Day One Starter set for stakes debut in Listed $150K Nashua

Wilson Family Stables’ Day One Starter looms large in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Nashua, a one-turn mile for juveniles, at Belmont at the Big A.

The Nashua is slated as Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the Listed $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in Race 9. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.

The Big A will be open to the public from 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturday so racing fans can watch and wager on the simulcast of the Breeders’ Cup from Del Mar. Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup program is headlined by the Grade 1, $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Day One Starter graduated gate-to-wire at second asking here on September 13 in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight sprint. There, the $160,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase exited post 3-of-6 under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano and marked the opening quarter-mile in 22.34 seconds over the fast main track.

The favored Schoolyardsuperman attempted to slip up the rail in the turn but could not get through and subsequently fell after clipping heels with Day One Starter, who maintained his advantage through a half-mile in 45.55. Day One Starter built on his lead down the lane, powering to the wire for a 4 1/2-length score over Credit History in a final time of 1:16.72. Schoolyardsuperman returned to finish second in a Sunday maiden here.

“I think we were still the best horse that day,” McGaughey said. “This is only going to be his third start. He got a little bit out of his first start, and I thought he ran good the other day again.”

The winning effort earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure, improving significantly on the 56 earned for his off-the-board debut in a similar maiden sprint on July 19 at Saratoga Race Course.

McGaughey said the Upstart bay has trained forwardly out of his maiden score, including a half-mile breeze in 48 seconds flat October 18 and a follow-up work in 48.62 Saturday - both over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“I'm very pleased with the way he's doing,” McGaughey said. “Our plan would be sort of the same thing - he showed speed the other day and I'm hoping he will again.”

Day One Starter, a half-brother to the graded stakes-placed duo of Stunning Princess and Summer to Remember, is out of the Distorted Humor mare Psychadelacized – a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Classic Elegance.

Ricardo Santana, Jr. has the call from the outermost post 5.

Paul Fowler, Jr.’s Probably Dreaming [post 2, Carlos Lopez] brings a perfect 3-for-3 record to his New York debut for trainer Gary Capuano.

The Kentucky-bred Improbable chestnut graduated at first asking in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden sprint on June 14 at Laurel Park, overcoming a stumbled start to score by 3 1/2-lengths.

“He had been showing some talent and was ready early. He was good and fit. He didn't break good, but he circled the field and came on and drew off pretty nice,” Capuano said.

He scratched out of the six furlong Dover on August 14 at Delaware Park but has won two starts there since, including the restricted six-furlong First State Dash on September 14 and the Rocky Run contested at a two-turn mile on October 11.

“We entered him in a bunch of races prior to his second start that didn’t go, and I had him in a stake [Dover] at Delaware that I scratched him out of because he had a little stone bruise in his foot,” Capuano said. “We skipped that race and turned out to be just as well because when he came back, he was really ready and won his next two starts.”

Probably Dreaming was a prominent winner of the First State Dash, marking the half-mile in 46.51 en route to a 2 1/4-length score in a final time of 1:11.30 to earn a career-best 71 Beyer.

He followed with a more patient trip in the Rocky Run under regular pilot Carlos Lopez, settling in sixth position on the outside of a tightly-bunched group into the first turn and onto the backstretch. Lopez gave the cue into the final turn and Probably Dreaming swooped to the front to open up a three-length lead at the stretch call en route to a 4 1/2-length win in a final time of 1:40.22 at odds of 1-9.

“We had been prepping him for that race and had him good and fit. On paper, it didn't look like an overly tough field, but he won the way he needed to,” Capuano said.

Capuano indicated Probably Dreaming has been versatile thus far.

“We'll see when we test a little deeper water,” Capuano said. “In his second start he broke quicker than I expected but he's not typically real fast coming out of there. It usually takes him a few strides to get his feet under him and get a decent position.”

Capuano selected the talented chestnut for $37,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“He was a big, strong, good-looking horse that, to me, looked like he would go a route of ground. So far, he's been great,” Capuano said.

Probably Dreaming, out of the winning New York-bred Broken Vow mare Dreaming as Always, worked back five-eighths solo in 1:01.40 October 25 at Delaware Park.

“Real nice work. The track is pretty deep at Delaware right now, so the times aren’t real fast,” Capuano said.

Robert V. LaPenta and Madaket Stables’ My World [post 3, Jaime Rodriguez] will look to build upon a second-out graduation here on October 4 for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

The Essential Quality colt finished fourth on debut in August at the Spa in a race won by Big Dom, who subsequently ran sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity. The runner-up of My World’s debut voyage, Dr. Kapur, returned to wire a Keeneland maiden in impressive fashion and earn an 87 Beyer.

Last out, My World exited the outermost post 7 under Manny Franco and tracked the pacesetting Dark Assault from second position. My World advanced outside the leader at the top of the lane and needed every bit of the stretch run to score a neck victory in a final time 1:10.27 for six furlongs.

My World, out of the Grade 3-placed Into Mischief bay Quebec, was a $350,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase.

A talented field also includes Empire of Glory [post 4, Kendrick Carmouche], who was third in the Rocky Run for trainer James Lawrence, II; and recent optional-claiming winner Tough Guy Tony [post 1, Eliseo Ruiz] for trainer Butch Reid, Jr.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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