At the Gate - Friday
By Mike Dempsey
With field size already a challenge at the inner meeting at Aqueduct, the New York racing Association is now banning horses form shipping in from Finger Lakes.
A horse was discovered to have strangers, which is a high contagious fatal respiratory illness. Dr. Anthony Verderosa, NYRA’s chief examining veterinarian, told The Daily Racing Form “a strangles quarantine lasts 14 days, but they haven’t started counting yet because they still have active cases. As soon as they don’t have any more active cases – which means fever and symptomatic horses – then they’ll start counting.”
For Friday’s card that means the Michael Ferraro trained Smitten by Gold will have to scratch out of the third place, reducing the field to five, with four betting interests. We have already seen three four-horse fields at the meeting.
Saturday’s card could be affected, as it appears that six or seven runners that are entered are based at Finger Lakes.
We will not have to worry about short fields on opening day at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. There are 142 horse entered on the 10 race card which features the Claiming Crown with $1 million up for grabs.
Here is today’s opening race from Aqueduct to get the day off to a good start:
AQU Race 1 Clm $20,000N3L (12:20 ET)
4 Bigger Picture 5-2
6 Gaining Ground 5-1
1 Solly's Mischief / 1a Hudson Miracle 2-1
5 Born in Brooklyn 3-1
Analysis: Bigger Picture made a mild late rally to finish fourth last out as the beaten favorite against $35,000 non-winners of three on the turf. He has a second and a third in his two trips on dirt and broke his maiden over poly at Turfway Park back in January. The Rice barn is 26% winners moving runners from turf to dirt.
Gaining Ground stretches out to a route after checking in fifth last out going 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track here against $35,000 non-winners of three. The winner, third and fourth place finishers all exited that brace to win next out. He should be forwardly placed in a race without much early speed signed up. Decent value if he goes off near his 5-1 morning line.
Wagering
WIN: #4 to win at 2-1 or better.
EX: 4,6 / 1,4,5,6
TRI: 4,6 / 1,4,5,6 / 1,2,4,5,6
Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Aqueduct:
AQU Race 8 OClm $40,000N2X (3:43 ET)
11 Quick Money 4-1
10 Leilani's Ticket 6-1
8 Longfor the City 12-1
4 N.F.'s Destiny 9-2
Analysis: Quick Money set the early fractions, opened up a clear lead and was nailed late, missing by a neck against $17,500 claimers. The gelding was claimed out of the race by the RRod barn that is 29% winners (with a +ROI) first off the claim. He steps up in class but has beaten tougher than these and loves the inner track, landing in the money in 10 of 16 trips over the surface.
Leilani's Ticket tracked the early pace and drifted out inside the final furlong in a runner up finish last out at this level. The colt was claimed out of his last outing by the Contessa barn that is 9% winners first off the claim. The colt has three runners up finishes in five trips on the inner track and does have a habit of landing for minor shares. Decent value if he goes off near his 6-1 morning line.
Wagering
WIN: #11 to win at 3-1 or better.
EX: 10,11 / 4,8,10,11
TRI: 10,11 / 4,8,10,11 / 1,4,8,10,11
Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.
Aqueduct
R2: #2 Shewreckstheplace 8-1
R4: #3 Culminating 8-1
R5: #2 Pra Vida Zen 8-1
R6: #4 Rock On Chacho 10-1
R6: #2 Manofire 12-1
R8: #8 Longfor the City 12-1
R9: #4 Jackson N Leonard 12-1
Good luck today!
By Mike Dempsey
With field size already a challenge at the inner meeting at Aqueduct, the New York racing Association is now banning horses form shipping in from Finger Lakes.
A horse was discovered to have strangers, which is a high contagious fatal respiratory illness. Dr. Anthony Verderosa, NYRA’s chief examining veterinarian, told The Daily Racing Form “a strangles quarantine lasts 14 days, but they haven’t started counting yet because they still have active cases. As soon as they don’t have any more active cases – which means fever and symptomatic horses – then they’ll start counting.”
For Friday’s card that means the Michael Ferraro trained Smitten by Gold will have to scratch out of the third place, reducing the field to five, with four betting interests. We have already seen three four-horse fields at the meeting.
Saturday’s card could be affected, as it appears that six or seven runners that are entered are based at Finger Lakes.
We will not have to worry about short fields on opening day at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. There are 142 horse entered on the 10 race card which features the Claiming Crown with $1 million up for grabs.
Here is today’s opening race from Aqueduct to get the day off to a good start:
AQU Race 1 Clm $20,000N3L (12:20 ET)
4 Bigger Picture 5-2
6 Gaining Ground 5-1
1 Solly's Mischief / 1a Hudson Miracle 2-1
5 Born in Brooklyn 3-1
Analysis: Bigger Picture made a mild late rally to finish fourth last out as the beaten favorite against $35,000 non-winners of three on the turf. He has a second and a third in his two trips on dirt and broke his maiden over poly at Turfway Park back in January. The Rice barn is 26% winners moving runners from turf to dirt.
Gaining Ground stretches out to a route after checking in fifth last out going 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track here against $35,000 non-winners of three. The winner, third and fourth place finishers all exited that brace to win next out. He should be forwardly placed in a race without much early speed signed up. Decent value if he goes off near his 5-1 morning line.
Wagering
WIN: #4 to win at 2-1 or better.
EX: 4,6 / 1,4,5,6
TRI: 4,6 / 1,4,5,6 / 1,2,4,5,6
Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Aqueduct:
AQU Race 8 OClm $40,000N2X (3:43 ET)
11 Quick Money 4-1
10 Leilani's Ticket 6-1
8 Longfor the City 12-1
4 N.F.'s Destiny 9-2
Analysis: Quick Money set the early fractions, opened up a clear lead and was nailed late, missing by a neck against $17,500 claimers. The gelding was claimed out of the race by the RRod barn that is 29% winners (with a +ROI) first off the claim. He steps up in class but has beaten tougher than these and loves the inner track, landing in the money in 10 of 16 trips over the surface.
Leilani's Ticket tracked the early pace and drifted out inside the final furlong in a runner up finish last out at this level. The colt was claimed out of his last outing by the Contessa barn that is 9% winners first off the claim. The colt has three runners up finishes in five trips on the inner track and does have a habit of landing for minor shares. Decent value if he goes off near his 6-1 morning line.
Wagering
WIN: #11 to win at 3-1 or better.
EX: 10,11 / 4,8,10,11
TRI: 10,11 / 4,8,10,11 / 1,4,8,10,11
Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.
Aqueduct
R2: #2 Shewreckstheplace 8-1
R4: #3 Culminating 8-1
R5: #2 Pra Vida Zen 8-1
R6: #4 Rock On Chacho 10-1
R6: #2 Manofire 12-1
R8: #8 Longfor the City 12-1
R9: #4 Jackson N Leonard 12-1
Good luck today!
