Dutrow, Jr. savoring Listed Withers win with Captain Cook

- Dutrow, Jr. savoring Listed Withers win with Captain Cook
- Maximus Meridius registers career-best 98 BSF in Listed Toboggan
- Linder, Jr.-trained Volleyballprincess and Ourdaydreaminggirl go 1-2 in $125K Ruthless
- Saturday win prompts Sunday Girl to $125K Correction
Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. sat in his Belmont Park office Sunday morning still basking in the glow of his newly-minted stakes-winner Captain Cook’s dominant victory in Saturday’s Listed $250,000 Withers, and his emergence on the Triple Crown trail after the effort awarded the colt with the maximum allotment of the 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points awarded to the top-five finishers.
And while St. Elias Stable’s handsome son of Practical Joke was awarded an eye-catching 94 Beyer Speed Figure for the 2 1/4-length coup, Dutrow, Jr. said he was more impressed with what the bay overcame as he stretched out from a seven-furlong graduation on December 28 at the Big A.
“I don’t care about Beyers,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He’s a very relaxed horse, and we’re very lucky to have him. He’s a pleasant surprise. He was running against better horses and when he broke his maiden with us, he liked the track well enough, but we don’t really know if he beat anything that day. Facing these guys yesterday, there were horses that had the credentials to run big. Our horse just ran a big race, man.”
The win came in stalking fashion under Manny Franco as the pair sat in third behind the pace set by Uncle Jim, who marked splits of 24.11 seconds and 49.13 before being challenged by Mo Quality through three-quarters in 1:13.64. A well-measured Captain Cook broke a step slow and traveled wide in both turns of the nine-furlong test for sophomores but easily inhaled the frontrunners at the top of the lane and drew off to complete the course in 1:51.83 over the oncoming Surfside Moon.
“He didn’t break so well, and Manny said that he could have went to the lead with him any time he wanted to,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He said he knew the horses that were in front of him were the two main players, but he said, ‘Rick, I had them any time. I could have passed them at the five-eighths pole if I wanted to.’ But there wasn’t any reason to – they had their thing, and they were battling, and he [Captain Cook] was just sitting outside as comfortable as a horse could be.
“We’re lucky that he is the way he is in a race,” Dutrow, Jr. added of the colt’s relaxed nature. “He doesn’t have a lot of size to him, and he’s going to need to conserve everything he’s got, but man, he does that. When Manny hopped off of that horse, he said, ‘Rick, I’m starting to dream.’”
Captain Cook debuted in October with a sixth in a six-furlong maiden at Churchill Downs for conditioner Norm Casse before selling to St. Elias for $410,000 at the Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Sale in November. Now a perfect 2-for-2 for his current connections, Captain Cook will look to make his graded debut next in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 5 here, which awards the top-five finishers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby points, respectively.
“He’s got a big step forward next time when we run him back in the Wood, but he’s got plenty of time and we love that – so does he,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He’ll be running back over a track he’s won two races over, and it seems like he’s all lined up to run big again, as long as he stays the way he is now.”
Dutrow, Jr. could see his Derby chances doubled in the coming weeks as Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Judy Hicks and Campeche Stables’ promising colt McAfee works his way back from a small infection that forced him to scratch from the January 4 Jerome at the Big A.
The son of Cloud Computing is out of the Uncle Mo mare Sataves, making him a half-brother to 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna. McAfee made a successful debut on November 1 to annex a six-furlong restricted maiden at Churchill Downs before a head defeat to finish second in a one-mile starter allowance on November 24 at the Louisville oval.
McAfee had his first work in almost one month when covering a half-mile in 52 seconds flat Saturday over the Belmont dirt training track in a move that was met with rave reviews by exercise rider Emily Ellingwood, who frequently exercised multiple Grade 1-winner White Abarrio during his tenure with Dutrow, Jr.
“Oh, we’re excited about that guy,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He’s doing great. After Emily would breeze White Abarrio for us in California, I could see her molars because she was smiling so much – that’s what happened yesterday when she breezed McAfee. She just loved the feeling the horse gave her.”
Dutrow, Jr. did not commit to a firm plan in the coming weeks for McAfee, but did say the colt could also be on his way to lucrative stakes like the Wood Memorial should he continue to train and race as expected.
“We have a hopeful plan that if he stays the way he is, it could set him up for the Wood and we could have two horses – two live horses – for that race,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “That’s never happened to me before, and I like to dream, too.”
In the older division, Dutrow, Jr. spoke fondly of Grade 3-placed Kinetic Sky, who is slated to make his second start off a nine-month layoff in Thursday’s fifth race at Aqueduct. The 7-year-old son of Runhappy won last year’s one-mile Listed Stymie two starts before his layoff and returned with a pacesetting third in a one-mile optional claiming tilt on January 4 here.
“I loved his race, and I love that horse. He cannot do any wrong here, believe me,” Dutrow, Jr. said, with a smile. “I don’t know if he’s the coolest horse I’ve ever met, but he’s in the top five. He loves people and he wants to be your friend more than anything. As a racehorse, he can get six and a half [furlongs], seven, a mile, a mile and a sixteenth, a mile and an eighth. He’s just a racehorse.
“He got enough out of it to where he’s probably ready to run a top effort now,” Dutrow, Jr. added of his first race back. “He ran big that day, and he needed the race.”
Kinetic Sky was claimed for $62,500 by Dutrow, Jr. for owners Sanford Goldfarb, Alan Kahn, David Tanzman and Steven Speranza in April 2023 and the bay has gone on to reward them handsomely, hitting the board in 8-of-10 starts including his Stymie victory and thirds in the Grade 3 Toboggan and Listed Queens County.
Kinetic Sky will emerge from post 5 under Jose Lezcano in a loaded six-horse field that includes multiple graded stakes-winner Repo Rocks, graded stakes-placed Yo Daddy and Winit, stakes-winner Tabeguache, and stakes-placed Classic Catch.
To Dutrow, Jr., Thursday’s race is not so much Kinetic Sky facing a loaded field, but a talented group having to take on a fit and ready Kinetic Sky.
“They have to face him,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He has a race under his belt, and I don’t know if this is his favorite distance, but man, he’s good at it and he’s going really good right now.”
Maximus Meridius registers career-best 98 BSF in Listed Toboggan
Maximus Meridius made every pole a winning one, digging in gamely to stave off dual graded stakes-winner Runninsonofagun and score a neck win in Saturday’s Listed $175,000 Toboggan, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained and co-owned by Butch Reid, Jr. with LC Racing and Cash is King, the 4-year-old Maximus Mischief bay, who earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, has posted five straight 90-plus Beyers since being gelded last summer.
Reid, Jr. also took blinkers off Maximus Meridius following his runner-up effort in the Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint in August at Parx, but said the gelding was the most significant change.
“The whole thing with training is trial and error. We've been doing things one step at a time,” Reid, Jr. said. “He's coming along, but I think the gelding was the big change in his life that made him be a much more serious racehorse. I loved the way he acted in the paddock before the race yesterday. It was like he had done it a million times and he wasn't concerned at all. He was confident in the paddock, and it made me feel confident before the race.”
Maximus Meridius boasts a record of 6-3-2-0 since being gelded ahead of a runner-up effort in the Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint and entered the Toboggan from a prominent half-length score in the Listed Gravesend traveling six furlongs here on December 28.
On Saturday, he showed the way through splits of 22.95 seconds and 45.90 under Mychel Sanchez and was game to the wire to score a narrow win over a drifting out Runninsonofagun in a final time of 1:23.36.
“It was a very good effort by him. He showed a lot of gameness,” Reid, Jr. said. “He's really turned it around. He's a new horse these days. He's doing very well and came back good, so far.”
Maximus Meridius made a trio of stakes starts last year at the Big A, finishing fourth in the one-mile Grade 3 Gotham, and second in both the seven-furlong Listed Bay Shore and six-furlong Listed Gold Fever.
Reid, Jr., who has notched 995 career wins, said he wasn’t surprised Maximus Meridius was able to handle stretching back out to seven-eighths after four straight attempts going six furlongs.
“Earlier in his career, we thought he may even have been a route horse,” Reid, Jr. said. “Now, we're getting around to stretching him back out and we'll see what the future holds. I haven't really decided on a next spot, but I don't think a one-turn mile would be out of the question.”
Although the Big A offers the one-turn mile Listed Stymie on March 1, Reid, Jr. said he will likely give Maiximus Meridius more time between starts.
“He's been running a lot and I'm not sure I want to come back that quick,” Reid, Jr. said. “It's been a long winter and he's shipping with every start, so now might be the time to let him catch his breath. I've got some big ideas for him as the year goes along.”
Bred in Pennsylvania by Westerly Farm, Maximus Meridius has banked $492,230 through a 14-5-4-1 record.
Cash is King and LC Racing’s Global Steve faltered to sixth-of-7 in Saturday’s Listed $250,000 Withers at the Big A.
The Florida-bred Bucchero colt was previously undefeated in a pair of seven-furlong starts at Parx, graduating on debut in November and following with a 1 1/2-length score in the Future Stars on December 30 over sloppy and sealed footing.
On Saturday, he tracked from fourth position in the early running under Mychel Sanchez but failed to fire his best shot.
“He came back fine. He never looked comfortable in any part of it and the jock said the same thing,” Reid, Jr. said. “Even in his early starts when he came from off the pace and caught some dirt in his face, it didn't bother him - but it seemed to bother him yesterday. I'm not sure if it was the two turns or catching a lot of dirt, but that's not the first time he's caught dirt.
“I think he proved that he's not quite the distance horse we hoped he would be,” Reid, Jr. added. “A lot of the Buccheros are a little better going shorter distances and on different surfaces too - synthetic and grass. He's got some of that in his future, for sure.”
Reid, Jr. will be back at the Big A on Thursday with multiple stakes-winning Pennsylvania-bred Disco Ebo [post 4, Jose Lezcano], who will take on a compact but talented group of five in Race 2 – a 6 1/2-furlong optional-claiming sprint for older fillies and mares.
The 6-year-old Weigelia mare, out of the winning Disco Rico mare Katarica Disco, is a full-sister to three stakes winners, including the Reid, Jr.-trained graded stakes-placed millionaire Smooth B.
“We've had a lot of foals out of that mare, and they've all been very good earners for us. She'll join the broodmare band one of these years for sure,” Reid, Jr. said. “Smooth B is already a millionaire and he's coming back as a 10-year-old this year, so they have some longevity to them.”
On Thursday, Disco Ebo will take on stakes-winner Sweet Brown Sugar, who returns from a more than three-month layoff for trainer Paul Barrow; and seven-time winner Dame Cinco, who enters on a two-race win streak for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. The field also includes five-time winner Ocean Gateway for conditioner Christophe Clement, and the Michelle Giangiulio-trained five-time winner Rachel’s Rock.
“She's a pleasure to train and gives you her best effort every time,” Reid, Jr. said. “If she catches the right racetrack and the right group, she can be very effective. It's not an easy five-horse field that's for sure. She'll need to have a real good day to get there.”
Linder, Jr.-trained Volleyballprincess and Ourdaydreaminggirl go 1-2 in $125K Ruthless
Trainer Louis Linder, Jr. may have saddled the two longest shots on the board, but it did not matter as Volleyballprincess and Ourdaydreaminggirl outran their odds when completing the exacta in Saturday’s $125,000 Ruthless, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Bran Jam Stable and David Clark’s Volleyballprincess was dominant under Eliseo Ruiz, leading from gate-to-wire through splits of 23.67 seconds, 47.81, and 1:12.38 en route to a 10-length score in a final time of 1:25.12 on the fast dirt. Ourdaydreaminggirl, campaigned by the same connections, rallied from last-of-5 for second.
“Everything was perfect this morning. She was tired from the experience of shipping and running so well,” Linder, Jr. said of Volleyballprincess. “She ate up and is doing well.”
The North Carolina-bred Mo Town bay earned a career-best 77 Beyer Speed Figure in victory. She showed vast improvement from a distant third in the seven-furlong Parx Future Stars Fillies Division on December 30 and a debut score sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in October at Parx Racing – all with Ruiz in the irons, who lost his crop in the stretch on Saturday, but the race was already wrapped up.
“We’ve been in love with this filly from Day One. Her first race, he made a split decision to go inside to outside, two horses went for the same hole. It was kind of a mess, but we ended up winning it,” Linder, Jr. explained. “The second race, we loved her, it came up really muddy, not her best surface, and she had so much time between races because we couldn’t get a race to go.
“She just wasn’t quite sharp enough. Then yesterday, it all came together. We really weren’t surprised with the effort. We knew we had a nice horse,” Linder, Jr. continued.
Linder, Jr. said Volleyballprincess may continue to stretch out in the Listed $200,000 Busher, a one-turn mile on March 1 offering 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-five finishers.
“I talked with the owners and as always, with Bran Jam and Clark it is the health of the horse first, so far so good, and if she comes up to this race like the last, that’s absolutely where we’ll go,” Linder, Jr. said.
Bred by Dr. Frank Batten, Volleyballprincess was a $17,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the winning Stephen Got Even mare Prom Dress.
“We were walking by, and they had just shown her to somebody else. She was standing there, and I said, ‘Wow. This really looks like she’d be heck of a sprinter,’” Linder, Jr. recalled. “I’m thinking about Parx. Then I went and looked at her and really liked her. Everyone was bringing up she's a North Carolina-bred, that’s way down on the list for me. I’m looking for conformation and what I think I can do with Parx. That’s how it is, we came to a price, and I bought her.”
Linder, Jr. also confirmed that Ourdaydreaminggirl exited in good order. The Instagrand chestnut was stepping up in class following a fourth-out graduation sprinting seven furlongs on December 30 at Parx.
“She’s a little bit tired, but she came out of the race real good. We always thought she’d be a two-turn horse, just because of the way she’s built and all that,” Linder, Jr. said. “I don’t think she’ll have any problems getting two turns.”
Linder, Jr. credited Sahin Civaci’s ride for place-honors after a stumbling start that caused Ourdaydreaminggirl to travel last.
“I didn’t think she’d be that far behind the field, but I didn’t realize she broke that poorly,” said Linder, Jr. “I watched it again and give a lot of credit to Sahin Civaci. He really just didn’t give up, kept her interested, gave her a target, and got her running which got her second money. The ownership was thrilled with the ride he gave us.”
Saturday win prompts Sunday Girl to $125K Correction
Mitre Box Stable, Clear Stars Stable and Eighth Note Stable’s stakes-winner Sunday Girl was an impressive winner of an open-company optional-claiming sprint Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack, prompting trainer David Duggan to look to return the New York-bred daughter of Central Banker to open stakes company next in the six-furlong $125,000 Correction on March 2 here.
The New York-sired Sunday Girl doubled up on victories after capturing a similar allowance versus open-company in December and again put forth a strong effort to annex Saturday’s six-furlong sprint with regular rider Katie Davis at the helm.
The next sprint stakes on the Big A calendar that the 4-year-old Sunday Girl is eligible for would be the seven-furlong Broadway against fellow state-breds on February 23, but Duggan said he prefers to keep the talented filly at three-quarters of a mile.
“Not a bother on her, happy as can be,” Duggan said of how Sunday Girl exited the three-quarter-length win. “We’re going to consider the Correction – we don’t want to go seven-eighths, so that’s our thought process right now.”
Sunday Girl has already proven herself in stakes company as a juvenile when taking the NYSSS Park Avenue in April, her top win in a 7-5-1-0 career that has seen her bank $326,238. Six of Sunday Girl’s seven starts have come in tandem with Davis, a pairing that Duggan has high praise for.
“It’s great for Katie to have a signature horse. She suits the filly to a ‘T’ and rides her with great confidence, so hats off to her,” Duggan said. “It’s nice to see.”
Duggan added that Sunday Girl has taken over as the top prospect for the stable after multiple stakes-winner Kant Hurry Love retired two weeks ago.
“It’s absolutely fantastic,” Duggan said of the filly’s determination. “She’s kind of filling the void of the other filly. It’s a nice place to be. It helps keep us in the limelight, and these sort of horses are hard to find. They show up, and they’re honest.”