Rodriguez savoring one-two finish in $500K NYSSS Great White Way

by NYRA Press Office

• Rodriguez savoring one-two finish in $500K NYSSS Great White Way
  
• David mulling one more start before freshening for $500K NYSSS Fifth Avenue-winner My Shea D Lady
  
• Dune Road possible for $150K Jerome; Lady Milagro to $100K Abundantia
  
• Aqueduct fall meet Week 8 stakes probables
  
  Trainer Rudy Rodriguez celebrated a first and second-place finish in Saturday’s $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way at Aqueduct Racetrack when Antonio of Venice captured the seven-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired juveniles, with Heavyweight Champs elevated from third to second position after the disqualification of Brick Ambush. Together, Rodriguez’s two trainees took home $375,000 of the available $500,000 purse.
  
  “It was a good day for us for sure,” Rodriguez said Sunday morning. “A very good day.”
  
  Antonio of Venice, co-owned by Rodriguez with Michael Imperio, Robert Cotrone and Hibiscus Stables, notched the first stakes victory of his career under jockey Manny Franco with a rail-skimming trip in third behind pacesetting stablemate Heavyweight Champs before encountering traffic troubles in the turn. The son of Laoban angled out sharply from the rail as The Big Torpedo was pinched between him and the retreating Solo’s Fury with Brick Ambush making his bid from just off the pace widest of all.
  
  Antonio of Venice was taken all the way around Brick Ambush in the stretch and found more with each stride down the center of the course to collar Brick Ambush and post the three-quarter-length victory in a final time of 1:24.40. He was awarded a 68 Beyer for the effort.
  
  Rodriguez expressed his gratitude for the result after the stewards’ inquiry.
  
  “Thank God he stayed up and that we enjoyed it,” Rodriguez said. “He looks good this morning. He took a nap all morning and he’s a nice, cool horse to be around. I’m just happy we won and that we didn’t get DQ’d. I lost my voice rooting for Heavyweight Champs in the stretch and then saw Antonio and said, ‘Oh boy, come on!’ Antonio stole the show. It’s good for us.”
  
  Bred in New York by Cypress Creek Equine, Antonio of Venice was bought for $35,000 by Rodriguez at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and has since banked $350,744 through a record of 6-2-1-1. Rodriguez said the robust colt emulates his late sire Laoban, a son of Uncle Mo who stood his final season at stud in Kentucky in 2021.
  
  “I liked Laoban, and [his progeny] are nice, solid horses,” said Rodriguez. “They have good bone. Antonio of Venice put on a lot of good weight and matured with some rest. We just go steady without pushing him. Yesterday, Michael Imperio said, ‘Man, this horse never looked this good.’”
  
  Rodriguez added no further plans have been made yet for Antonio of Venice.
  
  “We’ve run him a lot, so we’ll see what’s coming up,” said Rodriguez. “The way he looks and presents himself, it looks like he’s going to be a sprinter. It’s a lot of money in the New York Sire Series, so we’ve got a lot of options with him.”
  
  Big Dom Racing Stable and Big Toe Stables’ Heavyweight Champs made a productive career bow under Ruben Silvera and ran on gamely in the stretch as Brick Ambush and Antonio of Venice overtook him past the sixteenth pole, crossing the finish line third 2 1/4 lengths behind Antonio of Venice.
  
  Rodriguez said he was impressed with the way the son of Solomini handled an eventful debut.
  
  “It’s very good, and the owners are very happy,” said Rodriguez. “I was expecting him to set the pace; I told Ruben, ‘put him in the game and take it from there. Don’t let him get behind with the kickback.’ We had schooled him in the morning with the kickback, but it’s way different in a race. He’s been breaking very sharp from the gate. He ran the way I thought he would, and I thought the seven-eighths was going to be a little hard for him – it’s a stiff race to put a baby in. He came back good and he’s happy.”
  
  Rodriguez also sent out King Freud, whom he co-owns with Frank Witz, to an even off-the-board finish in the Great White Way, and reported that the son of Freud emerged from the race in good order.
  
  “He’s a turf horse. I’ll freshen him up for the turf now and maybe we’ll geld him,” said Rodriguez. “He looks good today. He’s a nice, solid, strong horse.”
  
  One race before the Great White Way, Rodriguez saddled Adam Madkour’s Sun and Wind in the $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue, where she finished a pace-pressing fourth 3 3/4 lengths behind the Javier Castellano-piloted My Shea D Lady. The Freud dark bay had entered from a fifth-out graduation in an October maiden claiming tilt at the Big A.
  
  “She came back good and I was very happy,” said Rodriguez. “If you look at the replay, it looked like Javier [drifted] out, and she lifted her head up a little bit. She’s a wary filly, so she doesn’t like to be intimidated too much. I was happy with the way she ran. She didn’t embarrass herself.”
  
  ***
  David mulling one more start before freshening for $500K NYSSS Fifth Avenue-winner My Shea D Lady
  
  My Shea D Boy’s Stable’s My Shea D Lady posted a breakthrough victory in Saturday’s $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue when stalking and pouncing to a 2 1/2-length score in the seven-furlong test for eligible New York-sired juvenile fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack.
  
  Trained by Carlos David and ridden to victory by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, the daughter of Solomini made her fourth consecutive outing in stakes company and tracked in sixth in the early stages behind pacesetter Soloshot before steadily improving position down the backstretch. The dark bay took a half-length advantage over pace-presser Sun and Wind at the top of the lane and drew off down the stretch while drifting to the center of the course, crossing the wire first in a final time of 1:25.91. The effort garnered a 51 Beyer Speed Figure.
  
  David said My Shea D Lady could potentially race one more time before a freshening if the right spot comes up.
  
  “She’s good this morning and sound,” said David. “I think some time off will be good for her. I’m still looking at the new condition book and if there’s something that makes sense, she’ll run one more time. If not, she’ll go to Florida. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”
  
  My Shea D Lady graduated on debut sprinting five furlongs in July at Gulfstream Park ahead of her four stakes starts. She finished a respective third and fourth against fellow state-breds in the Seeking the Ante in August at Saratoga Race Course and Joseph A. Gimma in September at Belmont at the Big A, defeated 8 1/4 lengths in both efforts. She entered the Fifth Avenue from an even fourth-place finish in the state-bred Key Cents sprinting six furlongs on November 18 here.
  
  “We waited so long [for this win] and she’s run hard, but those other races were kind of tough,” said David. “It’s a good thing she came through for the guys and for the team. She’s medium-sized and very athletic, so I knew early she was the best of the bunch of 2-year-olds I had. So far, she’s been what we expected her to be and we can’t ask for any more.”
  
  Bred in the Empire State by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, My Shea D Lady has banked $336,500 in total purse earnings through a 5-2-0-1 record. She is out of the Teuflesberg mare Ladyberg, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Hoosick Falls and stakes-placed Manor Prospect.
  
  ***
  Dune Road possible for $150K Jerome; Lady Milagro to $100K Abundantia
  
  Blue Devil Racing Stable’s Kentucky homebred Dune Road is possible to make his next start in the $150,000 Jerome on January 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The one-turn mile for sophomores offers 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.
  
  Trained by Carlos Martin, the Speightstown gelding graduated on debut with a gate-to-wire performance on December 8 here under Kendrick Carmouche in a one-turn mile maiden claimer. The dark bay marked splits of 22.97 seconds, 46.53 and 1:12.39 over the fast main track, kicking clear at the quarter-pole to a 2 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:38.10. He garnered a 68 Beyer Speed Figure.
  
  "I was surprised he showed that much speed. In the morning, he had always been steady and didn't show 22 and change speed, but he broke so sharp that Kendrick just left him alone," Martin said. "I was pretty happy. He was ready to run but the way we usually prepare our horses, you would hope they keep improving moving forward. We don't crank them to the gills first time out, so I'm optimistic that was a pretty good effort all things considered."
  
  Martin said he is hopeful that Dune Road will continue to improve with racing experience.
  
  “He's still a work in progress. It took his mind a while to come around," Martin said. "We gelded him three or four months ago and he's a little on the quirky side, but he was very professional in the paddock and in the race. He broke sharp and was on cruise control. I watched the replay and he was a little green not switching leads, so I still believe there's some improvement there."
  
  Dune Road, a half-brother to stakes-winner Kentucky Ghost, is out of the graded stakes-winning After Market mare Closing Range, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Stupendous Miss.
  
  "He's a compact horse - more a medium size. He's got a lot of Speightstown in him even though he's not chestnut," Martin said. "He's a handy, athletic type of horse - well-made and solid.
  
  “The dam has had a coupe nice horses like Kentucky Ghost, who has earned over half a million,” Martin added. “He has an interesting pedigree, so he's a horse that hopefully can get better and distance doesn't seem like it will be an issue. He'll run on.”
  
  Martin said he has nominated Dune Road to the Jerome and will keep an eye on how tough the race comes up.
  
  “The ‘non-winners of one’ is the day before and if the Jerome is coming up light, you have to consider all the options,” Martin said.
  
  Amanda Laderer and Dianette Rivas’ Kentucky homebred Lady Milagro, a 51-1 upset winner of the $150,000 Autumn Days on November 17 here, has shipped to Florida for a start in the $100,000 Abundantia, a five-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on December 31 at Gulfstream Park.
  
  The 4-year-old First Dude bay led through splits of 21.69 seconds and 43.84 over the firm outer turf course in the six-furlong Autumn Days, surging to a five-length lead at the stretch call en route to a 1 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:07.55. The victory, which garnered a career-best 91 Beyer, provided apprentice jockey Luis Rivera, Jr. his first career stakes win.
  Martin said a half-mile breeze December 7 in 47.61 over the Belmont dirt training track convinced him Lady Milagro was ready for one more race this year.
  
  “She came out of the race great,” Martin said. “I was going to go ahead and punt the football away but she was doing so well I wanted to work her once and she worked sensational. She's sound, doing good and there's not many races left.
  
  “I sent her down to Florida and it seemed like she shipped in fine,” Marin added. “We'll probably get a good work Friday over the Tapeta surface and take one last chance and then give her a bit of a break.”
  
  The victory marked the first stakes win for Lady Milagro, who has banked $329,852 through a 24-4-4-4 record. However, the talented bay has proven to be especially effective on turf with a 7-3-1-1 ledger and Martin said he is hopeful she will thrive in her first Florida start.
  
  “It would be nice to end the year on a high note,” Martin said. “I know three-quarter speed and five-eighths speed is different but 21 and 43 is 21 and 43. I'm optimistic she'll be tough.
  
  “One more and we'll put her away for a New York campaign next season,” Martin added. “She's really thriving physically and mentally and putting it together.”

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Aqueduct fall meet Week 8 stakes probables

Thursday, December 28 – (To be drawn Monday, Dec. 18)

$100K Bay Ridge (NYB)
Probable: Amanda’s Folly (Linda Rice), Bustin Bay (Rice), Know It All Audrey (Oscar Barrera, III), Sweet Mystery (Pat Quick), Venti Valentine (Jorge Abreu)

Friday, December 29 – (To be drawn Monday, Dec. 18)

$100K Alex M. Robb (NYB)
Probable: Aggregation (Chad Brown), Barese (Mike Maker), Dr Ardito (Brown), General Banker (James Ferraro), Overstep (Todd Pletcher), Un Ojo (Rice)