With the $150,000 Count Fleet for
3-year-olds on tap Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack, what better time than
the present to start thinking about the future?
A field
of seven sophomores was entered for the one-mile, 70-yard Count Fleet,
the opening salvo in a trio of races leading up to the Grade 1, $1
million Resorts World New York City Casino Wood Memorial on April 7, New
York's traditional prep for the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown. On
February 4, the Big A offers the Grade 3, $200,000 Withers at 1 1/16
miles, followed by the Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham, also at 1 1/16 miles,
on March 3.
"I think a $150,000 race puts you on the
map, and this is a race that can be a stepping stone," said Art
Magnuson, assistant to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, whose Alpha is the 4-5
morning-line favorite in the 37th running of the Count Fleet. "We do
think about the future with Alpha, and hope he's a Derby-type horse."
A
six-length winner of his debut going seven furlongs at Saratoga Race
Course on September 3, the son of Bernardini next finished second to
Union Rags in the Grade 1 Champagne, but was never a factor when
finishing 11th behind Hansen and Union Rags in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup
Juvenile at Churchill Downs. Sent to Florida following the Breeders'
Cup, Alpha returned to the worktab at Palm Meadows in December, and most
recently zipped four furlongs in a bullet 47.88 Monday morning over
Belmont Park's training track.
"We sent him to New York
last Wednesday, and he worked very well this morning," said McLaughlin
of the Godolphin Stable color-bearer, who will run on Lasix for the
first time Saturday. "We have several 3-year-olds we think highly of,
including Alpha and Consortium and some others who haven't started yet,
and we're trying to split them up. We have had great success in New York
with our runners during the winter. At the Breeders' Cup, he lost it in
the gate, and we're hoping he will step up off that effort. He's a nice
horse."
Ramon Dominguez, who won his third consecutive
NYRA riding title in 2011 and led the nation in earnings for the second
straight year, has the mount on Alpha from post position 5.
{Check out the top Kentucky Derby 2012 contenders}
Trainer
Graham Motion, who took last year's Resorts World New York City Casino
Wood Memorial with Toby's Corner and then won the Kentucky Derby with
Animal Kingdom, is represented Saturday by Stephanoatsee, who was
seventh, beaten 4 ¼ lengths, by O'Prado Again in Aqueduct's Grade 2
Remsen on November 26.
"He wasn't beaten very far [in
the Remsen], and the race was a big step up for him," said Motion. "He
ran well, and I thought it was an oddly run race. They went slow early
and he had to made to make up ground in the stretch. I thought it was
not that bad of a race from him. He's a lovely horse, a great big horse,
and he's still coming into his own."
The son of A.P.
Indy, a half-brother to Preakness winner Shackleford owned by My
Meadowview Farms, will leave from post position 4 at 6-1 with Junior
Alvarado aboard.
Like Alpha, Shkspeare Shaliya had a
disappointing outing in the Breeders' Cup, making a belated run to
finish ninth, beaten 6 ½ lengths, in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Turf. Prior to that, the son of Shakespeare, out of the Clever Trick
mare Tricky Mistress, took the Grade 3 Pilgrim on the turf at Belmont
Park on October 2 on the heels of his maiden victory, also on the turf,
on September 18.
"I have been wanting to try this horse
on dirt," said trainer Doodnauth Shivmangal. "I'm an Aqueduct person and
I am a New Yorker; on top of that, he has a good turn of foot, and has
Clever Trick in his breeding, which is why I chose this spot. The
distance is a little short for him, but my whole dream is to give him a
shot and see what he can do on dirt."
With that in mind,
Shivmangal shipped the bay colt from his barn at Belmont Park to
Aqueduct on New Year's Day for a four-furlong work, accomplished in
50.70 under jockey Jose Valdivia, Jr.
"He went the first
quarter in 25 and change and the second in 24 and change, which was
good for me," said Shivmangal of Shkspeare Shaliya, who carries the
colors of Shivmangal Racing Stable, LLC. "The jockey said he was
surprised for a turf horse how well he handled the dirt. We'll see what
he can do Saturday."
At 10-1 on the morning line, Shkspeare Shaliya, highweight at 122 pounds, including Validiva, will leave from post position 7.
Repole
Stable's How Do I Win will be going for his third straight victory as
he makes his stakes debut in the Count Fleet. A 17 ½-length maiden
winner on October 19 in his fourth start, the gray son of Corinthian
next won a starter handicap by three lengths at Aqueduct on November 18,
both at six furlongs.
"He's done well in his races at
six furlongs, but I don't think a mile [and 70 yards] will be any
problem for him," said Whit Beckman, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher.
"He's still developing; you could see in his last race he was a little
green, but he's improving mentally."
Cornelio Velasquez will ride How Do I Win, 12-1 on the morning line, from post 2.
Rounding
out the field are Speightscity, who came back from an eighth-place
finish in the Remsen to win an optional claimer at the Count Fleet
distance on December 15; Il Villano, winner of three straight including
the Lord Henribee overnight stakes at Aqueduct on November 6 and the
Southampton at Parx Racing last time out, and Whistleblower, a
inner-track maiden winner at third asking on December 3.
The field for the $150,000 Count
Fleet:
|
PP |
Horse |
Jockey |
Wgt |
Trainer |
Odds |
|
1 |
Il Villano
(KY) |
J L Flores |
120 |
S L
Crowell |
4-1 |
|
2 |
How Do I Win
(KY) |
C H
Velasquez |
116 |
T A
Pletcher |
12-1 |
|
3 |
Whistleblower
(FL) |
A
Smith |
116 |
K G
McPeek |
20-1 |
|
4 |
Stephanoatsee
(KY) |
J
Alvarado |
116 |
H G
Motion |
6-1 |
|
5 |
Alpha
(KY) |
R A
Dominguez |
116 |
K P
McLaughlin |
4-5 |
|
6 |
Speightscity
(KY) |
D
Cohen |
118 |
G C
Contessa |
8-1 |
|
7 |
Shkspeare
Shaliyah (FL) |
J Valdivia,
Jr. |
122 |
D
Shivmangal |
10-1 |