Francesca LeDonne Photo

Chapalu looks to stroll in the Central Park

by NYRA Press Office

Trainer Arnaud Delacour's graded stakes winner Chapalu will headline a full field for the second running of the $100,000 Central Park, one of three stakes races on Thanksgiving Day at the Big A.

A 1 1/16-mile turf event for 2-year-olds, the Central Park will be joined on Thursday's nine-race program by the Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap for older dirt sprinters and the Winter Memories Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf.

Owned by Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson, Chapalu will attempt to pick up his third straight victory in the Central Park. Since finishing second in his debut, going 5 ½ furlongs on turf on August 1 at Laurel Park, the Flatter colt has rattled off back-to-back wins, including a dominant, 3 ¾-length maiden score over the Keeneland turf on October 6.

In his most recent start, the bay colt shipped to Canada for the Grade 3, 1 1/16-mile Grey and successfully transferred his form to Woodbine's Tapeta main track, hanging

on to prevail by a half-length after getting loose on the lead.

In his return to the lawn, Chapalu will be ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano and the duo will depart from post 9.

Coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish as the favorite in the Sleepy Hollow at Belmont, New York-bred City Man will look to rebound with a switch to grass racing. The Christophe Clement trainee broke his maiden in an off-the-turf event at Saratoga in early summer and has raced exclusively on dirt through four career starts, with a win in the Funny Cide and close third-place finish in the Bertram Bongard also on his resume.

"City Man is a dirt horse, but in his last two races he didn't quite finish his races on dirt as well as he should," said Clement. "We took him on the infield turf at Belmont and he trained very well over it. I think it's a fun race to try him. He had a very good work the other day with Joel [Rosario], so let's try him on the grass and see what happens."

Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Peter and Patty Searles, City Man will break from the inside post with regular rider Joel Rosario aboard.

Trainer Mark Casse will saddle stretch-out sprinter Old Chestnut for Live Oak Plantation. The Speightstown colt was a revelation on the Woodbine turf over the summer with two authoritative, gate-to-wire wins going five furlongs, first in a maiden race on August 9 and then again in the Ontario Racing Stakes for an encore. After a dull effort in the Indian Summer at Keeneland, the Florida-bred chestnut showed renewed signs of life over the local course in the six-furlong Atlantic Beach on November 9 at the Big A, rallying from the back of the pack after some traffic trouble to get fifth. He will be ridden in the Central Park by Hall of Famer John Velazquez from post 2.

Mr. Kringle will also make an appearance on Thanksgiving Day to tackle winners for the first time for trainer John Terranova and owners That's Amore Stable, Michael McMahon, and Bob Weeks. The New York-bred son of Shakin It Up is coming off a handy win on November 14 at the Big A in which he defeated fellow statebreds by 1 ¾ lengths going 1 1/16 miles on turf.

"He's doing well and he's a big, strong colt and he did it easy last time," said Terranova. "I was pretty impressed with how he came out of the race and trained on. We're looking to put him in there and see how he does."

Mr. Kringle will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche from post 11.

Rounding out the field are Pixelate [Jose Lezcano, post 12], who was narrowly beaten in the Awad at Belmont in his last start; Get Smokin [Jose Ortiz, post 10], an impressive maiden winner at Belmont on September 18 who subsequently finished 10th in the Awad at Belmont after chasing the pace; Vanzzy [Angel Rodriguez, post 3] and Ashraq [Mychel Sanchez, post 5], who will both try turf for the first time for trainer Michael Pino; Fair Haired Boy [Irad Ortiz, Jr., post 4], fifth in the Laurel Futurity last out; Mo Ready [Luis Saez, post 6], a New York-bred who broke his maiden at the Spa in his most recent start; Homeland [Junior Alvarado, post 7], a debut winner for trainer Bill Mott making his second career start; and Stanhope [Dylan Davis, post 8], who broke his maiden at the Big A earlier in the meet.