Waterford Stable | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fresh off a nearly four-month layoff, Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer will look to return to her stakes-winning ways as part of a six-horse field of fillies and mares 3-years-old and up competing in Friday's $150,000 Forever Together contested at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The Christophe Clement-trained Speaktomeofsummer will be competing for the first time since running sixth against optional claimers on July 28 over firm turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The 4-year-old Summer Front filly won a stakes at both 2 and 3, capturing the 2019 Chelsey Flower at the Big A before winning the Grade 2 Lake Placid in July at the Spa.

After running off the board in each of her three starts in the current campaign, Speaktomeofsummer will have another chance to become a stakes winner at 4, with her conditioner saying she has been training forwardly at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., including a four-furlong breeze in :50.22 over the Belmont dirt training track on November 16.

“She's been doing very well since we got her back and she's been training forwardly,” Clement said.

Jockey Manny Franco will pick up the mount for the first time, drawing the inside post.

Steve Feiger's Flower Point handled the step up in class with a third-place effort in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel last out on October 23 over firm Belmont turf. The 5-year-old Point of Entry mare netted a career-high 90 Beyer Speed Figure in her 15th career start, and will look to pick up her first stakes win for Hall of Fame conditioner Shug McGaughey.

Jose Lezcano, aboard for her previous effort in the one-mile Noble Damsel, will have the return assignment as Flower Point looks to stretch out, drawing post 4.

New York-bred Giacosa has finished on the board in four of her five starts of her 4-year-old campaign, including a three-quarter length victory in the Yaddo, contested against fellow state-breds at the Forever Together distance in August at the Spa, for owner and trainer H. James Bond.

The daughter of Tizway ran sixth last out in the Ticonderoga against fellow New York-breds on November 5 at Belmont but will look to get back on track on Friday, drawing post 3 with Luis Saez in the irons.

Rounding out the field is Platinum Paynter, third in the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial in July at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Penn., for trainer Juan Vazquez [post 6, Dylan Davis]; the Brittany Russell-trained Sailingintothewind, off back-to-back fourth place efforts, will make her first Aqueduct appearance [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche]; and Mucha Mezquina, trained by Mark Salvaggio, who will be looking for her first stakes win in her 32nd career start [post 2, Julio Hernandez].

The Forever Together is slated as Race 4 on the 10-race card with a post time of 1:18 p.m. Eastern. First post is 11:50 a.m.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall 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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Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer answered the question about handling increased distance, finding a seam in the stretch to split competitors and gamely digging in with Stunning Sky to her inside, fending off her challenger in the final jumps for a victory by a head in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

After making her first four starts at a mile, the Christophe Clement-trained Speaktomeofsummer was stretched out to 1 1/8 miles but utilized a patient trip under jockey Joel Rosario. The Summer Front filly sat in sixth position as Blame Debbie led the eight-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.01 seconds and the half in 49.03 on the inner turf coursed labeled firm.

Coming out of the clubhouse turn, Speaktomeofsummer lost some ground in a tightly bunched field, but Rosario quickly recovered and kept her to the inside. Approaching the far turn, she picked off a pair of rivals before surging when straightening for home.

In the stretch, she overtook Blame Debbie, who Jose Ortiz tried to prevent from lugging out, before linking up with Stunning Sky, positioned by Irad Ortiz, Jr. near the rail, for an exciting final furlong that saw the winner stop the clock in a 1:49.44 final time.

“I was really happy with the trip. I thought I would be a little closer, like Christophe told me, but everybody had the same idea to be up there,” said Rosario, who teamed with Clement to win a Grade 2 at the Spa for a second consecutive day after Decorated Invader captured Saturday's National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. “It looked like the first part was fast but they all got into their position, so I thought I'd let her be happy there and hopefully have a good run at the end.

“She was moving beautifully but when I passed the leader, she waited a little bit and the other horse came back again,” he added. “But she came on again and I was able to hold them off.”

After running fourth last out with blinkers on for the first time in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 20 at Belmont, Clement ran Speaktomeofsummer without blinkers. The equipment change, along with a change in venue in her Saratoga debut, resulted in her third win in five career starts.

“I put the blinkers on [last time] because I thought she was a little lazy in her work in the morning before her last race. That's what happens when trainers start to think too much,” said Clement, who notched his third career Lake Placid win, joining Spotlight and Naissance Royale [the respective 2004 and 2005 victors].

“She had a great trip. Thank you, Joel. He's riding great at the moment. The filly has trained well since the last race at Belmont. She's by Summer Front which is a big deal for us as we trained him plus he's a young sire at the moment. He belongs to Mr. [Tom] Moore, who also owned Summer Front so it is even more meaningful.

“She had a great trip. It was a pretty game last eighth of a mile,” he continued. “I'm delighted. She can do a mile to a mile an eighth for sure, but any further I don't know. I would have to think about it.”

Clement recorded three wins Sunday and totaled five on the weekend.

“The last two days have been good. Let's keep it going,” he said.

Off at 9-2, Speaktomeofsummer returned $11.60 on a $2 win wager. She nearly doubled her career earnings to $175,500. She is a possibility for the 1 3/16-mile $500,000 Saratoga Oaks on August 16.

“I would need to think about it because of the timing,” Clement said. “We will keep it open. Instead of me, we'll let her tell us and see what happens.”

Stunning Sky, trained by Mike Maker, was 1 ½ lengths the better of Queens Embrace for second, marking her best stakes finish in five attempts.

“She showed up and ran her race. She just needed to be a head better today,” said Maker assistant Nolan Ramsey. “At the sixteenth pole, I thought the other horse was going to run right by her, but she was game. No complaints. She ran a great race.”

Key Biscayne, 2-1 favorite Cat's Pajamas, Lashara, Blame Debbie and Mirabell Mei completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Wednesday with a 10-race card showcasing the $85,000 Lubash for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up in Race 3 at 1:54 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m. and features the summer meet's first steeplechase race in the $55,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice.

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