Chelsea Durand Photo

Mind Control 'bright-eyed and happy' the morning after victorious effort in G3 Toboggan

by NYRA Press Office

• Sir Winston on the fence for Jazil
• New York-bred Tiz the Law breezes in preparation for G3 Holy Bull
• Nicodemus could target G3 Tom Fool
• Red Smith-winner Sadler's Joy looking "fantastic" as he readies for Pegasus World Cup Turf
• Cross Country Pick 5 to return on February 1, 2020
• Aqueduct Winter Week 4 Stakes Probables

Trainer Gregg Sacco said Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan winner Mind Control emerged in good order from his triumphant 2020 debut on a snowy Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Owned by Steve Brunetti's Red Oak Stable in partnership with Sol Kumin and Jason Monteleone's Madaket Stable, the 4-year-old son of Stay Thirsty tracked just off of graded stakes winner Still Having Fun and took clear command in mid-stretch before graded stakes winners Nicodemus and Sunny Ridge made up ground in the final furlong resulting in a three-way photo. Under the instruction of Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, Mind Control had just enough to fend off his two foes.

"He came out of it great, cooled out great, ate up and was bright-eyed and happy this morning," Sacco said. "We had the pacesetter measured the whole way. He was really waiting on them, but once they got to him, he kicked on and the gallop out was tremendous. He gave us some anxious moments, but he's a fighter. Johnny knows him well and did a great job."

The Toboggan was Mind Control's first race since another narrow stakes victory in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on August 24 at Saratoga. He struck Grade 1 gold at the Spa during his 2-year-old campaign when taking the Grade 1 Hopeful at 10-1.

Plans call for a start in the Grade 1, $400,000 Carter Handicap at the Big A on April 4, with the possibility of a start in between.

"Maybe one race in between, but for now we'll savor this win and we'll discuss the next start with my brother [Red Oak Stable racing manager Rick Sacco], Steven Brunetti and Sol Kumin and figure it out," Sacco said.

In other news from the Sacco barn, stakes winner and last year's third-place Grade 1 Belmont Stakes finisher Joevia made his first start since said effort a winning one in a Friday allowance event going 6 ½ furlongs over the Aqueduct main track.

Sacco had not thought past Friday's race, but said the son of third-crop sire Shanghai Bobby could target the $125,000 Stymie on March 7 at the Big A, a one-mile event for older horses.

"You never know how they'll come off the layoff but he worked great over at Belmont and his works indicated that he'd run well," said Sacco. "He didn't have to win, it was a set up race for longer distances. We were over the moon with his performance."

Mind Control and Joevia are stabled next to each other at Sacco's barn on the Belmont Park backstretch.

"They're buddies," Sacco said of the stakes-winning stablemates. "They're all business. You can pet them for a few seconds and then they'll want to bite you. They got more aggressive as they got older."

A Kentucky homebred, Mind Control is out of the Lightnin N Thunder broodmare Feel That Fire, who is a half-sister to stakes winner King for a Day.

Joevia, owned by Jeff and Michael Fazio, is out of the unraced War Front broodmare Peace Process and was purchased for $32,000 at the Ocala Breeders Sales Company's 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale in April 2018.

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Sir Winston on the fence for Jazil

Tracy Farmer's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets winner Sir Winston, who was expected to make his first start since finishing 12th in the Woodchopper on December 28 at Fair Grounds, was downgraded from probable to possible for the $100,000 Jazil on January 25 at Aqueduct according to trainer Mark Casse.

Casse said Sir Winston is being treated for a foot issue after pulling a shoe during his five-furlong breeze in 1:02.86 on Thursday at the Belmont Park training track.

"Unfortunately, he pulled a shoe at some point during the work and we've been soaking his foot every day since the incident," said Casse. "We're watching him and right now I'd say he's 50-50 to run in the Jazil. We're certainly not going to rush to bring him back. We'll take our time and continue to watch him and see if he can make the race."

The Casse barn enjoyed a successful afternoon at Fair Grounds on Saturday where John C. Oxley's Enforceable,a maiden winner at Saratoga in August, captured the Grade 3 Lecomte and picked up 10 qualifying Kentucky Derby points with the win.

Casse said the Tapit colt, who rallied from 11th to secure the 1 1/2-length score under Julien Leparoux, exited the race in good order and his prolonged development reminds him of Sir Winston.

"I was telling Mr. Oxley that I thought he was going to be a special colt back in March of last year. It's just taken him a little while to put everything together," said Casse. "He looked impressive the way he won. Not being too anxious, sitting back and making one big move to victory, he did it well. He's a good example of our program and reminds me of Sir Winston in that we don't try to rush our horses. We're patient and it paid off."

Enforceable is out of the multiple graded-stakes winning Dixie Union mare Justwhistledixie, who has already produced graded-stakes winners New Year's Day, Mohaymen and Kingly. Both Mohaymen and Kingly are by Tapit and full brothers to Enforceable.

Casse confirmed Enforceable would most likely make his next start in the Risen Star on February 15 at Fair Grounds. Casse also reported multiple graded stakes winner Got Stormy, who completed her second breeze of the year on Tuesday working five furlongs in 1:02.00 at the Casse Training Center in Ocala, Florida, would likely make her seasonal bow in the Grade 3 Endeavour on February 8 at Tampa Bay Downs.

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New York-bred Tiz the Law breezes in preparation for G3 Holy Bull

New York-based jockey Manny Franco was in Florida on Sunday morning to guide Sackatoga Stable's New York-bred Grade 1-winner Tiz the Law through a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.55 on the Gulfstream Park main track.

Franco returned to New York in time to guide Doll to victory in Sunday's opening race at the Big A.

Tiz the Law has been stabled at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida while preparing for a run at the Kentucky Derby set for May 2 at Churchill Downs.

"He had a nice work. We brought him down here to get a feel for the track," said Tagg. "Manny came down to work him. They went out on their own and it looked like he handled it well. Manny thought he felt a little funny the first part of it, but then he got the hang of it and breezed nicely."

The Constitution bay, bred in the Empire State by Twin Creeks Farm, will look to make his seasonal debut in the Grade 3, $250,000 Holy Bull at Gulfstream which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law was a winner on debut in August at Saratoga Race Course and followed up in October at Belmont with a four-length score in the Grade 1 Champagne despite stumbling at the start.

Tiz the Law then shipped to Kentucky to finish third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club contested at 1 1/16-miles on a sloppy Churchill Downs surface. Tagg opted to skip the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park in California to focus instead on preparing the young colt for the First Saturday in May.

Tiz the Law currently sits fourth, with 12 points, on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard that is currently topped by Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court with 22 points.

In 2003, the Tagg trained New York-bred Funny Cide finished fifth in the Holy Bull as the first step en route to a driving 1 3/4-length score over Empire Maker in the Kentucky Derby.

That year, Funny Cide, who was also owned by Sackatoga Stable, ran second in both the Louisiana Derby and Wood Memorial before his Derby coup.

Tagg said any similarities in Tiz the Law's path to the Derby are coincidental.

"It's just the way it sets up, but we'll be on a similar path" said Tagg. "I'd kind of hoped to stay here in Florida for the whole thing, but I think the races are pinched together too much here.

"It's all up in the air right now. One step at a time," continued Tagg. "I think he looks great and he's developing very nicely."

The succinct Tagg said preparing another New York-bred for the Derby brings back a lot of good memories.

"It sure does," said Tagg. "But, we have a lot of wood to chop before the Derby."

Charles Fipke homebred Tale of Silence, off-the-board last out in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, is training with Tagg's string at Palm Meadows. The 6-year-old Tale of the Cat bay worked in company with Tiz the Law on January 12 at Palm Meadows and was on the work tab again Sunday morning covering a half-mile in 49 flat at the Boynton Beach training center.

Tagg said Tale of Silence could target the one-mile Grade 3, $150,000 Fred Hooper at Gulfstream on January 25.

"He didn't run very well in the Cigar Mile, but that's life," said Tagg. "We might try the mile race here at Gulfstream."

Tale of Silence captured the 2018 Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont and has proven to be a consistent earner with a record of 3-5-3 from 22 starts while banking $538,032.

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Nicodemus could target G3 Tom Fool

Trainer Linda Rice, who is fresh off her 2,000th career victory, was apprehensive about entering graded stakes winner Nicodemus in the Grade 3 Toboggan, but the way the son of Candy Ride was training gave the conditioner enough confidence to take a shot.

Her confidence was rewarded with a strong late-closing runner-up effort to dual Grade 1 winner Mind Control.

"I wasn't certain at the time but I was pretty happy with his last breeze coming into the race. He was sharp and feeling good so we went down that alley," Rice said.

Named after a biblical character in the Book of John, Nicodemus could race in the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool on March 7 at Aqueduct going six furlongs.

"We may point to the Tom Fool. It's a little short for him but not out of the question," Rice said.

Rice said Nicodemus, a Kentucky bred owned by Everything's Cricket Racing in partnership with Lawrence Goichman, has shown more professionalism since last year. The winner of last year's Grade 3 Westchester moved to Rice's barn in the summer of 2018 after breaking his maiden for former trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

"He's become much more professional. He was a lightly raced horse when we got him so we got some seasoning and experience," Rice said.

Nicodemus is out of the four-time graded stakes-winning millionaire Leah's Secret.

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Red Smith-winner Sadler's Joy looking "fantastic" as he readies for Pegasus World Cup Turf

Trainer Tom Albertrani said he's been pleased with the progress of his stakes-contender contingent training at Palm Meadows in Florida, with four-time graded stakes-winner Sadler's Joy remaining on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf on January 25 at Gulfstream Park.

Owned by Woodslane Farm, Sadler's Joy has been steadily working at Palm Meadows following his two-length score in the Grade 3 Red Smith last out over soft turf on November 23 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The son of Kitten's Joy earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his win against the 11-horse field, allowing him to cap his 6-year-old campaign with four consecutive triple-digit figures, including a 103 for his runner-up effort by a neck to Annals of Time in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer on Travers Day, August 24, at historic Saratoga Race Course. Sadler's Joy also earned a 104 for running third in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 5 at 1 ½ miles on Belmont Park's firm turf.

Entering his 7-year-old year, Albertrani said he's been encouraged by Sadler's Joy's recent works, including a five-furlong breeze in 1:02.55. The Kentucky homebred is 7-4-7 in 26 career starts and will be cutting back to the Pegasus World Cup Turf's distance of 1 3/16 miles, marking the shortest he's run since his one-mile career debut in May 2016 at Belmont.

"He looks fantastic and has been training really well, where we are pointing him right now to the Pegasus Turf next weekend," Albertrani said. "He's been really in good form. He's been a bit unlucky sometimes and he was close in every one of his starts last year. He looks as strong as ever. Going into the Pegasus, we know the distance is a little shorter than what he really prefers, but we are up for the challenge, and hopefully he can run a big one like he did in the Red Smith.

"Looking at him, now turning 7, he looks every bit as strong and healthy [as ever], and hopefully we have a good year with him," he added.

Sadler's Joy's half-sister Dyna Passer, also a Woodslane Farm homebred, is training at Palm Meadows as she gears up for her first race since running fifth in the Grade 2 Sands Point on October 12 at Belmont. The Lemon Drop Kid filly is coming off a sophomore campaign in which she earned graded-stakes blacktype by finishing third in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational, the finale of the inaugural Turf Triple Series, on September 7 at Belmont.

"She's been doing well. I don't have any races picked out for her at the moment but she's been training right along," Albertrani said.

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Cross Country Pick 5 to return on February 1, 2020

The New York path to the Kentucky Derby trail continues on February 1 at the Big A with the 140th renewal of the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers, which offers 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

The Saturday, February 1 card will also feature the return of the popular Cross Country Pick 5, which in partnership with other racetracks combines some of the best races from NYRA and around the country in one bet.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The New York State Gaming Commission approved nine dates for the Cross Country Pick 5, with each Saturday starting from February 1 through to March 28 to offer the unique wager in conjunction with both Oaklawn Park and Tampa Bay Downs. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

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Aqueduct Winter Week 4 Stakes Probables

Saturday, January 25

$100,000 Jazil
Probable: Adventist (Uriah St. Lewis); Backsideofthemoon (Robert Klesaris); Leitone-CHI (Jason Servis); Mr. Buff (John Kimmel); Stan the Man (John Terranova)
Possible: Sir Winston (Mark Casse); Small Bear (Gary Sciacca)

Sunday, January 26

$100,000 Ruthless
Probable: Bay Jewel (John Toscano, Jr.); Cruise and Danze (Jeremiah O'Dwyer); Love of My Heart (Casse); Miss Marissa (James Ryerson); Panthera Onca (Brad Cox)