Count Fleet, Interborough Top Big A Card

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will usher in the new year Saturday with a pair of $65,000 stakes races at Aqueduct Racetrack – the Count Fleet, for 3-year-olds at a mile and 70 yards, and the six-furlong Interborough for fillies and mares.

The Interborough will be run as race 3 on the nine-race New Year’s Day card, with the Count Fleet scheduled to go off as race 6 at approximately 2:48 p.m. Also on Saturday is NYRA’s annual calendar promotion, where for $2 fans can purchase a 2011 calendar featuring the best horses and jockeys from the New York circuit in 2010 as captured by track photographer Adam Coglianese.

In the 36^th renewal of the Count Fleet, Arthur’s Tale, a son of Bernardini, will attempt to parlay an inner track maiden win on December 2 into his first stakes victory as he takes on six other newly-minted 3-year-olds on January 1, the universal birthdate for thoroughbreds.

After finishing fifth in a six-furlong maiden contest at Saratoga on July 31, Arthur’s Tale made two starts at Belmont Park, finishing third over the main track on September 11 and fourth on the turf a month later, both one-mile races, and trainer Tom Albertrani believes the colt will benefit from more distance.  

“I think that he was looking to go longer,” said Albertrani, who trains Arthur’s Dale for Darley Stable. “We’ve always thought he had potential, but we weren’t getting that potential out of him. Last time was his first start around two turns, which I think definitely helped him, and he ran in blinkers, which may have added a little more spark.”

Arthur’s Tale will retain blinkers for the Count Fleet, breaking from post position 5 under Eddie Castro at 4-1 on the morning line. 

Hoping to rebound from a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot on November 20 is Rush Now, a son of Tiznow who carries the colors of Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren.

“He didn’t run,” trainer Tony Dutrow said of the colt’s most recent start. “Why? I don’t know. He had no excuses physically before or after the race, but maybe he didn’t care for the racetrack.”

Rush Now began his career in the same Saratoga maiden race as Arthur’s Tale, finishing eighth, then came back on September 1 to break his maiden at Delaware Park by 13 ¾ lengths. On October 9, he was a decisive winner of the Dover Stakes, also run at Delaware.

“In his maiden, and in that stakes race, things went perfectly for him,” Dutrow said. “He’s shown he has talent when things go perfectly for him, but he needs to learn to face adversity.”

Jeremy Rose, aboard for Rush Now’s maiden victory, has the call aboard the 3-1 morning-line second-choice from post 4.

Pants On Fire, who broke his maiden at Delaware Park on October 4, missed by just a neck in his most recent outing, a first level allowance race at Aqueduct on December 19. A son of Jump Start, Pants On Fire has never finished worse than fourth in four career starts, and will have the services of New York’s leading rider, Ramon Dominguez, breaking from the rail as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

J J’s Lucky Train looks to keep a two-race win streak intact, and Tap Star, Isn’t He Perfect and Monzon complete the Count Fleet field.

Earlier in the card, fillies and mares will be featured in the 90^th running of the Interborough, which reunites the 1-2 finishers from the December 4 Garland of Roses Handicap, Nicole H and Meese Rocks.

Nicole H, a daughter of Mr. Greeley, looks to make it 2-for-2 at Aqueduct and open her 4-year-old campaign as she closed her 3-year-old season – with a win. Ramon Dominguez, aboard for the Garland of Roses, will be back in the irons aboard the 1-5 favorite from post position 2.

Meese Rocks, winner of the Iroquois Stakes on New York Showcase Day at Belmont Park in October, will try to turn the tables on Nicole H as she breaks from the inside under Junior Alvarado.

Completing the field in the Interborough are Bob’s Dylan, Purrfect Bluff and Quiet Mover.

The field for the $65,000 Count Fleet:

The field for the $65,000 Interborough: