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Castle Chaos returns to New York for $150K Stymie

by Keith McCalmont

Castle Chaos will ship back to New York in search of an elusive stakes score in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Stymie, a one-turn mile for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Stymie is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s lucrative 10-race card which also features the Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool Handicap in Race 9; the Listed $150,000 Busher in Race 7, offering 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points; and the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham in Race 10, which offers 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

Sanford J. Goldfarb, Nice Guys Stables and Beast Mode Racing’s Castle Chaos [post 6, Dylan Davis, 118 pounds] enters from a narrow nose defeat to Tumbarumba in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper on January 27 at Gulfstream Park.

“It was a great race and it's tough to be disappointed - he ran his heart out to just get beat that day,” said trainer Robert Falcone, Jr. “He came back good and we'll move on from there.”

The 6-year-old Palace Malice gelding has stepped up his game considerably in his last three outings, all in one-turn mile events at long odds, which garnered lofty Beyer Speed Figures.

He earned a 96 Beyer for a one-turn mile optional-claiming win here at 10-1 in November ahead of a distant third [94] in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap at the Big A in December at 32-1 when one spot behind recent Group 1 Saudi Cup-winner Senor Buscador. Last out, he registered a career-best 97 Beyer after a troubled start and wide trip in the one-mile Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper when leaving the gate at 27-1 odds.

“He tries every time. I don't fault him on his odds,” Falcone, Jr. said. “In the Cigar Mile, we were taking a shot in there and he'd never been up against those types of horses - it was a class test.

“In Florida, it seems a lot of people bet trainer stats and a lot of people left him alone a little bit because of my stats, so I wouldn't blame that on him,” added Falcone, Jr., with a laugh. “We took two tough beats that day [Royal Dame lost by a nose] and that's probably why he drifted up more than he should have.”

Castle Chaos, who was haltered for $75,000 out of a runner-up effort in September 2021 at Saratoga Race Course, won a six-furlong sprint at Monmouth Park in June to kick off last year’s campaign. He nearly notched a 36-1 upset two starts later at Saratoga when rallying from last-of-8 to miss by a neck in a seven-furlong optional-claiming sprint and followed with another closing effort to finish third in September here traveling 6 1/2-furlongs.

“We always had that vision that he would be a one-turn mile horse, but never got the opportunity to try it,” Falcone, Jr. said. “At Saratoga going seven he came flying and just got beat. We finally got the opportunity to try it back at Aqueduct [in November] and he proved us right.”

Although cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile, Falcone, Jr. confirmed that Castle Chaos, who worked a half-mile in 51.35 seconds Friday over the Palm Meadows Training Center dirt, will race at Aqueduct.

Castle Chaos, who has banked $308,660 through a 14-3-4-4 record, is out of the winning Flatter mare Queen Victoria, who is a half-sister to stakes-placed Queen Camilla.

Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. holds a strong hand in graded stakes-winner Petulante [post 8, Manny Franco, 124 pounds] and graded stakes-placed Kinetic Sky [post 1, Jose Lezcano, 120 pounds].

Lugamo Racing Stable’s Petulante put together a record of 6-4-2-0 for trainer Victor Barboza, Jr. led by a last-out score in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in June at Monmouth Park.

The 5-year-old Arrogate grey, out of the graded stakes-placed Uncle Mo mare Auntjenn, was scratched out of a Friday allowance here. He has breezed extensively over the Belmont Park dirt training track for Dutrow, Jr., including a half-mile breeze Sunday in 50.25 seconds.

Sanford Goldfarb, Alan Kahn, David Tanzman and Steven Speranza’s Kinetic Sky has banked $516,268 through a 26-6-8-7 ledger. The 6-year-old Runhappy horse was haltered for $62,500 in April here and has since posted a 7-2-2-2 record for his current connections.

He has made his last two outings in stakes company at the Big A, finishing third in both the nine-furlong Queens County in December and the seven-furlong Grade 3 Toboggan on February 3.

Built Wright Stables’ Double Crown [post 3, Abel Cedillo, 122 pounds] made the grade with a 42-1 upset in the 2022 Grade 2 Kelso Handicap traveling a one-turn mile at the Big A.

Trained by Raymond Ginter, Jr., the 7-year-old Bourbon Courage gelding has won 3 of 22 starts since, scoring 1 1/16-mile stakes wins in the Polynesian in September at Pimlico Race Course and the Robert T. Manfuso in December at Laurel Park.

The well-traveled bay enters from a narrow nose defeat to It’s Sizzling Time in the nine-furlong John B. Campbell on February 17 at Laurel. He has banked $862,685 through a 46-9-11-5 record.

Multiple stakes-winner Coastal Mission [post 4, Arnaldo Bocachica, 122 pounds], a last-out fifth in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap, returns to New York for owner-trainer Jeff Runco.

The 5-year-old Great Notion gelding boasts an ultra-consistent record of 17-11-3-1 for purse earnings of $586,653 topped by scores last year at Charles Town in the Confucius Say and West Virginia Breeders’ Classic against fellow state-breds and the Russell Road against open company.

Coastal Mission, a full-brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Lewisfield, is out of the Crowd Pleaser mare Smart Crowd, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Duckhorn.

Rounding out the field are the David Jacobson-trained duo of stakes-placed Quality Chic [post 7, Ramon Vazquez, 120 pounds] and three-time winner Laughing Boy [post 2, Florent Geroux, 122 pounds]; as well as two-time winner Iron Works [post 5, Madison Olver, 118 pounds] for trainer Chandradat Goberdhan.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.