The speedy Eightyfiveinafifty had his first work
Saturday since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3, one-mile Derby Trial in
the mud at Churchill Downs on April 24, covering a half-mile in 47.06 over the
main track at Aqueduct. The move was the fastest of nine at the distance.
“It was super,” said Gary Contessa, who trains the colt for
Harold Lerner, John Moirano, and Team Stallion Racing. “He always works
well, but he was a little tired after the Derby Trial. I’m seriously
considering the Woody Stephens for him, but it’s not etched in stone. If
I see he’s moving along like his old self, he’ll go, but I want to make sure of
that before I commit.”
Contessa said Eightyfiveinafifty would likely work three
more times, including this Sunday, in advance of a possible start in the Grade
2, $250,000, seven-furlong Woody Stephens on the Belmont Stakes Day undercard
June 5.
“In the Derby Trial, he acted like a horse who didn’t handle
the track,” said Contessa. “He came back blowing hard and the race seemed
to take something out of him, usually it’s all you can do to walk him after a
start. It could have been he didn’t like that particular track on that
particular day, or maybe the mud will be a problem for him going forward, but I
may try him in the slop another day just to make sure.”
Contessa also reported that Castaneda, impressive
winner of the Fred “Cappy” Capossela on March 6 who was most recently
fifth after fading as the pacesetter in the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct on
April 24, has returned to training following an injury sustained just after the
latter race.
“He kicked a wall and I thought he might have bowed a
tendon, but we got really lucky and the x-ray and ultrasound came back clean,”
said Contessa. “He’s just now getting back to training and he could train
into the Mike Lee, or another race around that time.”
The $100,000 Mike Lee is a seven-furlong race restricted to
New York-breds scheduled for June 20.