Saturday’s 52nd running of
the Gravesend Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack takes on an international flavor
as Newmarket-based Deerslayer makes his American debut against five other sprinters.
Owned by Andy Bonarius and trained by Amy Weaver, the 5-year-old gelded
son of Rahy enters the Gravesend off a neck victory
in claiming race at Lingfield. The win was his sixth of the year from 15
starts, all sprinting, with three coming on turf and three over an all-weather
surface.
“The plan is to get him sold and for him to remain in America,”
said Weaver, 30, who will be saddling her first American starter as a trainer. “He’s
American-bred, and fetched $500,000 as a yearling. He handles dirt and Polytrack
well and we chose this spot hoping he will take to American racing.”
Mike Luzzi has the mount on Deerslayer, 20-1 on the morning line under
115 pounds, from post position 3.
Favored at 7-5 in the six-furlong race is Gold Square’s Rule by Night, the
119-pound highweight whose lone victory in 2011 came in the Duck Dance
overnight stakes at Belmont
Park on October 9. Most
recently fourth after setting the pace in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler going seven
furlongs, Rule by Night is 3-1-0 from five starts at Aqueduct, including a 9
`/4-length victory in the 2010 Groovy.
Rule by Night will have Junior Alvarado aboard from post position 4.
Fourth behind Rule by Night in the Duck Dance was This Ones for Phil,
who drew post position 5. The Duck Dance was the fourth start of the year for
the 5-year-old gelding, who returned from a 14-month layoff in May to win an
overnight stakes at Monmouth, after which he finished second in the Grade 2
True North Handicap presented by Emirates Airline at Belmont and sixth in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint
Handicap.
The Rick Dutrow, Jr. trainee was listed at 2-1 on the morning line and
will tote 118 pounds, including Jose Valdivia, Jr.
Frazil, who will be making his stakes debut in the Gravesend,
enters the race off a pair of starter handicap victories. Owned and trained by
Linda Rice, the 5-year-old gelding has fashioned a record of 5-3-1 from 11
starts at the Big A, all in starter handicap and allowance company.
Cornelio Velasquez rides Frazil, 6-1 on the morning line, from the
outside.
Drawing post position 2 and carrying 113 pounds is Susanne
Bobley’s Pretty Boy Freud, most recently third to Dr Disco in
Aqueduct’s Vodka overnight stakes on December 4. The 5-year-old New
York-bred gelding has one win in nine starts at the Big A, taking an optional
claimer in December, 2009.
David Cohen will ride Pretty Boy Freud, 5-1 on the morning line.
Completing the field is the well-traveled Escrow Kid, most recently fourth
in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap in his Aqueduct debut. Third in the
James Marvin and sixth in the Grade 1 Forego behind Jackson Bend at Saratoga, the City Place gelding,
8-1 on the morning line, will be ridden by Oliver Castillo from the rail.
The field for the $65,000 Gravesend Handicap:
|
PP
|
Horse
|
Jockey
|
Wgt
|
Trainer
|
Odds
|
|
1
|
Escrow Kid (FL)
|
O Castillo
|
116
|
C Doran
|
8-1
|
|
2
|
Pretty Boy Freud (NY)
|
D Cohen
|
113
|
L O'Brien
|
5-1
|
|
3
|
Deerslayer (KY)
|
M J Luzzi
|
115
|
A Weaver
|
20-1
|
|
4
|
Rule by Night (KY)
|
J Alvarado
|
119
|
S M Asmussen
|
7-5
|
|
5
|
This Ones for Phil (FL)
|
J Valdivia, Jr.
|
118
|
R E Dutrow, Jr.
|
2-1
|
|
6
|
Frazil (KY)
|
C H Velasquez
|
115
|
L Rice
|
6-1
|