So you think the horse racing season is over after last weekend’s spectacular Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar? Not so fast.
There is plenty of racing action left on the calendar around the country. Aqueduct jumps right into the breech with three graded stakes on Saturday, topped by the $300,000 Mother Goose (G2) for 3-year-old fillies.
With the $250,000 Long Island Stakes (G3) and the $200,000 Hill Prince Stakes (G3) on the menu, racing fans have plenty to chew on in the Breeders’ Cup aftermath.
Drexel Hill is the genuine star in the Mother Goose, following her late running second to Good Cheer in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).
The problem is that it was six months ago. She has been sidelined since then with what trainer Whit Beckman called a “very small flake removed from her knee.
“She came back very quickly and seems to be stronger than ever. She has been off for quite a while. Coming back at a mile-and-and-eighth at Aqueduct is no easy task.”
Fair point, but it is still hard to overlook her obvious class in outrunning her odds of 32-1 in the Kentucky Oaks.
“That was an amazing effort,” Beckman said. “The pace wasn’t really firm that day. We were farther back than we wanted to be. We are assuming that when she comes back, she doesn’t want to keep herself so far back.”
If the layoff is your concern, Ourdaydreaminggirl might be more to your liking. She was a rallying third most recently in the Cotillion Stakes (G1) on the Pennsylvania Derby undercard, beaten only a neck at 42-1.
We freely confess here that we are not big fans of translating Parx Racing form to the Big A.
Ourdaydreaminggirl did take a crack at an Aqueduct stakes last winter, finishing second by 10 lengths in the Ruthless Stakes at 7 furlongs for trainer Louis Linder, Jr.
We are more intrigued by So There She Was, who has traveled a long way for California-based trainer Doug O’Neill.
So There She Was, arriving in good form, having captured the Remington Park Oaks in her latest effort.
After our round of Duck Duck Mother Goose, it’s time to make our selections:
The field for the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes (G2), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
Weather permitting, we’re on the turf for the Long Island for fillies and mares and the Hill Prince for 3-year-olds.
Beach Bomb fits the profile at 1 3/8 miles with a pair of solid Aqueduct efforts this year at this distance. The 5-year-old bred in South Africa was a tough-luck loser by a neck in a rallying effort most recently in the Waya Stakes (G3).
She was much closer to the pace in another second-place finish in the Sheepshead Bay (G3) in May.
While Beach Bomb did log a pair of Grade 3 victories at Gulfstream Park in the Very One and the Orchid Stakes, her finest moment this year was a runner-up effort in the New York Stakes (G1) at Saratoga to She Feels Pretty, who was second last weekend in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
On the topic of the Breeders’ Cup, Way to Be Marie was pre-entered in that BC Filly & Mare Turf but wound up on the also-eligible list. That clinched the decision to run here for trainer Rob Atras.
While Beach Bomb is a proven commodity at this distance, Way to Be Marie is stretching out. She rallied for second in the Ladies Marathon (G3) at 1 5/16 miles at Kentucky Downs, her longest race to date.
Atras feels the added distance will work to her advantage.
“This distance was a main reason to go to this spot,” Atras said.
Amber Cascade was a solid second at Saratoga in the Flower Bowl Stakes (G2). That earned her a trip to California for the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G2), where she disappointed by running fifth as the 9-5 favorite at Santa Anita. The class drop makes her a player on the New York return.
The field for the $250,000 Long Island Stakes (G3), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
Also-eligibles
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott might have another star in the barn as Stars and Strides steps up to a graded stakes for the first time in the Hill Prince.
The colt is well rested, last seen winning the Saranac Stakes at Saratoga on Sept. 1. That improved his record to three wins in four starts, including a perfect 2-for-2 since switching to the turf.
Noble Confessor has run three times over the Aqueduct course and finished second all three times. The most recent try came in the Jockey Club Derby Invitational (G2), one of his best career efforts.
The class drop, combined with the blinkers being added by trainer Todd Pletcher, makes him a player here.
Soleil Volant rallied to win the Kent Stakes at Delaware Park most recently. This will be a tougher challenge.
The field for the $200,000 Hill Prince Stakes (G3), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
