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Constitutionlawyer primed for G3 Withers; GoFundMe launched for Jose Mejia

by NYRA Press Office

• Constitutionlawyer primed for G3 Withers; GoFundMe launched for Jose Mejia
• Cooke Creek goes back to two turns for G3 Withers
• Smarten Up to be more forwardly placed in G3 Withers
• Geno remains on target for $100K Gander
• Orpen Horses sees early success with trainer O’Dwyer

Trainer Ray Handal will be in search of his first graded stakes win when he saddles Perrine Time Thoroughbreds and West Paces Racing's Constitutionlawyer in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Withers at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Constitution colt enters the nine-furlong test for sophomores, which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, from an impressive gate-to-wire maiden score under Dylan Davis in a race contested at the Withers distance over a muddy and sealed main track on January 2 at the Big A.

The $170,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase kept good company in his first two outings, overcoming slow starts to finish fourth on debut traveling 1 1/16-miles at Belmont Park in a race won by eventual Grade 2 Remsen winner Mo Donegal. He followed with a third-place effort on December 2 at the Big A, finishing within 3 1/2-lengths of Jerome-winner and Withers rival Courvoisier.

Handal said he schooled Constitutionlawyer at the gate multiple times to prepare for his recent front-running triumph from post 1 and has followed that method into Saturday's test where the colt will again exit the inside post under new rider Jose Lezcano.

"I had really been schooling him. He missed the break in his first start and I thought it was just a young horse thing because he broke and then was a little hesitant," Handal said. "In his second start, he did the same thing and was hesitant and got himself shuffled back. So, I did a lot of schooling with him and three days out from the race, I popped him out of the gate and broke him out and went one furlong with him as a refresher and he really sharpened up.

"Since the last race he's matured a lot mentally. He might have just been doing it on talent at the beginning, but after winning I think he's realized what his job is and the proverbial light has come on," Handal added. "He's a little more aggressive in the morning and is willing to do whatever we ask him to. We're excited about Saturday but we drew the one post again, so I took him back to the gate yesterday and popped him out again to make sure he had his mind on racing and he came out real good."

Handal said he expects a forward trip for Constitutionlawyer in an 11-horse Withers field that includes potential speed threats in the Chad Brown-trained Early Voting as well as Courvoisier.

"We need to come out of there running because I don't want to be getting caught in traffic from the one-hole in a big field going two turns. We'll use a little gas up early and see where the dust settles and go from there," Handal said.

Although focused on preparing his Derby hopeful for Saturday's test, Handal noted his thoughts are with his longtime assistant Jose Mejia, who incurred multiple injuries during a training accident Sunday at Turfway Park.

Handal’s traveling assistant was unseated from his mount who stumbled and landed on top of him, causing the 33-year-old Mejia to incur 10 broken ribs and four broken vertebrae. 

Handal said Mejia has undergone surgery but currently has no feeling below his ribcage. 

"He's a great guy and has given us so much. He's like a brother to me," Handal said. "He's been with me since I started training about six years ago. He's the first rider I hired when I started. He's a tough guy and no matter what he's always going to be a part of the Handal racing team."

In addition to assistance from The Jockey Club's Safety Net Foundation, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist with Mejia's recovery. The GoFundMe page can be found at https://gofund.me/e7043f0a.

Handal said he is also forming plans with some of his owners for an online auction to raise further funds for Mejia.

"Jose has been so important to the barn and has put so much into the horses that race for us. It's good to see people coming together to help," Handal said.

Handal will also be represented in Saturday’s opening race - a seven-furlong sprint for state-bred sophomore fillies - by first-time starter Menily, who will exit post 3 under Jalon Samuel.

A dark bay daughter of Malibu Moon out of the Empire Maker mare Comme Chez Moi, Menily breezed in company with maiden winner Mischievous Diane on January 13, covering a half-mile over the Belmont dirt training track in 48.50 seconds.

"She's a big, rangy type of filly and she's shown a bit of talent in the morning," Handal said. "I gave her a real strong one with Mischievous Diane, who broke her maiden pretty impressively. Mischievous Diane outworked her that day but she was only just outworking her, so it gives me confidence this filly will run pretty well."

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Cooke Creek goes back to two turns for G3 Withers

Cheyenne Stable’s Cooke Creek will return to two turns following a pair of stakes-placed efforts at a one-turn mile when he breaks from the outermost post 11 in Saturday’s nine-furlong Grade 3, $250,000 Withers.

The Withers, which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, will be the Jeremiah O’Dwyer-trained son of Uncle Mo’s first start going two turns since capturing the one-mile Rocky Run on October 16 at Delaware Park. 

In the Rocky Run, which was contested over a fast and sealed main track, Cooke Creek was a close fourth while in the clear into the first turn and made an aggressive bid around the far turn. In command in upper stretch, he fended off a late rally from favorite Affable Monarch to win by a half-length. 

Cooke Creek cut back to a one-turn mile in his last two starts, finishing second in the Grade 3 Nashua on November 7 at Belmont Park, ahead of an even third in the Jerome over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track on New Year’s Day. 

“Hopefully the two turns is a difference maker,” said Everett Dobson of Cheyenne Stable. “The mile-and-an-eighth distance is equally as important. He didn’t take to the slop in his last start and wasn’t getting over it quite as well as we had hoped. He is a two-turn type of horse.”

Dobson said he wants to see his horse secure a stalking position.

“Coming from the outside, we can’t pull back and make one run. We’ll have to get into position early,” Dobson said. “Going this distance, the jockeys should be pretty conservative, so we’ll see what happens. It looks like there’s a few horses in the race that might show some speed.”

Bred in Kentucky by Dobson’s Candy Meadows, Cooke Creek is out of the dual stakes-winning Bernardini mare Genre, who captured the 2016 Lady Jacqueline at Thistledown going ten furlongs and finished third in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster at Keeneland. 

“Genre won a stakes going a mile and a quarter,” Dobson said. “This one is a good combination of Uncle Mo and her. He’s a big, stretchy colt and he should be capable of running all day.”

Cooke Creek will be piloted by return rider Manny Franco, who rode the colt in both of his New York efforts.

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Smarten Up to be more forwardly placed in G3 Withers

Trainer Alfredo Velazquez said Happy Tenth Stable’s Smarten Up will likely display stalking tactics as he returns to Aqueduct Racetrack for Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers. The nine-furlong test for sophomores offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Smarten Up handled his stakes debut with aplomb in the Jerome on January 1, launching a furious bid in the final furlong to finish second at 21-1 odds. The chestnut son of American Freedom picked up four points toward the Kentucky Derby in the Jerome, which was won by returning rival Courvoisier. 

Smarten Up captured his maiden victory at third asking going one mile and 70 yards around two turns in November at Parx. A close second only a half-length off the pace down the backstretch, Smarten Up was never in doubt in the stretch romping home to a nine-length score. 

Velazquez said he would prefer to see his horse more forwardly-placed Saturday.

“This time, I think we’re in a good position,” Velazquez said. “We need to keep position going into the first turn about three-or-four lengths off the pace, so we’ll be a little closer to the front this time. He has speed, so we hope to be close and take it from there.”

Smarten Up worked a five-furlong bullet at Parx in 1:00.54 on January 28. 

“I put him in company because I wanted a good work,” Velazquez said. “We had to miss some days of training because of the weather, so we wanted to push him a little bit. It was a good work and he’s feeling good.”

Smarten Up, a $50,000 purchase from the 2021 OBS April Sale, is out of the stakes-winning Smarty Jones mare Sarah Cataldo, whose first progeny Tiger Blood was a stakes-winner who earned over a half-million dollars. She is a half-sister to stakes-winner Astrid and graded stakes winner Love of Money.

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Geno remains on target for $100K Gander

Trainer David Donk said Mendham Racing Stable’s Geno is on target for the $100,000 Gander, a one-turn mile for New York-bred sophomores going nine furlongs on February 12 at Aqueduct. 

Geno, a son of Big Brown, was a last out winner of the NYSSS Great White Way on December 18 at the Big A, fending off a late challenge by Un Ojo to win by a neck. 

Through four career starts, Geno has already displayed versatility having won over turf and dirt. He broke his maiden on debut going six furlongs over Belmont’s Widener turf course in September before finishing a pacesetting second by a nose in the open company Awad in November over the same surface. 

The NYSSS Great White Way was a first start on dirt for Geno, whose dam Weekend Hottie was a winner on grass. 

“It’s quite rare to compete at a high level on both surfaces, but I’m quite interested to run him back on the dirt,” Donk said. 

Donk said Geno should appreciate stretching out in distance.

“We’ll see going forward. He’s more of a distance horse than a sprint horse,” Donk said. 

Geno has worked three times since the Great White Way, including an easy half-mile on Wednesday in 51.66 seconds over the Belmont dirt training track.

“He’s a very good workhorse. He worked very well. That’s why I ran him in the NYSSS because he is such a good workhorse,” Donk said.

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Orpen Horses sees early success with trainer O’Dwyer

Fledgling ownership group Orpen Horses will be represented by 3-year-old filly Jet Force in Sunday’s $100,000 Ruthless for sophomore fillies sprinting seven furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Orpen Horses got off to a memorable start in 2020 by finishing third with their first starter, the Jeremiah O’Dwyer-trained Take Profit, in the Central Park at Aqueduct. 

Orpen Horses went on to earn another stakes placing in 2021 with Trust Daddy in the Atlantic Beach at Belmont Park and secured their first win with Jet Force in an allowance at Penn National in December. 

“They’re great people and have invested plenty into the game and have a few horses with me; nice horses too,” said O’Dwyer. “Every year they continue to invest and are having a lot of fun. We’re getting results for them.” 

Jet Force, undefeated through two starts for O’Dwyer, made her final preparations for the Ruthless over Belmont’s dirt training track, most recently breezing three-eighths in 38.81 on January 26. 

The daughter of Jimmy Creed enters the Ruthless off the allowance score at Penn National on December 17 that gave her owners their first victory. 

“She had a couple of easy works to keep her fit,” O’Dwyer said. “We just chip away at her and don’t let her do too much. She’s on the smaller side and gets plenty out of her gallops. She uses herself well and we try not to let her breeze too fast.” 

Regular rider Jaime Rodriguez will ride Jet Force from post 3 in the Ruthless. 

Trust Daddy, a son of Bird Song, lost by just a head in his dirt debut at Laurel Park before switching to the grass to graduate at second asking in October. In his stakes debut and his first start for Orpen Horses, the colt was sent off at 10-1 odds in the six-furlong Atlantic Beach, racing just off the pace and closing well to finish three lengths behind Doctor Jeff. 

The 3-year-old chestnut finished eighth in the Central Park in his next outing on November 27 and had two works in Maryland before heading south for a winter vacation. 

“He’s a nice horse and we have him down in Florida at the moment,” said O’Dwyer. “We’re letting him grow up a little bit and we’ll run him back on the turf. He did run once on the dirt first time out and was just beat, but he was feeling a little better on the turf. We’ll stay going that route with him until he tells us different.” 

O’Dwyer said Jacko’s Day Out, who was a solid runner-up in her debut going six furlongs at the Big A on December 11, was privately sold by Orpen Horses and has moved to Oaklawn Park. 

“She ran very well in her race and we still think a lot of her,” O’Dwyer said. “Brad Cox has her now and we wish the new connections well. We’ll certainly continue to follow her with interest.” 

With four runners making a total of five starts to date, Orpen Horses has a 4-for-5 in-the-money record with earnings of $69,160.