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Eagle Orb looks to tackle challenge of nine furlongs; outside post in Withers (G3)

by NYRA Press Office

• Eagle Orb looks to tackle challenge of nine furlongs; outside post in Withers (G3)
• Tatweej earns 103 BSF in optional-claiming score
• Civil War takes on two-turn challenge in Withers (G3)
• Brisset favors $100K Ruthless for Gulf Coast
• Aqueduct winter meet Week 9 stakes probables

Like a pitcher getting in a quick bullpen session before an important start, E.V. Racing Stable’s Eagle Orb made a final preparation for Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers for sophomores, posting a three-furlong blowout in 37 seconds flat on Thursday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

Eagle Orb, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, is listed at 10-1 on the morning line for the nine-horse Withers, which offers 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 1.

The Withers will mark the first time Eagle Orb will contest at nine furlongs after making two starts at a mile, which resulted in runner-up efforts in the Sleepy Hollow against fellow New York breds as a juvenile in October at Belmont and a second to Withers-rival [and 3-1 favorite] Capo Kane last out in the Jerome on New Year’s Day that also offered up 10-4-2-1 points.

“We’re going to see if he wants to go that far,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know if he can, but we want to give him that chance and hope for the best. We’ve been thinking about it and hopefully it’s the right move.”

Bred by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb is 2-3-0 in six career starts with earnings of $183,100. The son of Orb won his first start at Aqueduct, closing his 2-year-old year with a 2 3/4-length score in the Notebook over a track labeled good on November 14 before returning to earn blacktype over a muddy track in the Jerome.

Eagle Orb drew the outside post with Jorge Vargas, Jr. in the irons.

“I think he’s a pretty honest horse. He tries,” said Rodriguez. “I don’t like the post that much. I wish I drew inside, but we’ll try to put him in the race early and hope for the best.”

Repole Stable’s stakes-veteran Backsideofthemoon will also run this weekend at the Big A for Rodriguez, with the 9-year-old son of Malibu Moon entered for a nine-furlong allowance tilt in Sunday’s Race 7.

Backsideofthemoon ran fourth in the Jazil in his seasonal bow on January 23 under jockey Jose Lezcano. Rodriguez said he’s hoping for a better start, which was the recipe for success when he led a six-horse field gate-to-wire to win the Queens County going the same distance on December 19 at Aqueduct, earning a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He looked like he came back pretty good,” Rodriguez said. “We’re running him right back because I don’t think he ran his race last time. Jose Lezcano said he tried to break before the gate and when it opened, he hit it pretty hard. When that happens, he kind of stumbled a bit and he wasn’t really in it that day, so we’re going to give him another chance.”

Backsideofthemoon will pick up the services of meet-leading rider Kendrick Carmouche on Sunday, drawing post 6 as the 6-5 morning-line favorite.

Rodriguez said Michael Dubb’s Pete’s Play Call is doing well following a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Toboggan on January 30. The 8-year-old Munnings gelding made his first graded stakes appearance in his 47th career start.

“He came back pretty good, so we’ll take it easy for a couple of days and then see in the next week or two what the next possible spot will be,” Rodriguez said.

Since being claimed for $62,500 out of a win at Aqueduct on November 27, Pete’s Play Call won the Gravesend on January 2 and finished a half-length back to American Power in the Toboggan.

“He’s been very consistent since last year with [previous trainer John] Toscano and continues to be that going along, so just to have him in the barn is good, because we don’t have a lot of horses who train better than him,” Rodriguez said.

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Tatweej earns 103 BSF in optional-claiming score

Alshareef Hazzaa Shaker Alabdali’s Tatweej earned a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure for a 3 3/4-length score in a one-turn mile optional-claiming tilt on Thursday at Aqueduct.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 5-year-old Tapit horse is out of the multiple graded stakes winning Tiznow mare Tiz Miz Sue, who captured the 2013 Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont Park.

With Dylan Davis up from Post 4, Tatweej stalked the early pace of Dreams Untold from third position through a half-mile in 46.75 before launching a four-wide rally through the turn. The talented bay put a head in front at the stretch call and powered through the wire in a final time of 1:36.65.

Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes said he was happy to see the well-bred horse get the job done.

“Dylan said he was looking around a lot. He was running a little green for him, as he described it,” said Hughes. “Hopefully he can improve off that. He still got the job done in a pretty good time on top of that. The cold didn’t seem to bother him at all either.”

Tatweej, who is lightly raced with a record of 6-4-0-1 and purse earnings of $124,750, made his first five starts last season at Gulfstream Park, led by a prominent optional-claiming win on September 25 over a sloppy track to cap a three-race win streak.

The Kentucky-bred 5-year-old, who brought $2.5 million at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, finished sixth in his stakes debut off a nearly three-month layoff on December 12 in the 1 1/16-mile Harlan’s Holiday ahead of his smashing Big A debut.

“He shipped up here and we pointed for this race coming out of the stakes race. It seemed like a good spot for him,” said Hughes. “It doesn’t seem that he has a distance limitation so far, so I think everything is on the radar at this point.”

Bass Stables’ Thankful, a last-out winner of the nine-furlong Ladies Handicap on January 17 at the Big A, worked a half-mile in 48.89 seconds Friday morning on the Belmont dirt training track.

Hughes said the 4-year-old daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah is on target for the one-mile $125,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational on March 6 at Aqueduct.

“She breezed well. She galloped out in 1:02 and 1,” Hughes said. “She came out of her race in good shape. That was her breeze back and she seemed to do it well within herself.”

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Civil War takes on two-turn challenge in Withers (G3)

Trainer Tom Albertrani said Mark T. Anderson’s Civil War should appreciate the stretch out in distance in Saturday’s nine-furlong Grade 3 Withers.

“We wanted to stretch him out but we were hoping to find him a little softer spot,” said Albertrani. “Hopefully, he can step up a little bit off his last race.”

The Bodemeister colt out of the Birdstone mare Princess Aspen, Civil War has kept steep company in four career starts, including a troubled fourth to Jackie’s Warrior in the Grade 1 Champagne in October at Belmont and a rail-riding fifth to Pickin’ Time in the Grade 3 Nashua.

“He made a couple of steps into pretty tough company and we were hoping he could be in that league,” said Albertrani. “We’re hoping he can fit in with this group.”

With both of his graded efforts contested over a one-turn mile, Albertrani said Civil War has matured into his two-turn debut which he enters from an even fourth in a seven-furlong optional-claiming sprint contested over a sloppy and sealed Big A strip on New Year’s Eve.

“He’s done well and matured quite a bit since the summer. We’re hoping he puts in a good effort,” said Albertrani.

Benjamin Hernandez will guide Civil War from post 8.

Woodslane Farm homebred Sadler’s Joy finished a closing fourth in the Grade 3 William L. McKnight in his 8-year-old debut on January 23 at Gulfstream Park. Racing from last-of-11 in the 1 1/2-mile turf test under Jose Ortiz, Sadler’s Joy saved ground before circling wide to finish within 2 1/4-lengths of the victorious Tide of the Sea.

“He’s really a warrior,” said Albertrani. “He still acts like he’s a young horse and runs the same type of races he always has. He can be a difficult horse to ride and Ortiz was on him for the first time and got a little too far back, so he had an awful lot of ground to make up at the end. He still ran a beautiful race, nonetheless."

Albertrani said Sadler’s Joy will target a third try in the 12-furlong Grade 2 Pan American on March 27 at Gulfstream. The popular chestnut won the 2017 Pan American and was fourth in the 2018 renewal.

“We want to space his races out a little bit given his age. There are big races for him in the spring and summer and we’d like to keep him fresh for those,” said Albertrani.

The Kitten’s Joy chestnut boasts a record of 35-7-4-11 with purse earnings in excess of $2.66 million.

Albertrani said Robert Masiello’s turf sprint sensation Fiya is enjoying some light training at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida after running up a five-race win streak that concluded with stakes wins in the Maryland Million Turf Sprint Handicap on October 24 at Laurel Park and the Claiming Crown Canterbury on December 5 at Gulfstream.

Purchased at auction for $400,000 following four starts at Laurel Park for trainer Michael Merryman, Fiya was transferred to Albertrani’s care last fall and has since saddled the dark bay to three wins from as many starts, including a six-furlong Belmont turf allowance sprint that was clocked in 1:06.70.

“Right from the beginning, I thought he was pretty special,” said Albertrani. “Watching the way he trained, his works were very easy. When we ran him the first time, I knew we’d be tough in there and he came pretty close to breaking the track record. He came back again with two more stakes wins and I think we’re going to have a real good future with him.”

Albertrani said the 4-year-old Maryland-bred son of Friesan Fire, who boasts a perfect in-the-money record of 7-5-1-1, will likely be pointed to the Grade 1 Jaipur in the spring at Belmont.

Woodslane Farm homebred Baba earned a 63 Beyer for his maiden score at fifth asking on January 15 traveling a one-turn mile at the Big A. With Jorge A. Vargas, Jr. up, Baba went to the lead and made every call a winning one for a brave head score.

“We were stretching her out for the first time and she really showed improvement,” said Albertrani. “We’ll probably just run her back in the next level allowance race and see how she steps up.”

Baba’s dam Settle ‘n Speight is a half-sister to 2014 Belmont Stakes-winner Tonalist, a multiple Grade 1-winning $3.6 million earner for trainer Christophe Clement.

John M. B. O’Connor’s Minuteman will debut in Sunday’s first race at the Big A, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores. The German-bred son of Quinzieme Monarque has worked extensively on the dirt training track at Belmont, including a half-mile from the gate in 49.96 on January 31.

“We’re getting him started. He’s probably got more turf pedigree, but we’re hoping he can handle the surface,” said Albertrani. “It’s always good to try them on the dirt first and go from there.”

Dylan Davis has the call on Minuteman from post 6 at a morning-line assessment of 30-1.

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Brisset favors $100K Ruthless for Gulf Coast

Trainer Rodolphe Brisset confirmed WinStar Stablemates Racing’s stakes winner Gulf Coast for Sunday’s $100,000 Ruthless at the Big A.

Brisset cross-entered the sophomore Union Rags bay filly in the seven-furlong event as well as Saturday’s $175,000 Suncoast going one mile and 40 yards at Tampa Bay Downs, but opted for the former spot in favor of another start around one turn.

Gulf Coast, who shipped to Belmont Park on Friday morning, arrives at the Ruthless off a victory in the Cash Run on January 1 at Gulfstream Park, where she was three lengths off the pace before inching her way into contention approaching the far turn. Gulf Coast took command just outside the three-sixteenths pole and held off Honorifique for a half-length win with next-out stakes winner Adios Trippi a further 3 3/4-lengths back in third.

Prior to her stakes score, Gulf Coast broke her maiden going six furlongs on November 10 at Indiana Grand Race Course and was second beaten two lengths in the Sandpiper on December 5 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“The race is one turn and it’s a shorter field. It’s not easier, but shorter,” Brisset said. “We got a good draw so we’ll see how she runs over there. This will give us a good indication of what to do next with her.”

Although Brisset is opting for one turn this time around, he did not rule out stretching Gulf Coast out to two turns at some point in the future.

“We think she can go further,” Brisset said. “Obviously, her last race was going a mile and she ran a good race that day. The way she ran first going six furlongs, we thought added distance would be key.”

Listed as the 2-1 second choice on the morning line, Gulf Coast will exit the outside post 5 under Manny Franco.

Bred in Kentucky by G. Watts Humphrey, Jr. and W.S. Farish, Gulf Coast was purchased for $300,000 from the 2020 OBS March Sale from the Woodford Stables consignment. She is out of the Candy Ride mare Sweet Success and is a direct descendant of Weekend Surprise – the dam of American classic winners A.P. Indy and Summer Squall.

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Aqueduct winter meet Week 9 stakes probables

Saturday, February 13
100,000 Broadway
Probable: Letmetakethiscall (James Ferraro), Sadie Lady (Rob Atras), Timely Tradition (Ray Handal) 
Possible: Prairie Fire (Linda Rice), Ruvies in Time (Richard Schosberg), Wasp (Todd Pletcher)

Sunday, February 14
$100,000 Gander
Probable: Dancing Buck (Michelle Nevin), Lobsta (Gary Sciacca), Nicky the Vest (Jonathan Thomas), Perfect Munnings (Pletcher), Re Created (Schosberg), Storm Shooter (Pletcher) Windy Nations (Mike Maker)

Monday, February 15
$100,000 Hollie Hughes
Probable: Amundson (Horacio DePaz), More Graytful (Brad Cox), My Boy Tate (Nevin), Runningwscissors (Jeffrey Englehart), T Loves a Fight (Orlando Noda), Tribecca (Chris Englehart)