Munnings Strong Choice in Carter

Saturday’s 110^th renewal of the $250,000 Carter Handicap boasts a deep field of six talented older horses, all searching for their first Grade 1 victory.

For two contenders, the seven-furlong Carter represents the first serious test in what the horses’ connections hope will be successful middle-distance careers.

At this time last year, Eric Fein’s Musket Man was hot on the Kentucky Derby trail after making a late charge in the Grade 3, 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby to win by a neck.  Following a two-length win in the Grade 2, 1 1/8-mile Illinois Derby, Musket Man finished third in both the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, running a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure in the latter.

“He did what they said he couldn’t do twice,” said trainer Derek Ryan.  “I think a mile is his best distance, but he’s such a classy horse you can train him to go long and he’ll do it if he has to.”

Ryan backed off the son of Yonaguska following the Preakness and the colt did not start again until winning the seven-furlong Super Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February 6.  The Carter is phase two of a year-long plan for Musket Man, which Ryan said would also include a start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on Memorial Day, en route to the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs in November.

On Saturday, Musket Man will get the services of New York’s leading rider Ramon Dominguez and break from post No. 4 at 118 pounds.

Like Musket Man, Warrior’s Reward also found himself on the 2009 Kentucky Derby trail, as trainer Ian Wilkes strongly believed he had found a Classic horse in the Medaglia d’Oro colt.  Warrior’s Reward picked up three graded-stakes placings in 2009, including a second in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course, but a disappointing fifth-place finish in last summer’s Grade 1, 1¼-mile Travers prompted Wilkes to reevaluate.

“He had no excuse in the Travers,” said Wilkes, who trains the horse for A. Stevens Miles, Jr.  “He ran a beautiful race, but he just couldn’t finish at the distance.  He had a brilliant allowance win going seven furlongs at Churchill last May where he beat Munnings (113 Beyer), but he could never duplicate those numbers again going around two turns.”

Warrior’s Reward enters the Carter off of a 3/4-length win in a seven-furlong allowance contest at Gulfstream Park on February 11, his first start of the year and, Wilkes hopes, just the beginning of his success.

“He’s ready, and I think he’ll be a great seven-eighths to a mile horse,” Wilkes said.  “I think we’ll have a lot of fun with him this year.”

Eclipse Award-winning jockey Julien Leparoux, aboard for the colt’s most recent win at Gulfstream, retains the mount and the pair will break from the rail carrying 116 pounds.

The very accomplished Munnings will carry highweight of 119 pounds as the 4-5 morning line favorite in his first tour of the Aqueduct main track in the Carter.  Munnings exits a win in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship Stakes on February 14, his first start of the year. 

“Seven furlongs is his best distance and he’s training very well,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains the Speightstown colt for Michael Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier.

Munnings has started in six Grade 1 races, finishing third four times, and second once.  He won a pair of Grade 2 races at Belmont Park in 2009 in the Woody Stephens and Tom Fool.  Regular jockey John Velazquez will ride from post No. 6. 

Pletcher has also entered Repole Stable’s Driven by Success, who finished third in the Grade 3 Toboggan last month over Aqueduct’s inner track. 

Repole Stable sends out another starter in the Bruce Brown-trained Digger, who will run as an entry with Driven by Success.  Digger exits a second-place finish in the Grade 2 General George Handicap at Laurel Park on February 15.  Digger has shown steady progress in four starts for Brown, including two stakes wins, and the trainer said the gelding’s performance in the Carter would dictate his plans going forward. 

“We gave him kind of a breather after the race at Laurel, so now we'll decide off this race what we're planning for the rest of the year,” Brown said.  “We'll just see how he stacks up and where he should be.”

Completing the field is Darley Stable’s Elusive Warning, who broke his maiden over the inner track at Aqueduct in 2007 and was then sent to Dubai, where he won a Group 3 race at Nad Al Sheba and also ran second in the Grade 2 Godolphin Mile in 2008.  Unraced in 2009, Elusive Warning won a seven-furlong allowance race at Gulfstream on January 31 and then finished fourth in the Grade 3 Toboggan. 

“He ran well the last time and had no real excuse, but the front two went out and just kept going,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.  “We hope seven-eighths of a mile on a different racetrack will produce different results.”

The Carter is the final leg (Race 10, approximate post 5:45 p.m. EDT) of a $500,000 Guaranteed All Graded Stakes Pick 4 at Aqueduct.  The Pick 4 begins with the Grade 3 Bay Shore in race 7 (4:08 p.m.), continues with the Grade 3 Excelsior in race 8 (4:40 p.m.), and the featured Grade 1, $750,000 Wood Memorial (5:15 p.m.).  The 11-race card begins with a first race post time of 1 p.m.

The Wood will be telecast live on NBC from 5:00-6:00 p.m. EDT.

The field for the 110^th running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Carter Handicap:

A - Coupled Entries - Digger, Driven by Success