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New York-bred The Wine Steward back in action in G3 Lexington

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• New York-bred The Wine Steward back in action in G3 Lexington
• Atras will look to earn graded scores on Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs with Neat, Way to Be Marie
• Our Shot pointing to G2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint with G1 Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing as long-term goal
• Tidal Forces looks to go from claim-to-fame in $150K Danger’s Hour
• Under 20s Challenge: Kantarmaci, D’Alessandro lead respective divisions
• Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet Week 3 stakes probables

Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Grade 1-placed New York-bred The Wine Steward makes his return from a six-month layoff in Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Grade 3, $400,000 Lexington on Saturday at Keeneland.

Trained by Mike Maker, the sophomore son of Vino Rosso was last seen finishing a hard-fought second to Locked in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on October 7 at Keeneland where he rallied from 2 1/2 lengths off the pace to finish a half-length back in a final time of 1:44.62. The effort was awarded a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure, and was enough to propel him towards a start in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but the talented colt was subsequently scratched from the prestigious test in November at Santa Anita Park.

Staudacher said he is pleased with how The Wine Steward has progressed from two to three.

“He’s been doing great, hasn’t missed a work, and we’re excited to get him back,” said Staudacher. “He’s gotten more aggressive and has really grown. I think the time off really did him some good.”

Staudacher added the Lexington is a good starting point for a sophomore campaign that he hopes to see conducted mainly in New York.

“We’re excited about this year, and we’re excited to get him back to New York,” said Staudacher. “We’re hoping he does good tomorrow.”

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm and Mark Toothaker, The Wine Steward graduated impressively against fellow state-breds on debut in May at Belmont Park and followed with another strong performance when capturing the Bashford Manor against open company in July at Ellis Park. He then won the state-bred Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital by a head over the subsequent multiple graded stakes-placed El Grande O in August at Saratoga Race Course en route to the Breeders’ Futurity.

The $340,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training is out of the To Honor and Serve mare Call to Service, a half-sister to graded stakes-winners Isotherm and Giant Game. He was been tabbed the 5-2 morning line favorite in the Lexington, where he will emerge from post 2 in rein to Luis Saez.

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Atras will look to earn graded scores on Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs with Neat, Way to Be Marie

Red White and Blue Racing’s Neat, trained by Rob Atras and piloted by Reylu Gutierrez, made the grade with hard-fought rail bid to score by a nose over Cugino in last Friday’s Grade 3 Transylvania, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for sophomores, at Keeneland.

The Constitution colt, a $200,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, has won 4-of-6 starts, including an eventful score in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile on January 27 at Sam Houston.

Last out, Neat was headstrong into the first turn of the Grade 3 Transylvania before taking back to stalk while saving ground in fifth through three-quarters in 1:13.53. Musical Act and Cugino dueled for the lead from the top of the lane with Neat splitting rivals inside the final eighth to earn the win in a final time of 1:44.93. The winning effort garnered a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

“The race he had at Texas was an eventful first turn and it almost shaped up to be the same thing at Keeneland - not as dramatic but he had to dive down to the inside and horses were coming in and another horse was coming off the rail,” Atras said. “Reylu had to make a decision and then he kind of wanted to run off on him a little bit, almost like what happened at Sam Houston but Reylu knows the horse now and didn't panic. He let the horses pass him and just let him settle.

“Turning for home he didn't really have a seam,” Atras added. “He had to make his own way, so between the horse's determination and Reylu's ride it was pretty impressive. I was thrilled.”

Neat, a half-brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Louder Than Bombs, graduated at second asking when besting next-out winner St James the Great in a 1 1/16-mile turf test in October at Laurel Park and followed with a 3 1/2-length score over next-out winner Card Trick going the same distance against winners in November at Fair Grounds.

Atras said Neat will point to the Grade 2, $600,000 American Turf at 1 1/16-miles on May 4 at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

“He's got enough tactical speed that a mile or a mile and a sixteenth is right around his range. He can be on the front or just off and still have a powerful kick coming home,” Atras said.

Atras could also have a strong contender for the sophomore filly turf division in Robert V. LaPenta and Madaket Stables’ Way to Be Marie, who drew off to a 6 1/4-length score against older foes in a 1 1/16-mile turf route on March 21 at Fair Grounds. The gate-to-wire effort under Florent Geroux registered a career-best 89 Beyer.

“Flo just inherited the front. She's quick and has a high-cruising speed and just kind of carries it,” Atras said. “She's another horse to be excited about and seems to be improving every start. I'm not sure what her best distance is yet, but I think she might stretch out and go a little further.”

Way to Be Marie will point to the Grade 2, $600,000 Edgewood at 1 1/16-miles on May 3 at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Oaks undercard.

“We are pointing her towards that race,” Atras said. “We ran into some problems at Fair Grounds with the rain and races coming off. We had wanted to try both of them in stakes down there. Fortunately, we were able to get an allowance race to go for her on the last weekend and she really performed well against older fillies.”

Way to Be Marie made her first two starts over the Big A turf, missing by a nose to eventual graded stakes-placed Dynamic Pricing traveling 1 1/16-miles in November. She followed with a stalking one-length score in a nine-furlong maiden in December at Fair Grounds.

A $95,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training sale, the Not This Time bay’s third dam is 1992 Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks-winner Golden Treat.

Law Professor, who won back-to-back optional-claiming events this year at the Big A for Atras, was purchased for $230,000 at last month’s Fasig-Tipton Digital Selected Sale by JTH Racing and transferred to trainer Wade Rarick.

Law Professor posted a narrow score over sloppy and sealed going traveling nine-furlongs on January 26 here ahead of a five-length romp going a one-turn mile on February 23 that garnered a career-best 100 Beyer.

Law Professor has since shipped to Arkansas where he has breezed twice over the Oaklawn Park main track, including a half-mile effort this morning in 49.40. He is nominated to the Grade 2, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap, a nine-furlong test for older horses on April 20.

The 6-year-old Constitution gelding boasts a perfect in-the-money record of 6-4-1-1 at the Big A, including nine-furlong scores in last year’s Queens County and Excelsior.

Law Professor won the off-the-turf Grade 2 Mathis Mile in February 2022 for his former conditioner Michael McCarthy four starts before taking the Tapit in September of that year over the Kentucky Downs green on debut for Atras.

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Our Shot pointing to G2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint with G1 Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing as long-term goal

Gatsas Stables, Steven Schoenfeld, and trainer John Terranova’s graded stakes-placed turf sprinter Our Shot is primed for a big spring and summer after a strong run for fourth in the 5 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Shakertown on April 6 at Keeneland.

The 5-year-old Kantharos gelding found himself further back than usual during the early going, 6 1/4 lengths off the pace in ninth-of-12 after an opening quarter-mile of 21.61 seconds over the good turf. He surged to fourth in the stretch and missed place-honors by less than one length, closing between Grade 1-winner Mischief Magic and stakes-winner Eamonn.

Terranova said he was encouraged by the chestnut’s effort and will likely point him towards the Grade 2, $600,000 Turf Sprint on the May 4 Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs.

“He came out of the Shakertown great. He’ll stay down there for a bit but will be coming back up here [to Belmont Park] and probably pointing towards the sprint on Derby Day down there at Churchill Downs,” Terranova said. “Our team is here so we will bring him back up here.”

The Shakertown fourth came second off-the-layoff and earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure, improving upon an 84 for finishing fourth in the six-furlong Big Daddy on March 9 over the Turfway Park synthetic.

Our Shot banked $239,963 through an 8-3-2-1 record in a 4-year-old campaign that came to an end with an off-the-board finish in the six-furlong Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on November 18. He entered that event from a rallying second in the Grade 2 Woodford in October at Keeneland.

Previously, Our Shot finished third in the Harvey Pack in September at Saratoga Race Course after beating multiple graded stakes-winner Arrest Me Red by a head in an optional claimer in July at the Spa.

Terranova said Our Shot’s long-term goal is the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing on June 8 Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga. The Jaipur offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November at Del Mar.

Curragh Stables’ stakes-placed Spiked seeks her first stakes score in Sunday’s Listed $150,000 Top Flight, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 5-year-old Unified dark bay was a last out sixth in a local one-turn mile optional-claimer on March 14. She entered off a closing third in the one-mile Heavenly Prize Invitational in her return from a near 10-month layoff on February 10, but broke through the gate before traveling an inside trip.

“She broke through the gate and that is why she didn’t run,” said Terranova. “I’m just going off her first race back and trying to build off that.”

Terranova said Spiked seems to prefer nine furlongs, a distance at which she won a local optional claimer last April and finished third that January after crossing the line first, but was disqualified due to drifting out in the stretch.

Jose Gomez retains the mount from post 4 in the five-horse field.

The Top Flight is slated as Race 3 on Sunday’s nine-race card that also features 6 1/2-furlong sprints for sophomores in the $200,000 NYSSS Times Square [Race 5] and $200,000 NYSSS Park Avenue [Race 8]. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Tidal Forces looks to go from claim-to-fame in $150K Danger’s Hour

Owner/trainer Fernando Abreu will ship the recently stakes-placed Tidal Forces to New York for next Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Danger’s Hour, a one-mile turf test for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 6-year-old Malibu Moon gelding was a last-out third beaten a neck by graded stakes-winner Smokin’ T in the one-mile Appleton on March 30 over the Gulfstream Park turf. He was bumped at the start and raced 2 1/2-lengths off the pace in the early stages before taking the lead at the stretch call, nearly hanging on to win at odds of 60-1.

Tidal Forces, claimed for $10,000 out of a win traveling 1 1/16-miles over the Gulfstream Tapeta two back, won his first start for Abreu in a February starter optional claimer at the Florida oval, besting third-place Fly the W, who won eight races in 2023 and is 16-for-37 lifetime.

“I claimed him and it was a big shake for him. It was a 14-way shake. When I claimed him, I never thought he was a stakes horse. But then I ran him in the starter and he beat the old timer Fly the W that’s been beating everybody in Florida,” said Abreu. “He ran a huge race in the Appleton. I’m hoping to transfer that over.”

Abreu said he had the confidence to try stakes company after the 1 1/4-length starter optional claiming score, which earned a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure, which he equaled in the Appleton.

“The good thing is that he’s owned by me, so I don’t have to worry about explaining to my owner why he was 60-1 and I had him in there,” said Abreu. “I took a shot because he could’ve been in a 2-other-than, but the horse, I have no issue with him. Maybe I keep him sharp, but he’s an old pro who does whatever you ask him to do.”

Bred in Ontario by Sam-Son Farm, Tidal Forces, out of the Dynaformer-mare Ain’t No Tellin’, seeks his first stakes victory after off-the-board efforts in Woodbine Racetrack’s Grade 3 Marine and Queen’s Plate in addition to Fort Erie Race Track’s Prince of Wales, all in 2021.

Tidal Forces boasts a record of 18-6-0-3 with $192,753 in earnings.

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Under 20s Challenge: Kantarmaci, D’Alessandro lead respective divisions

The 2024 Under 20s Challenge at Aqueduct Racetrack is in its final weeks as the popular contest for smaller stables at NYRA sees a strong performance from Mertkan Kantarmaci in Division A and a close battle for the top spot in Division B as Ralph D’Alessandro leads through April 6.

The Under 20s Challenge is a unique contest that awards points for top-five finishes in overnight races by eligible horses at the Aqueduct winter and spring meets. The top-six trainers with the most points at the conclusion of the spring meet on Sunday, April 28, will share in a prize pool of $60,000, with the winner of Division A earning $16,000.

Division A, which is open to trainers with 20 or fewer horses, sees Kantarmaci on pace to claim his sixth Under 20s victory, leading with 151.5 points to hold an 11.5-point lead over Jimmy Ferraro. The 32-year-old native of Istanbul, Turkey, boasts a 53-9-8-10 record at NYRA so far this year, with over $430,000 in earnings.

“It’s been good. We started good in January and slowed down a little bit in February and March, but April has started out strong,” said Kantarmaci. “We are trying to be in the money for the points, and second, third, fourth – it always helps.”

Among Kantarmaci’s top horses this year is Diane Balsamo’s Market Alert, who was claimed for $25,000 out of a third-place effort in January here. He then won a pair of claiming tilts for Kantarmaci before being claimed away for $25,000 on March 8. Luckily for Kantarmaci, he was able to claim him back for the same price yesterday out of a game runner-up effort to the Kantarmaci-trained Amundson, who was not haltered.

“We liked him and he won two in a row, and then we lost him for the same price we got him back,” Kantarmaci said of Market Alert. “I think he’s a horse we can always do good things with in the races where he belongs.”

In that same claiming tilt yesterday, Krakow Racing and Gaiety Stables’ consistent Bronx Bomber finished third for Kantarmaci, his fourth on-the-board effort in five starts this year. The 8-year-old Take Charge Indy gelding was haltered for $16,000 out of a win last February, and has been a model of consistency since, finishing in the money in 10-of-12 starts for his current connections.

“He’s my favorite that tries in every race,” said Kantarmaci. “He’s always second or third, and he’s trying wherever we run him, high or low level.”

Kantarmaci said his success in the claim box is thanks to a keen eye for back class.

“We are doing good with claims and we bring them back in better form sometimes. Of course, it doesn’t always work in a good way, but most of the horses we try to see the performances they had before and help bring them back to success,” said Kantarmaci. “We just want to claim horses who showed ability and speed before. If they have it again, it’s a good claim.”

With his sights set on the substantial top prize, Kantarmaci said the Under 20s contest is a strong incentive for smaller outfits in the Empire State.

“It’s big. We always talk about it every year, and it’s like winning a graded race for the under 20s and under 10s trainer,” said Kantarmaci. “It’s perfect.”

Among the greatest claim-to-fame successes for Kantarmaci was The Estate of Robert J. Amendola’s Evvie Jets, who was taken for $80,000 out of a runner-up finish in September 2021 at Belmont Park. Since then, the 6-year-old Twirling Candy bay has brought her connections on the ride of a lifetime, scoring a pair of graded wins in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel in 2022 at Belmont at the Big A and the Grade 2 Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa last year at Saratoga Race Course.

“It’s amazing. She also comes from the claiming level,” said Kantarmaci. “I wish we had more like her, and it’s so difficult to do what she did. Evvie Jets shows what we can find from claiming races.”

Evvie Jets was last seen finishing a game third in the Grade 1 First Lady in October at Keeneland before a winter freshening. She was initially slated to make her return in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Jenny Wiley tomorrow at Keeneland, but has been rerouted to the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on May 4 at its namesake oval due to its shorter distance of one mile.

“We were going to try Keeneland, but we need to go to a mile first off the layoff,” said Kantarmaci. “She’ll be much better in three more weeks. I’m excited and was excited when we decided to bring her back this year. Hopefully, she does the same good things this year as last and keeps herself in the higher class.”

Evvie Jets is Kantarmaci’s career-best earner with $689,708 of her $770,868 total purse earnings banked for her current connections. She boasts a 23-7-6-3 lifetime record with additional stakes scores in last year’s Plenty of Grace and Perfect Sting.

In Division B, open to trainers with 10 or fewer horses, Ralph D’Alessandro’s 70 points gives him a 10-point lead over Eddie DeLauro with Pat Quick in third with 55 points. D’Alessandro holds a 37-3-4-3 record for the year with $140,987 in earnings, led by game performances by Majestic Frontier when defeated a head in a $20,000 claiming tilt ahead of a one-length win at the same level on March 17.

“Everything is surprising. I’m glad I’m leading, but I’m not sure I’ll hold on,” said D’Alessandro, with a laugh. “It’s something nice to look forward to and it’s a good idea they’ve come up with. It helps create initiative to enter horses and it helps the small guy get some incentive to do well.”

The top-five trainers in Division B will share a prize of $50,000, with the winner awarded $16,000. The final tally of points will be checked on May 30, and awards for both divisions are scheduled to be paid out on June 1. For more information on the Under 20s Challenge, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/horsemen/under-20’s-claiming-challenge.

Past Under 20s Challenge Winners

2023 Aqueduct winter/spring meet [Division A] – Oscar Barrera, III

2023 Aqueduct winter/spring meet [Division B] – Patrick Quick

2021-22 Aqueduct winter/spring meet – Oscar Barrera, III

2021 Belmont spring/summer – Mertkan Kantarmaci

2020-21 Aqueduct winter – Mertkan Kantarmaci

2019-20 Aqueduct winter – Eddie Barker/Mertkan Kantarmaci (tie)

2019 Belmont spring/summer – Mertkan Kantarmaci

2018-19 Aqueduct winter – Mertkan Kantarmaci

2018 Belmont spring/summer – Eddie Barker

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Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet Week 3 stakes probables

Saturday, April 20

Listed $150K Danger’s Hour

Probable: Bring Me a Check (Patrick Reynolds), Equitize (Chad Brown), Masen (Brown), Spirit of St Louis (Brown), Tidal Forces (Fernando Abreu)

Sunday, April 21

Listed $150K Plenty of Grace

Probable: Marvelous Maude (Brown), Neecie Marie (Butch Reid, Jr.), Tass (Jorge Abreu)

Possible: Immensitude (Bill Mott)