NYRA Photo

Hit Show ready for the big stage in G3 Withers; Slip Mahoney on target for G3 Gotham

by NYRA Press Office

• Hit Show ready for the big stage in G3 Withers; Slip Mahoney on target for G3 Gotham
• A strong effort from $100K Jimmy Winkfield contestant Clubhouse could warrant higher aspirations
• In-form Know It All Audrey looks to give Barrera, III first stakes victory in $100K Broadway
• Aqueduct winter meet Week 8 stakes probables

Gary and Mary West’s Kentucky homebred Hit Showwill visit his fourth track in as many starts when he headlines Saturday’s nine-furlong Grade 3, $250,000 Withers, at Aqueduct Racetrack. The Withers, which was rescheduled from February 4 after the card was canceled due to extreme cold and sustained high winds, is a Kentucky Derby qualifier offering 20-8-6-4-2 points to the top-five finishers. 

Trained by Brad Cox, the Candy Ride colt, who scratched out of the Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn Park in favor of this spot, breezed consistently at the Arkansas oval, including a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.40 on January 28. He arrived in New York on Thursday, February 2, and worked a half-mile over the Belmont dirt training track on Monday with Manny Franco in the irons, going in company with state-bred maiden winner Looms Boldly.

“He got in on Thursday and then trained Friday morning,” said Dustin Dugas, the New York-based assistant for Cox. “We had to walk Saturday because training was canceled, but he galloped again Sunday and then breezed Monday. It was a light breeze over the training track in 50 and he did it well. He's come out of it in good shape.”

Hit Show graduated on debut sprinting seven furlongs in October at Keeneland, overcoming being bumped at the gate and early traffic trouble before splitting rivals at the top of the lane and surging to the wire a 5 1/4-length winner. 

He bobbled after the break of his next outing in November traveling 1 1/16-miles at Churchill Downs and settled for fourth in a race that runner-up Rocket Can exited to win last Saturday’s Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park.

Last out, in a one-mile optional-claimer on December 17 at Oaklawn Park, Hit Show settled in fifth position through the opening half-mile before advancing four-wide into the final turn. He poked a head in front at the stretch call and drew off to win by 3 1/2-lengths, garnering a career-best 82 Beyer Speed Figure.

Dugas, who oversees a stable of 10 horses for Cox, said Hit Show has made a good impression.

“He's a very quiet, laidback horse to do things with on the ground, but when he gets on the track, he's all business,” Dugas said. “He's lightly raced, but very professional about things.”

Hit Show will exit post 4 under the dual Withers-winning rider Franco and should have pace to chase with a blinkered Arctic Arrogance stretching back out from the inside post.

“He's pretty pliable. He can run the race however it unfolds,” Dugas said. “It seems like he has a very good brain on him. He's not the biggest horse, but he makes up for it with how smart he is and his try.

“Brad likes them to break and get involved,” Dugas added. “Obviously, don't give them too much to do and don't get in a speed duel, but keep them involved.”

Hit Show is out of the multiple graded-stakes winning Tapit mare Actress, who posted nine-furlong wins in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico Race Course and Grade 3 Comely at the Big A in a terrific 2017 campaign.

Cox will debut Qatar Racing’s Triple Crown-nominated Everso Mischievous[post 9, Franco] in Race 6 on Saturday, a six-furlong maiden special weight for sophomores.

The Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief is out of the graded-stakes winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Ever So Clever, a graduate on debut and eventual upset winner of the 2017 Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park.

Everso Mischievous sold for $600,000 to China Horse Club/Gandharvi Racing at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was then purchased by agent Fergus Galvin for $85,000 at the Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Dugas said the colt has impressed since arriving in New York from the Churchill Downs Training Center.

“He got up here about three weeks ago. Brad's son, Blake, had him at the training center and he sent him in with nothing but good reports,” Dugas said. “He was pretty high on him and I can see why. He's a big horse. He's very leggy and the stride comes with it.”

Everso Mischievous has breezed twice over the Belmont dirt training track with Franco aboard, including a half-mile from the gate in 48.75 last Friday.

“He's breezed twice here - from the pole with Manny on and from the gate with Manny - and he's been very professional. He's going into it with a good mindset,” Dugas said. “He broke really sharp here the other day with Manny, so he knows him well and I like that we have an outside post with him. He's been training really well and we really like him. I think he can ultimately go further because of his size, but I don't think three-quarters will be an issue for him.”

Cox leads all trainers with 38 Triple Crown-nominated horses, including Gold Square’s Slip Mahoney, a recent maiden winner, who is targeting the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham on March 4. The one-turn mile offers 50-20-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers. 

The Arrogate colt, a $150,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, graduated at third asking here on January 21 in a one-mile maiden special weight. With Dylan Davis up, Slip Mahoney led through a half-mile in 47.65 and maintained a narrow lead at the top of the lane over a game Crupi. The two rivals battled the length of the stretch with Slip Mahoney prevailing by a head in a final time of 1:38.96 over the fast main track. The winning effort garnered a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure.

“The plan is to run him in the Gotham,” Dugas said. “He's doing really well. He will breeze tomorrow with Dylan and do a maintenance half-mile.”

His maiden win came on the heels of a narrow defeat in a one-mile maiden tilt on December 17 here over a muddy and sealed main track, missing by a neck to Tapit Trice, who exited that effort to defeat winners last Saturday at Gulfstream by eight lengths to earn a 92 Beyer.

Slip Mahoney is out of the multiple graded-stakes winner Got Lucky, who captured the 2015 Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland.

Cox, a dual Eclipse Award-winner as Outstanding Trainer in 2020-21, captured the 2021 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets with Essential Quality. The 42-year-old conditioner is on the verge of another significant milestone, entering Friday with 1,991 career wins.

Dugas, who has worked with Cox since 2017, said the barn is excited to be nearing the 2,000 mark.

“It's a huge milestone for Brad as a trainer for being so young,” Dugas said. “He's really risen quickly. He has a lot of nice horses and it’s something he’s been clear with the team about. The goal has always been to get good horses in the barn and keep them here. We’ve been very fortunate.”

***

A strong effort from $100K Jimmy Winkfield contestant Clubhouse could warrant higher aspirations

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will seek to give maiden winner Clubhouse a stakes triumph in Saturday’s $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct Racetrack. The six-furlong test for sophomores could be the Speightstown chestnut’s audition for the Derby trail, as Pletcher said the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham on March 4 at the Big A could be within question. 

Owned by Harrell Ventures and Starlight Racing, Clubhouse has been a work in progress since his debut in July at Saratoga, where he was a distant seventh going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. Clubhouse completed the trifecta in two other maiden turf events before switching to the main track and finding the winner’s circle at sixth asking going seven furlongs on January 14 here over the good main track.

The Jimmy Winkfield-to-Gotham pipeline has been recently used by Morello [2022] and Haikal [2019]. 

“We’ll see how he does. If he were to run well that could be a possibility for him,” Pletcher said.

Clubhouse broke sharply in his maiden triumph under Kendrick Carmouche and tracked longshot Golden Bird Forest through an opening quarter-mile in 24.15 seconds before taking command approaching the far turn and drawing off to a 6 1/2-length triumph. He completed the seven furlongs in 1:27.05. 

Pletcher spoke highly of Clubhouse’s well-roundedness.

“He’s versatile and seems to handle both the dirt and turf pretty well,” Pletcher said. “We felt like last time was sort of his breakthrough race that we’ve been hoping for. I wouldn’t have minded coming back at seven [furlongs] again, but this seemed like the good opportunity for him. He’s doing well so we’re giving it a try.”

Bought for $425,000 from the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Clubhouse is out of the Tapit mare Wild Ridge, who is a half-sister to Grade 2 Remsen winner Dubyuhnell. Both are out of the multiple graded stakes winning millionaire Wild Gams. 

Clubhouse, tabbed as the 5-2 second choice, will be ridden by HaII of Famer John Velazquez, who picks up the mount for the injured Carmouche. 

Pletcher will debut Monroe for Harrell Ventures and Seaside Racing in Race 1 on Saturday’s card, a six-furlong maiden special weight for state-bred sophomore fillies.

The chestnut daughter of Kantharos has been training forwardly at Pletcher’s primary winter division at Palm Beach Downs and has logged two breezes from the gate in her past two moves. She recently went a half-mile in 49.84 seconds on February 4. 

“The filly has been training well. I think she’s the type that has some early speed. Hopefully, she gets away cleanly and makes a good run,” Pletcher said.

Monroe was hammered down for $320,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Sale, where she was selected by Steven W. Young. 

“She worked well and she’s an attractive filly. Being a New York-bred is an added bonus,” Pletcher said. 

Monroe is out of the A.P. Indy mare Girlaboutown, who produced stakes-placed New York-bred Ready A.P. Her second dam is Carmandia – a dual graded stakes winner on the NYRA circuit.

Velazquez will ride from post 6 as the 6-5 morning line favorite. 

***

In-form Know It All Audrey looks to give Barrera, III first stakes victory in $100K Broadway

Trainer Oscar Barrera, III will hope to see the stakes-placed Know It All Audrey provide him with the first stakes victory of his career in Sunday’s $100,000 Broadway, a seven-furlong sprint for older New York-bred fillies and mares, at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Know It All Audrey, who Barrera, III co-owns with Three Player’s Stable, enters from a prominent two-length victory in a one-mile state-bred optional claimer on January 19 under returning rider Manny Franco. The 4-year-old daughter of Shackleford tracked closely to the pace in third through the first half-mile before taking command at the three-quarters call and drawing off to the geared-down victory in a final time of 1:38.95 over a good and sealed main track. 

“She broke a little slow and Manny got her into the race,” said Barrera, III. “The good thing about her is that she doesn’t need to be on the lead. Manny let the speed go and stalked from the outside and when he asked her, he had tons of horse. She won with ease. It’s a perfect tactic that he can use her early or he can lay off of them and make a run.” 

The victory was Know It All Audrey’s third in five starts for Barrera, III since being haltered for $16,000 out of a dominant 7 3/4-length victory in September here. She finished second in her other two outings and has earned nearly 10 times her claiming price, racking up $154,700 in total purses for her new connections to become the second-highest earning horse Barrera, III has trained since making his first start in 2011. 

“If I could make claims like this every week, I would be in perfect condition,” Barrera, III said, with a laugh. “She’s a New York-bred and she was dropping from an allowance down to a $16,000 [claimer]. There was a four-way shake that day and we were very lucky to win it.”

Know It All Audrey has already picked up a stakes placing for Barrera, III, finishing a game second to the multiple graded stakes-placed Venti Valentine in the state-bred Bay Ridge two starts back on December 17. 

“She got beat by a very nice filly in Venti Valentine,” said Barrera, III. “That one went on a break, so that sets up well for us.” 

Barrera, III credited Know It All Audrey’s exercise rider Pedro Morales with her progression since joining his stable. 

“Since I acquired her, she’s matured a lot. You can see in her races that she has been showing up every single time,” said Barrera, III. “She’s a bit of a difficult horse to train in the mornings – she’s headstrong and moody. But my rider Pedro Morales has done a fantastic job with her and she’s been coming along. She’s put on weight and muscle and she’s been training very well.” 

Barrera, III said he is unsure how the cutback to seven furlongs will affect Know It All Audrey, who has not raced at that distance since October when winning a starter allowance here. 

“I’m a tad concerned because usually those horses who can go seven-eighths can go the extra furlong to get a mile, so seven furlongs is right when she kicks in,” said Barrera, III. “But she’s been able to run at both distances and be successful.” 

Along with his success with Know It All Audrey, Barrera, III is also enjoying a runaway lead in the Under 20s Claiming Challenge as he looks to successfully defend his title in that event. As of January 28, he leads Randi Persaud by 11 points with a total of 56. 

The challenge is open to trainers with 20 or fewer horses in their care and saw the addition of an “Under 10s” division this season for trainers with 10 or fewer horses. Eligible horses competing in claiming races will receive points for finishing in the top-five. The top-eight trainers with the most points will share in a prize pool of $80,000 with the winner receiving $16,000. The Challenge will come to a close at the conclusion of the 19-day Big A spring meet, which spans Thursday, March 30 through Sunday, April 30.

“It’s been a fantastic winter so far,” said Barrera, III. “It helps and it’s a great program that NYRA has established. For horsemen that don’t get many horses, it helps them overcome it with a little more income for the stable and staff. It’s a great accomplishment for a trainer who doesn’t get a ton of horses.”

Barrera, III said part of his process for claiming horses is to find a horse who has shown ability and give them a chance to move up in class in their first start for him. 

“We try to always take a step up and perform at a higher level, and if they do, we keep it up,” said Barrera, III. “In New York, you’ll see trainers claim horses for high prices and drop them first time just to get the win. Usually, we like to take that step and that can help out the trainer.” 

Barrera, III pointed to the progression of seasoned gelding No Burn, who was last seen winning a second-level optional claimer on January 20 over a muddy and sealed Big A main track. 

The 5-year-old son of Declaration of War, who is also owned by Barrera, III and Three Player’s Stable, was claimed for $12,500 out of an open-lengths victory in May at Belmont Park. He followed with an eight-length triumph for a $32,000 tag in his next outing before subsequently winning a starter handicap and a first-level allowance at Saratoga Race Course. 

“We got him for $12,500 and stepped him up to the $32,000 after,” said Barrera, III. “He won his starter and he won the allowance. He’s doing fantastic and we’ll see him around the 20th in another allowance.” 

Barrera, III recently welcomed Pristine Racing’s One Whirlwind Ride to his barn and enjoyed a game runner-up effort from the son of Twirling Candy in a six-furlong $35,000 claiming tilt on February 5. 

“The owner transferred him to me and he’s another one that is difficult in the morning, but he’s been training well,” Barrera, III said. “He’s going to run in about two weeks. He’s been showing a lot of class.”

Barrera, III, who boasts a 25-3-4-4 record at the Big A winter meet heading into Friday’s card, said he looks forward to more claiming opportunities as the meet continues. 

“We’ll just continue to claim and try to get some horses who can perform at higher levels,” Barrera, III said. “Having the Under 20s keeps us on the edge through the winter.” 

***

Aqueduct winter meet Week 8 stakes probables

Saturday, February 18

$125K Heavenly Prize Invitational

Probable: Battle Bling (Rob Atras), Falconet (Todd Pletcher), Frost Point (Bill Mott)

Possible: Signal From Noise (Chad Brown)

Sunday, February 19

$100K Maddie May (NYB)

Probable: Cairo Sugar (Alan Bedard), Downtown Mischief (Linda Rice), Sweetest Princess (George Weaver)

Possible: I’mhavingamoment (Mott), Les Bon Temps (Rice)

Monday, February 20

$100K Haynesfield (NYB)

Probable: Bankit (Steve Asmussen), Sea Foam (Michelle Giangiulio), Wudda U Think Now (Rudy Rodriguez)

Possible: Dr Ardito (Chad Brown)