Nutella Fella seeks return to winning form in G3 Bold Ruler

Bell Gable Stable’s Grade 1-winner Nutella Fella brings a strong record to Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Bold Ruler, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, on Closing Day of the fall meet at Belmont at the Big A.

The Bold Ruler is slated as Race 9 on Sunday’s 11-race card, which will offer three graded stakes, including the Grade 3, $175,000 Forty Niner in Race 4 that will provide the top-three finishers a fees-waived berth into the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile on December 6 during the 27-day Aqueduct fall meet which spans Thursday, November 6 through Wednesday, December 31. Sunday’s lucrative program also includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Red Smith in Race 7 and the Listed $150,000 Turnback the Alarm in Race 1. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern.

Trained by Gary Contessa, Nutella Fella will make his first appearance since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 True North on June 7 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.

“He had a foot abscess in his front left that would not go away and lasted nearly two months," Contessa said. "He's doing great now. He's trained brilliantly at Saratoga. I shipped him down to Belmont and he's good to go.”

Nutella Fella announced his presence with a 54-1 upset in the 2023 Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga, storming from last-of-10 to post a 1 1/2-length score over Timberlake, who exited that event to win the Grade 1 Champagne.

The 4-year-old Runhappy colt raced once as a sophomore, closing from 18 lengths off the pace to finish a 1 3/4-length third to the victorious Book’em Danno in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens.

Nutella Fella [post 6, Javier Castellano, 123 pounds] has made four starts this season, including a tenacious neck score over next-out allowance winner Caramel Chip in the six-furlong Listed Pelican in February at Tampa Bay Downs.

There, with Junior Alvarado up, Nutella Fella needed every bit of the stretch run to squeeze up the rail to the inside of a game Caramel Chip.

Nutella Fella has made his last two outings in graded company, including a difficult eighth in the Grade 3 Commonwealth in April at Keeneland where he was fractious in the gate requiring his bridle to be replaced before re-loading.

Last out, Nutella Fella was again hard to load in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 True North contested over a sloppy and sealed track at Saratoga. The talented bay acquiesced once the stall door was opened for him and he loaded smartly into the outermost post 7 and settled in sixth position, making a wide late bid to land fourth, a nose in front of Nakatomi and 5 1/4-lengths back of the victorious Book’em Danno.

Contessa said he’s hopeful that Nutella Fella’s gate issues are in the past.

"They [the gate crew] know him and how to handle him and I trust they'll do the right thing by him at the gate," Contessa said. "I school him a lot at the gate. He probably goes to the gate twice a week.

“He really ran well last time. He'll be tough to beat in this race,” Contessa added. “He's training well. The key will be a good pace to run into - I think there's some speed in there and the more speed the merrier. He's ready so hopefully things go his way.”

Nutella Fella has trained consistently over the Oklahoma training track for this event, including a five-eighths breeze in 1:00.81 on October 23 and a three-eighths blowout in 36.25 Tuesday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

Contessa said a clean trip is paramount for a winning effort.

"His problem is that he comes from behind. He needs help with pace; he needs help with traffic - there's a lot of concerns,” Contessa said. “If he was a speed horse, it would be a different story. He has to come from behind and negotiate a few obstacles in order to win a race.”

Bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm, the $12,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Candy Ride mare Krissy’s Candy, who is a half-sister to the graded stakes-placed duo Danny Boy and Meal Penalty. He has banked $342,875 via a 7-3-1-1 record.

Jay Em Ess Stable’s Kentucky homebred Full Moon Madness [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche, 125 pounds] boasts an 11-4-2-1 record at the Big A topped by a victory in the six-furlong Grade 3 Tom Fool in March when 1 1/4-lengths the better of returning rival Surveillance.

Trained by Michelle Nevin, the 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding got caught up in a speed duel with Maximus Meridius in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in April here when seventh but rebounded with a 2 1/2-length fourth in the local Grade 3 John A. Nerud in May.

Full Moon Madness captured the six-furlong Alapocas Run in June at Delaware Park when a neck better than returning rival Buccherino with familiar foe Damon’s Mound in third.

Last out, the hard-knocking bay showed renewed vigor with three months between starts, rallying wide to earn a dead-head for place with Maximus Meridius when 1 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Buccherino in the 6 1/2-furlong Parx Sprint on September 20 at its namesake track. A blanket finish for the minor awards saw Damon’s Mound finish a neck back in fourth, with a nose to Hold My Bourbon in fifth and a neck to sixth-place Caramel Chip.

Full Moon Madness is out of the dual Grade 1-winning Indian Charlie mare By the Moon, who captured the 2014 Frizette and 2017 Ballerina on the NYRA-circuit for the same connections. He has banked $458,550 via a 16-5-3-3 ledger.

Happy Tenth Stable’s Buccherino [post 1, Jose Lezcano, 123 pounds] has won 4-of-6 outings this year for trainer Alfredo Velazquez.

The 4-year-old Florida-bred Bucchero colt’s solid run of form includes a one-length score in the Mr. Prospector in May at Monmouth Park and he enters from a pair of wins sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs at his Parx base, making every pole a winning one in the State Representative’s Sprint in August and a determined score in the Parx Sprint after dueling with pacesetting Maximus Meridius.

The ultra-consistent Buccherino went 2-for-5 as a sophomore, taking the Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint at Parx along with third-place efforts in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx, the Listed Gold Fever at Aqueduct and the Jersey Shore at Monmouth.

The $75,000 OBS Sprint Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the winning First Dude mare Bellimbusto, while his second dam is the Grade 3-placed Storm Flag. He has banked $471,800 through a 16-8-2-3 record.

A veteran field includes the Jorge Duarte, Jr.-trained Subrogate [post 4, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 123 pounds], who enters from a one-length win in the Listed Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park; stakes-winner Hurricane Nelson [post 7, Manny Franco, 123 pounds] for trainer Miguel Clement; stakes-placed The Golden Gorilla [post 2, Eric Cancel, 121 pounds] for trainer Jena Antonucci; and a pair of horses that are cross-entered for the main track only in Saturday’s Listed Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship, including dual Grade 2-winner Damon’s Mound [post 8, Junior Alvarado, 123 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and Bouncer [post 3, Jaime Rodriguez, 121 pounds] for trainer Jamie Ness.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.