Aqueduct: Wednesday, April 15

[Teach]

I've already begun studying Wednesday's Pick-6. At post time, the carryover should be in excess of 60k. What can make this both so exciting and so frustrating is that one or two right steps can lead to serious do-re-mi; one misstep and it's all over. Only so many "bullets" in the bandolero.

Preliminarily:

Race Four: Three (3) horses: The logical gelding; the outside gelding and the longshot gelding.

Race Five: (1) I'm tempted to "single" the horse from "Across The Pond".

Race Six: Two (2) horses: The alliterative ones.

Race Seven: (1) A likely single: The Hallandale Invader

Race Eight: (2) The Entry and "A Bomb".

Race Nine: Two (2) "The Money Burner" and board-less "The First-Time Turf Starter".

$48

[Teach]

Race One:

:6: Campion Lane, a 4-year-old Forty Niner-bred, was vastly overmatched in the non-graded More To Tell Stakes a few weeks ago; in that one, the gelding finished eighth in a field of nine. After a respite, his trainer, Naipaul Chatterpaul, has now entered him in a more reasonable lower-level claimer, non-winners of two. This turn-back to seven and one-half panels should enhance the horse’s chances. In the fall of 2014, this gelding won his only race at a mile and was third in a seven furlong sprint. In both races he faced better. Any residual moisture would help this Lord Avie-bred. The switch to jockey Angel Arroyo should also help. Although this gelding is only one for 23, lifetime, he has hit the tote in ten of 23 attempts. The gelding has also hit the board in three of four tries at the distance. Finally, this Utopia-bred has a good Aqueduct record.


Others: :4: Two Seventeen; :5: Sunrise Lover

Race Two:

:6: True Bet gets a change to one of the jockey colony’s leading riders, the Puerto Rican-born jinete, Irad Ortiz, Jr. This Yes It’s True-bred’s last race looked for just a fleeting second as if it were going to be a maiden-breaking one. However, as the field made their way into the stretch, this colt failed to sustain his bid; he ended up finishing third. During that stretch drive (head on) this colt drifted two or three paths to his outside (that may well have contributed to his third-place finish). In fact, he even herded and slightly bumped the eventual winner, a longshot, Candid Desire. IF the colt’s connections can iron out his meandering ways, this 3-year-old can prevail. The aforementioned Irad Ortiz, Jr. is in the irons. Trainer Mike Dilger is good with dirt and sprint starts.

Others: :2: White Rock; :3: Dean Verdile

Race Three:

:5: Spark won at first asking in late January in a 5 and ½ furlong sprint at Florida’s Gulfstream Park. This Gone West-bred filly came back about a month and a half later (mid-March) in the non-graded 75k Any Limit Stakes sprint; however, this 3-year-old got caught up, out of the gate, in an early, blistering (:22) speed duel. The filly was taken back (:46), but, by then, she had expended a good deal of energy. This Speightstown-bred ended up four wide turning into the stretch and had little in “the gas tank” for a closing effort. She faded in the stretch and finished next to last in a seven-horse field. This filly is now in with the kind she can and should handle. This distaffer had a recent exceptional four-panel “bullet” work, :48, breezing. The filly dons blinkers for the first time. Jimmy Jerkens trains. Trainer Jerkens is good with both allowance races and shippers. Luis Saez retains the call.

Others: :1: Court Dancer; :4: Bossy Saratoga;

Race Four:

:7: Polar Axis drops out of the maiden-special classification and into the “selling” ranks. In early March, this City Zip-bred gelding could do little in a start on a muddy track in maiden-special company. The gelding may well improve with blinkers on. He should also find a drier track surface to his liking. There’s a jockey switch to Manny Franco. Trainer Joe Orseno is good with horses moving down from maiden and stakes company to maiden-claimers.

Others: :1: David Rocks; :4: Fit To Keep; :8: Thirty Percent

Race Five:

:7: Blacktype makes his third turf start here in America; he has finished fifth and, more recently, third. Will this 4-year-old’s third try on the fescue prove the charm? It’s possible that there may be residual moisture from Tuesday morning’s rains; if so, that would help. A couple notes of caution: First. this Dunkerque-bred hasn’t raced in over five months and, two, his only two wins have come on the dirt. Yet the horse’s trainer, Christophe Clement, is good with (1) beaten favorites, (2) turf starts, and (3) horses coming off a layoff. Irad Ortiz, Jr. reprises the ride.

Others: :3: Smooth Daddy; :6: Barrel of Love; :8: Bad Hombre

Race Six:

:10: Thunder Thief did absolutely nothing in a maiden-special over three months ago. In fact, this Distorted Humor-bred colt stumbled at the start in his last, thus compromising any chance of his hitting the tote. The colt now drops back into the selling ranks. This colt may well avoid any traffic jams from his outside post in this large-field maiden-claimer. Speaking of maiden-claimers, the colt’s trainer, David Jacobson, is very good when training horses going from maiden-specials to maiden- claimers. Jacobson also does well with horses making their second start after a claim. Cornelio Velasquez is in the irons.

Others: :2: Suspicious Mind; :1: Bold Over

Race Seven:

:1: Social Affair was last seen on the racetrack in mid-February in a 50k turf route, non-winners of two, at Gulfstream. The Giant’s Causeway-bred colt languished at the back of the pack in that one amid some pedestrian upfront fractions: :24, then :50… The 4-year-old had little pace to run into as the slow early fractions took little out of the front runners. This Seeking The Gold-bred was angled out to mount a closing stretch charge; however, by then, it was too little too late. The colt ended up finishing seventh. Well, this colt has been on the bench now for nearly two months, yet he did have a “recent-decent” morning work. A couple thoughts: (1) Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will need to keep this colt closer to the pace if the colt has any chance of winning and (2) this Storm Cat-bred cannot be allowed to run out of real estate; it appears that he may want to go longer. Timing the winning move will be everything. “Shug” McGaughey trains. McGaughey does well with horses that have been on the shelf for a while.

Others: :5: Artie Crasher; :2: Day Six; :8: Retire Fifty Five

Race Eight:

:4: Trail Walker drops out of the optional claiming ranks and into a straight 25k claimer. This Lambeth Walk-bred (“Doin’ The Lambeth Walk, ‘Oi’”) mare has been on the bench since the day after Christmas, 2014. That lengthy hiatus does bring cause for concern. Yet, class-wise, if reasonably ready, this distaffer needs to be included in the equation. The most capable Abigail Adsit is the mare’s conditioner. Trainer Adsit is very good with horses making their first start with a trainer; she also does well with claiming races. A “recent-decent” four-panel morning work signals readiness. Jockey Fernando Jara reprises the ride.

Others: :1: / :1a: Pure Vida Zen; Liberty Fuze; :6: Tarty To the Party; :7: My Donna Jean

Race Nine:

:4: Spicy Sider’s last race was “a throw-away,” save for the fact that this Giant’s Causeway-bred colt (solid turf pedigree) got some exercise and some experience on the racetrack. In that only start, this 3-year-old “lunged” (actually reared in the gate and then brushed the gate) at the gates opened. Not exactly what you wanted to happen in a 5 and ½ furlong sprint. As the field moved into the stretch, this colt ended up wide; yet he showed some run. Yet he was too far back as a result of his early troubles to contend. I’ll call that race “a mulligan” and see if this Scarlet Ibis-bred can show off his stuff on what I believe will be his favorite surface, the turf. Trainer Andrew Lakeman doesn’t saddle many horses, but of the three he has, two have won. Trainer Lakeman does reasonably well, albeit with a small sample, with horses in their first route. Jockey “Izzy” Rodriguez is in the irons.

Others: :6: Hushhushmushmush, :2: Crescent Street; :7: Yourthekingjimmy;