Bank Frenzy on target for $250K Empire Classic

• Bank Frenzy on target for $250K Empire Classic
• Horsepower stretches out in Listed Artie Schiller
• Sand Pipes heading in the right direction before Listed Artie Schiller
• Ready for Candy on target for G2 Sands Point

LSU Stables’ multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Bank Frenzy breezed on Monday at Belmont Park in preparation for the state-bred $250,000 Empire Classic, a nine-furlong route for 3-year-olds and up, on October 25 at Belmont at the Big A.

Saturday, October 25 is the annual Empire Showcase Day card, which includes nine New York-bred stakes valued at $1.9 million in total purses. The card is highlighted by two nine-furlong events for 3-year-olds and up worth $250,000 in the Empire Classic and its counterpart, the Empire Distaff for fillies and mares. Empire Showcase Day will also include seven $200,000 stakes in the Sleepy Hollow, Maid of the Mist, Mohawk, Ticonderoga, Iroquois, Hudson and the inaugural running of the New York Turf Sprint Championship at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up. 

Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, Bank Frenzy completed a half-mile in 50.66 seconds over the dirt training track under the guidance of regular jockey Manny Franco, who has been aboard the gelding for his past three works at Belmont.

“He’s doing very good and we’re very happy with the way he’s coming along now,” Rodriguez said. “I was lucky enough that the owner gave me the chance to wait instead of going to Philadelphia or Charles Town. He’s been running all year, so a little freshening is good. Manny has been breezing him and he’s very happy with him.”

The 5-year-old Central Banker gelding was last seen finishing a flat fifth in the state-bred John Morrissey sprinting seven furlongs on July 31 at Saratoga Race Course, where he broke slowly and gave chase throughout, finishing 5 3/4 lengths back of the victorious Doc Sullivan. The Morrissey was Bank Frenzy’s first start at less than one mile since a neck second in the 6 1/2-furlong NYSSS Times Square in 2023 for trainer Lisa Lewis.

The consistent chestnut is 2-for-3 at the Empire Classic distance, his only loss a second in that event last year when he was away slowly and trailed 8 1/2 lengths back before making a steady rally. Two starts back, he took the nine-furlong Commentator on June 4 at Saratoga after a sharp break and a stalking trip, pouncing from second into the final turn and driving to a 1 1/4-length victory.

Rodriguez said a clean break is the key for Bank Frenzy, who has finished first or second in 8-of-10 outings for his conditioner.

“He’s got to break good,” Rodriguez said. “Last time [in the Empire Classic], we didn’t break that good and he had too much to do, but he still finished a very good second. Hopefully this time he breaks good, puts himself in a good position and takes it from there. He broke very good in the Commentator, and he’s a hard-knocking horse.”

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Bank Frenzy has put together a 19-9-5-0 record with just over $700,000 in total purse earnings. His stakes wins also include an open company score in this year’s Listed Stymie in March, and further state-bred success in last year’s Evan Shipman Handicap and Alex M. Robb, and this year’s Haynesfield.

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Horsepower stretches out in Listed Artie Schiller

D.J. Stable’s Horsepower will stretch out to one mile for the first time in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Artie Schiller, for 3-year-olds and up on the inner turf, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Joe Orseno, the 4-year-old Good Samaritan gelding enters from a rallying 1 3/4-length second to Simcoe last out in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Vigil on September 13 over the Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack. The effort, which represented Horsepower’s longest race to date, earned a career-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We’ve been progressively trying to get him to go a little farther. Last time I took him to Woodbine and he handled the seven-eighths perfectly,” Orseno said. “We tried to get him to rate and he rated fine. I need to handicap the race, but he might need to use some tactical speed in this race. I didn’t see a lot of speed, but I haven’t really gotten into it yet. He’ll do either: sit close or you can take him back.”

Three starts back, Horsepower won the Karl Boyes sprinting six furlongs over the Presque Isle Downs synthetic on July 4. Between that effort and the Vigil was a fourth in Colonial Downs’ 5 1/2-furlong Listed Van Clief over turf on August 9, landing two lengths back of the victorious Witty.

“I think as long as the turf is firm enough, he’ll be fine,” Orseno said. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t get a mile. The question is, turf versus Tapeta. He seems to run better on Tapeta, but he’s handled turf.”

Horsepower boasts a career record of 15-5-5-0 with $303,542 in earnings. Dylan Davis has the call from post 5.

Orseno also updated on Robert Cotran’s Aye Eye, a deep-closing debut winner in August at Saratoga Race Course who next posted a pair of off-the-board results in the Grade 1 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful at the Spa and Grade 1 Champagne on October 4 at Belmont at the Big A.

“After he broke his maiden, we put him in two ambitiously placed spots, just taking a shot and it didn’t work out. I’m going to give him a month in Ocala and give him a little turn out time, then bring him back to South Florida to prepare for a 3-year-old campaign,” Orseno said. “He’s doing great, he’s fine, we are just giving him some time off those two races to freshen his head up a little bit.”

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Sand Pipes heading in the right direction before Listed Artie Schiller

Stanley Bergman’s Sand Pipes has been on the improve ahead of his stakes debut in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Artie Schiller, a one-mile inner turf test for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Lindsay Schultz, the 4-year-old Summer Front bay brings two consecutive stalking wins traveling 1 1/16 miles at Monmouth Park. The latest score, which came by three lengths over High Beta on September 14, returned a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

Sand Pipes, who holds a 14-3-2-2 record with $135,563 in earnings, graduated fifth-out last October when elevated to first at Laurel Park. His recent two wins, both under returning rider Samuel Marin, are the only times he has crossed the wire first.

“There are some real horses in here and it is a tough spot,” Schultz said. “But he is obviously coming into it in good form, and he is ready to take the next step. The horse is doing great, and we are looking forward to running him.”

Schultz said Sand Pipes has come into his own as a 4-year-old.

“He broke his maiden about a year ago, he was first by DQ, he had never crossed the wire first until the ‘1-X’ in August at Monmouth, which helps because he is getting some confidence now,” Schultz said. “Samuel Marin has also been riding with a lot of confidence. He’s getting him out of the gate and into position. This horse has had some troubled trips, but the last two, he has been kept forward in a good spot.”

Sand Pipes has relished a closer-up trip under Marin, who will look to engineer another winning run from post 3.

“He’s been giving him a good warm-up before the race and trying to get him to run out of there a little bit,” Schultz said. “For whatever reason, he previously wasn’t breaking well and he was getting stuck in these terrible spots. He’d come running, but there isn’t always enough time to get up.”

Schultz and Marin will look to return to the success of Choctaw Racing Stable’s 2-year-old filly Newtown Pike, who closed to win her six-furlong debut by a nose on October 5 here at odds of 26-1. The winning effort earned a 60 Beyer.

“I’m not sure what is next for her, I’ll probably give her some time before her next, start whether it be Kentucky or Oaklawn, I’m not sure,” Schultz said. “This filly has worked well, obviously she was a little green in her start, but Sam did a great job and that was impressive that when she finally figured it out, she ran by them.”

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Ready for Candy on target for G2 Sands Point

Lindy Farms’ Ready for Candy provided trainer Philip Antonacci with his first graded stakes victory in the Grade 3, $175,000 Winter Memories on September 20 at Belmont at the Big A, and will look to keep the graded success rolling in the Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point, a nine-furlong turf route for sophomore fillies, on October 18 here.

The Twirling Candy dark bay stalked and pounced to a nose victory in the one-mile Winter Memories, remaining perfect through two starts for Antonacci after graduating by 7 3/4-lengths with a pacesetting romp in a nine-furlong maiden in August at Saratoga Race Course. She placed in three Woodbine stakes from seven outings as a maiden last year for trainer Mike DePaulo, and joined the Antonacci barn after being purchased for $400,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale.

Antonacci said he likes what he’s seen from the Ontario-bred since her determined graded stakes breakthrough.

“She’s doing well and feeling good, so we’re pointing for the Sands Point,” Antonacci said. “She’ll work Saturday – she had a tough race, so we just gave her a little extra time in between to breeze her back. She’s feeling really good and is ready to breeze, so we’ve just got to keep her on the ground.”

Bred by Mark Dodson, Ready for Candy is out of the stakes-placed More Than Ready mare Enoree, a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Grand Bili and dual stakes-placed Conquest City Girl.