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Forewarned registers 100BSF in Excelsior score; War Tocsin possible for G1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets

by NYRA Press Office

• Forewarned registers 100BSF in Excelsior score; War Tocsin possible for G1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets
• Joseph, Jr. to saddle A.P.'s Secret and Skippylongstocking in G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino
• Barese makes final preparation for G2 Wood Memorial
• Terranova opts for more time with Bank Sting, points to G2 Ruffian
• Aqueduct Racetrack Week 2 stakes probables

Forewarned, owned and trained by Uriah St. Lewis, battled back gamely on the rail to earn a head score in Saturday's $150,000 Excelsior, a nine-furlong test for older horses at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 7-year-old Flat Out bay, piloted by Dexter Haddock, was in tight late in the lane when battling to the wire with the Trevor McCarthy-piloted Untreated.

"The jockey said they collided and he [Forewarned] got mad. His ears pricked and he said, 'You're not beating me,'" St. Lewis said. "He came out of it great. He ate up all his dinner and he's feeling good. He loves to win."

Forewarned, who was sent to post as the 9-2 third choice in a compact Excelsior field of four, rallied from deep to win the nine-furlong Queens County in March at odds of 42-1. He entered the Excelsior from a narrow nose loss in the John B. Campbell on February 19 at Laurel Park in which he tracked from a close-up fourth with Haddock at the helm.

St. Lewis said the John B. Campbell effort provided Haddock the confidence to work out a prominent trip Saturday, tracking from third as First Constitution set a moderate pace.

"He was real close in his last race at Laurel and the jockey said, 'I've figured this horse out, he's a push-button horse. If you send him early and put him in the spot, he will go there,'" St. Lewis said. "When the gate opened yesterday, the jockey got him in a nice spot and he was sitting close again. There was no pace really, but he was sitting close. They got the third quarter in 23 and change and that softened up the front horse, but he kept going."

St. Lewis had initially considered sending Forewarned to the Grade 2, $1 million Oaklawn Handicap on April 23 at Oaklawn Park, but said he may now instead target the Grade 3, $300,000 Pimlico Special on May 20.

"We might just wait for the Pimlico Special or try something locally. The Oaklawn race is 20 days away and I'd like to give him some time," St. Lewis said.

The Ohio-bred Forewarned, out of the graded-stakes placed Five Star Day mare Fortune Play, now boasts a record of 48-11-8-4 with purse earnings of $870,883. St. Lewis said the hard-trying bay could possibly stand stud in the Buckeye State when his racing career comes to a close.

"They call for him all the time," St. Lewis said. "He will get a place to breed. He's a good-looking horse."

St. Lewis purchased Forewarned for $40,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December sale from which he also acquired the graded-stakes placed War Tocsin for $11,000.

A 6-year-old son of Violence, War Tocsin sports a ledger of 38-3-8-3 with purse earnings of $280,463.

"Between both of them, they've made a little over $1 million and they cost us just $51,000," St. Lewis said.

St. Lewis said the Kentucky-bred War Tocsin is under consideration for Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets at the Big A. The bay gelding was sent to post at odds of 48-1 last out in the seven-furlong Grade 3 General George and set a sharp pace under Haddock, but settled for second, defeated less than a length by Cordmaker.

***

Joseph, Jr. to saddle A.P.'s Secret and Skippylongstocking in G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. enjoyed great success on last year's Wood Memorial Day card at the Big A, capturing the Grade 1 Carter with Mischevious Alex and the Grade 3 Bay Shore with Drain the Clock. On Saturday, he will saddle a pair of longshots in Gentry Farms' A.P.'s Secret and Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino.

Manny Franco will have the call aboard A.P.’s Secret and Junior Alvarado will pilot Skippylongstocking in the 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier as Joseph, Jr. looks to add to a Derby contender list that includes Saturday’s Grade 1 Florida Derby-winner White Abarrio.

A.P.'s Secret has made all four career starts at Gulfstream Park, graduating at first asking in a seven-furlong maiden special weight in November and followed two starts later with a prominent score in a one-mile optional-claimer on January 9. 

He enters from a troubled seventh in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 5 in which he pressed from third position before clipping heels at the quarter-pole and dropping back.

Joseph, Jr., who saddled Math Wizard to a fourth-place finish in the 2019 Wood Memorial, said A.P.'s Secret exited the Fountain of Youth in good order.

“He came out of that race well and we couldn’t really use that bumping as an excuse. He was losing his spot when it happened, but he did get bumped pretty hard," Joseph, Jr. said. "I think because he’s such a big horse that he was able to take the bump from the inside horse that came out and hit him. He bounced out well and he's worked well since."

Joseph, Jr. said A.P.'s Secret, who worked a half-mile in 49.15 Sunday at Gulfstream, should appreciate the added distance.

"He always trained like this distance will be to his liking," Joseph, Jr. said. "He didn’t run like that his first time going two turns, but I feel like distance is his forte. The longer the better for him.” 

Bred in Kentucky by Tami D. Bobo, the Cupid grey was purchased for $150,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Skippylongstocking breezed five-eighths in 1:00.40 Saturday at Palm Meadows Training Center. The more experienced of Joseph, Jr.’s contenders boasts a record of 8-2-1-1 with all but one of those starts coming at Gulfstream Park.

A two-time winner at the Hallandale Beach oval, Skippylongstocking notched a 10 1/2-length maiden win traveling one mile in September and a last-out 3 3/4-length optional-claiming score on March 2 at the Wood Memorial distance. His lone out-of-town start was a fourth-place finish in the Street Sense in October at Churchill Downs immediately after his maiden score.

“He broke his maiden and that form line didn’t come back that strong, so he was kind of disappointing in the Street Sense," Joseph, Jr. said. "We were kind of in two minds to cut him back in distance or run him longer."

Joseph, Jr. said Alvarado, aboard for his last two starts, suggested stretching out Skippylongstocking after guiding the Exaggerator colt to a fourth-place finish in a one-mile optional-claimer on February 4.

"After the one-turn mile, Junior said, ‘This horse wants to go two turns,’" Joseph, Jr. said. "In all his one-turn races, he was stopping. We ran him two turns and it was quite a competitive allowance race [last time out]. He won it well and it was a pleasant surprise. Until he does it against better quality horses, we won’t know for sure, but the way he won the other day you would think the two turns helped him big time – not rushing him and letting the race fall into his lap. We believed early on that he wanted to go longer, but it just so happened we were getting one-turn mile races.” 

Out of the War Chant mare Twinkling, Skippylongstocking was a $37,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

***

Barese makes final preparation for G2 Wood Memorial

Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Barese drilled five-furlongs Saturday in his final work for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier on April 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

A son of Laoban, Barese covered the five-eighths over the training track at Belmont Park in 1:03.10. The work came one week after a sharp drill in 59.98 for the same distance.

Though he was not aboard for Barese’s most recent works, jockey Dylan Davis said he has kept up with assistant trainer Nelson Donis on the colt’s efforts in the mornings. 

“Nelson said he’s been training well. I’m really excited for the race,” said Davis “I think he’ll be competitive and handle the distance. We’ll see what happens.” 

Barese has put together a perfect resume from three starts, beginning with a debut maiden special weight victory sprinting five furlongs at Belmont in May. 

He was away from the races for eight months before he returned in the Rego Park at the Big A on January 9, stretching out to 6 1/2 furlongs to face winners for the first time. Barese made easy work of his eight opponents, charging down the center of the lane under regular rider Dylan Davis to take command in the stretch and win by 2 3/4 lengths. 

The bay colt saw more ground in his next outing, taking on the one-turn mile Gander and a field that included impressive maiden winner Bold Journey, a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Americanrevolution. Barese once again stalked the pace under Davis and had to work a bit harder down the stretch to take command from pacesetter Bold Journey. Under strong urging, Barese took charge just past the sixteenth pole and pulled away to win by 1 1/4 lengths. 

Davis, 27, has now ridden Barese to two stakes victories and will be aboard once again in the Wood Memorial, a race he has contested twice before. His two previous finishes were a fifth aboard Heartfullofstars in 2018 and a seventh aboard Hoffa’s Union in 2019. 

Should Barese earn enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, Davis could be on his way to Churchill Downs to make his first Run for the Roses on May 7. 

Davis said he while he is excited at the possibility of a Kentucky Derby mount, he will focus on the Wood Memorial before anything else. 

“I’m just trying to ride a good, steady race,” said Davis. "We’ll see what happens. If he wins, then it will be one of my dreams to go to the Derby. It would mean a lot. We’ll definitely take this race first - one race at a time and we’ll go from there.”

***

Terranova opts for more time with Bank Sting, points to G2 Ruffian

Multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Bank Sting will bypass Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct in favor of the one-mile Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian on May 8 at Belmont Park. 

Owned by Hidden Brook Farm in partnership with breeders Joseph and Anne McMahon, Bank Sting has won her last three starts, which were all stakes events at Aqueduct. 

After winning the NYSSS Staten Island on December 5 in her second start off a five-month layoff, the Central Banker mare began her 5-year-old season with a triumph against New York-bred fillies in the La Verdad on January 2. Two months later, she faced open stakes company for the first time, capturing the Heavenly Prize Invitational by a neck over Battle Bling and earning a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure. 

“We’ll run her here at home and give her a little more time in between races,” Terranova said. “She’s doing great, we just decided to take some more time with her. She’ll get back to breezing later next week. The main goal with her this year is to get a graded stakes win at some point.”

Terranova said Bank Sting could also seek a repeat victory in the $200,000 Critical Eye, a one-turn mile for state-bred fillies and mares on May 30 at Belmont.

“That’s later in the end of May, but May 8 is the first one on the calendar,” Terranova said. 

Bank Sting, who is a consistent 7-for-9 lifetime, has amassed $475,050 in earnings. 

Last Sunday was a successful one on both ends of the East Coast for Terranova, whose horses found the winner’s circle at Aqueduct and Tampa Bay Downs. 

Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill Stable and Steven Schoenfeld’s Midnight Strollcaptured her stakes debut in the seven-furlong Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies against fellow Florida-breds at Tampa Bay Downs. The daughter of second crop sire Not This Time saw a cutback in distance from her maiden victory going one mile and 40 yards on February 26 at the central Florida oval. Midnight Stroll displayed the same frontrunning tactics as her maiden score, extending her advantage throughout the seven-furlong race to win by 3 1/4 lengths. 

Terranova said options for Midnight Stroll include the seven-furlong Grade 2 Eight Belles on May 6 at Churchill Downs or the nine-furlong Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on May 20 at Pimlico Race Course. 

“She just got back here Saturday,” Terranova said. “Where we go with her is kind of uncertain at the moment. We were thinking about the possibility of the Eight Belles, but we may stretch back out and go in the Black-Eyed Susan a couple weeks later. They’re two different distances, but she’s gone two turns already and backed up to seven and been successful in both. We’ll see how she’s doing and what she’s telling us the closer we get.”

Midnight Stroll earned a career-best 82 Beyer for her Sophomore Fillies win. 

“She ran a fast race and got a fast number. We know she’s got a lot of quality,” Terranova said. 

Curragh Stables’ Fluid Situation gave the Terranova stable a victory earlier on the same Tampa Bay Downs card. The sophomore son of Warrior’s Reward graduated going seven furlongs at third asking after a pair of unplaced efforts on the NYRA circuit. The frontrunning 5 3/4-length score earned a 95 Beyer. 

“He ran a tremendous race. A very nice horse who we’ve thought highly of all along,” Terranova said. “He ran once at Saratoga last year and had some stuff going on. He got sick a couple of times, but that’s behind him. He’s a big colt that needed some time to get it together. We ran him the one time at Aqueduct and he got a little tired. I think he was struggling with the deep track.”

Terranova said Fluid Situation, who was under consideration for the Sophomore Stakes colts division at Tampa on the same day, could be possible for the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on May 7 at Churchill Downs. 

“If the maiden race didn’t go, I would have run him there. But the maiden race went so we took that option,” Terranova said. “We shipped him down 5-to-6 days out and he looked tremendous. He got a good Beyer and a tremendous Ragozin. There’s nothing coming up here at the moment. He’ll be back up here in a couple of days. You could see him in a race like the Pat Day Mile possibly.”

Terranova sent out Thrill of It for a maiden score last Sunday at the Big A under seven-pound apprentice Jose Gomez. Owned by Terranova and bred in New York by Windylea Farm, the son of Bal a Bali broke his maiden at fifth asking and has finished in the money in 4-of-5 starts. 

“He had been knocking on the door a couple of times,” Terranova said. “Not sure where he goes from here, but we’ll see as we get into the early spring what’s out there for him. He’s New York-bred, so there’s options.” 

***

Aqueduct Racetrack Week 2 stakes probables

Saturday, April 9, 2022

G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino [100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points]

Probable: A.P.'s Secret (Saffie Joseph, Jr.), Barese (Mike Maker), Early Voting (Chad Brown), Golden Code (Todd Pletcher), Mo Donegal (Pletcher), Morello (Steve Asmussen), Skippylongstocking (Joseph, Jr.)

Possible: Belgrade (Graham Motion), Long Term (Pletcher)

G1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets

Probable: Bank On Shea (Carlos David), Drafted (David Duggan), First Captain (Shug McGaughey), Green Light Go (Jimmy Jerkens), Mind Control (Todd Pletcher), Reinvestment Risk (Chad Brown), Speaker's Corner (Bill Mott) 

Possible: War Tocsin (Uriah St. Lewis)

G3 Gazelle [100-40-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points]

Probable: Caragate (Mitchell Friedman), Classy Edition (Todd Pletcher), Divine Huntress (Graham Motion), Greatitude (Pletcher), Morning Matcha (Robert Reid, Jr.), Nostalgic (Bill Mott), Shotgun Hottie (William E. Morey), Venti Valentine (Jorge Abreu)

Possible: Reigning Chick (Orlando Noda) 

G3 Bay Shore 

Probable: Dean's List (Todd Pletcher), Doctor Jeff (Rudy Rodriguez), Fromanothamutha (Ray Handal), Life Is Great (Robert Klesaris), Outkissed (W. Robert Bailes), Runninsonofagun (John Toscano, Jr.), Scaramouche (Guadalupe Preciado), Wit (Pletcher) 

Possible: Cathedral Beach (George Weaver), Coastal Mission (Jeff Runco), 

G3 Distaff Handicap  

Probable: Easy to Bless (James Ferraro), Glass Ceiling (Charlton Baker), Kept Waiting (Robert Falcone, Jr.), Zaajel (Pletcher)

Possible: Dealing Justice (Handal), Search Results (Chad Brown)

$100K Danger's Hour

Probable: Buy Land and See (Anthony Dutrow), Chez Pierre (Arnaud Delacour), City Man (Christophe Clement), It’s a Gamble (Kelly Breen), Milton the Monster (John Servis), Oceans Map (Gregory Sacco), Price Talk (Dutrow), Rinaldi (H. James Bond), Safe Conduct (Phil Serpe), Sanctuary City (James Ferraro), So High (Naipaul Chatterpaul), Therapist (Clement) 

Sunday, April 10, 2022

$100K Top Flight Invitational

Probable: Battle Bling (Rob Atras), Frost Point (Mott), Maiden Beauty (Falcone, Jr.)

Possible: Artful Splatter (Kieron Magee), Into Vanishing (Jonathan Thomas), Miss Leslie (Claudio Gonzalez), Primacy (C. Brown)