he attempts a sixth stakes win of the meet from post 4.

Eclipse Award-winner Uni, one of four runners for trainer Chad Brown along with Raging Bull, Valid Point and Without Parole, will attempt to replicate her form from last year when making her second start of 2020. Uni, who was third in last year's Fourstardave, rounded out the trifecta as the favorite in her seasonal bow under Joel Rosario in the Grade 1 Just a Game on June 27 at Belmont Park, where she finished 3 ½ lengths to stablemate Newspaperofrecord. The 6-year-old daughter of More Than Ready was named Champion Turf Female last year following victories in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland and the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile against colts at Santa Anita, where she registered a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She missed some time with a splint issue, and we stopped breezing for five or six weeks,” said Bradley Weisbord of BSW/Crow Bloodstock, who manages Uni on behalf of owners Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert V. LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables. “The ground might have been a little soften the Just a Game and Joel didn't think she got through it great, but she was short, and she really needed the race.”

Uni arrives at the Fourstardave off a sharp five-eighths breeze in company with multiple Grade 1 winner Newspaperofrecord over the Oklahoma training turf on Sunday morning, which she completed in 1:00.46.

“She just had her best breeze of the year last week and we weren't completely sure about this race,” Weisbord said. “We were 50-50 between the Fourstardave and the Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill, but the breeze is what gave Chad the confidence to run her, so she's sitting on go.”

A winner over six different turf courses in North America, Uni has won seven of her nine starts over the one mile distance, four of which took place against graded stakes company.

Uni boasts the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field with $2,377,880 and will be picking up the riding services of Saratoga leading rider Jose Ortiz.

“We picked up a great rider in Jose Ortiz,” Weisbord said. “I asked him if he watched replays and he said 'I breezed her tons of times'. We're looking forward to the race.”

Peter Brant's Raging Bull and John D. Gunther and Tonya Gunther's Without Parole will square off for the third time in a row.

Winner of the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita two starts back, Raging Bull was third in the Grade 1 Makers Mark Mile at Keeneland, where he was carried wide into the turn and finished a neck to War of Will. Second in last year's Fourstardave, the 5-year-old bay son of Dark Angel seeks his third graded stakes triumph at Saratoga having won the Grade 2 Hall of Fame and Grade 3 Saranac at the Spa during his 3-year-old campaign en route to a score in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar.

Breaking from the rail, Raging Bull will be ridden by Joel Rosario, who has ridden the horse in 12 of his 14 lifetime starts.

“I'm hoping for a better trip,” Brown said.

Without Parole, a 5-year-old bay son of Frankel, seeks his first win since winning the Group 1 St. James's Palace in June 2018 at Royal Ascot while being trained by John Gosden. Two starts back, Without Parole was a troubled third in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile where he lacked racing room down the stretch but finished third to stablemate Raging Bull. Last out, he was a closing third beaten a neck in the Grade 1 Makers Mark Mile where he went six wide into the stretch and made a late bid to be beaten a neck. Without Parole made his North American debut last November when finishing third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile to Uni and Got Stormy.

“We feel like he fits in with this group, so we're trying again and hope that he will get a better trip,” Brown said.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Without Parole from post 8.

Valid Point, owned by e Five Thoroughbred Racing, has made all of his five lifetime starts going one mile and seeks a second Grade 1 win after winning the Secretariat at Arlington Park last August. The bay son of Scat Daddy was off the board last out in the Grade 3 Poker

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano seeks a third Fourstardave win aboard Valid Point, who will leave from post 7.

“I'm hoping the turf is firm for my four horses,” Brown said. “Hopefully they can all get clean trips and have an equal chance to win the race.”

Rounding out the field are Casa Creed [post 2, Junior Alvarado], Emmaus [post 3, Jose Lezcano], Halladay [post 5, Luis Saez] and Chewing Gum [post 9, John Velazquez].

The Fourstardave is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race card, which offers a first post of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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‘This Is What I Love Doing’: Breen Leads Monmouth Trainer’s Standings At Mid-Way Point

In some ways, Kelly Breen is as surprised as anyone that he will reach the midpoint of the Monmouth Park meet atop the trainer standings and as the favorite to win the title.

That's because he originally thought he was too heavy on 2-year-olds, too light on claimers, didn't have the overall numbers and wasn't sure how consistently he would be able to keep adding to his stable as the meet progressed.

“I thought I came in here a little short on the stock that a normal leading trainer would have,” said Breen. “Approximately one-third (19 of 62) of the horses I have here are 2-year-olds. With the pandemic you can't get to the 2-year-olds until later in the season. So they're pushed back. You're training horses more than you are racing horses.

“I knew to offset that we would have to be active in the claim box.”

The adjustment seems to have worked. Breen, who won the training title at Monmouth Park in 2005 and 2006, heads into the 18th racing day of the now 36-day meet on Friday with 12 winners from 45 starters to top the trainer standings.

He is three winners ahead of his closest competitor, Ben Perkins, Jr., but will only have one opportunity to add to his total during the six-race twilight card on Friday that starts at 5 p.m. Breen will send out Life On The Edge, already a winner at the meet, in the sixth race

“I'm still on the fence about my chances (to win the title),” he said. “So many different things go into winning a training title. A lot of variables.”

Breen said he “lost about six horses I liked for Monmouth Park at Gulfstream, and you can't replenish because Florida rules are you can't take them out of state for at least 90 days. I was coming back here before that so it just didn't work out. You come in feeling you're a little short.”

He also knows with the logjam behind him in the standings that a trainer is just one hot streak away from joining or passing him atop the standings. That happened with Perkins, who had four winners on Sunday's card and has won with seven of his last nine starters.

Jose Delgado, Mike Dini and Jerry Hollendorfer, each with eight winners, are in the title chase mix as well.

For the 51-year-old Breen, though, the training title would be especially significant since the New Jersey native has called Monmouth Park home since he started training in 1992.

“When you're this close of course you want to win it. There isn't anybody out there who would say no,” said Breen, who set a personal best with 66 winners overall a year ago. “This is a prestigious racetrack. To put another feather in my cap would be awesome. This is my home track so there are a lot of things going for me here, owners that have been with me a long time.

“I won the title here in 2005 and 2006 and then I was a private trainer and I did that for a while. So you lose contact with some owners and a lot of the big outfits I used to train for aren't racing as much. I'm on the market again and making more phone calls to get horses than I ever have in my life but this is what I love doing. It's just different. So winning the title again, if that happens, would mean a lot.”

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