Sir Winston works toward Dubai World Cup; Casse targets G3 Gotham with Untitled

by NYRA Press Office

• Risen Star winner Modernist has Alvarado Derby dreaming
• Water White looks to add to Kentucky Oaks qualifying points in targeting Busher
• Kept True a New York-bred success story for Treadway
• Sixto breezes in preparation for G3 Gotham
• Empire State-bred stakes winner Fierce Lady entered in Friday allowance
• America's Day at the Races to show Aqueduct, Oaklawn Park stake action in special Monday broadcast
• Cross Country Pick 5 pays $452.25
• Aqueduct Winter Week 8 Stakes Probables

Following a triumphant return to action in a January 31 allowance race at the Big A, Tracy Farmer's reigning Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston returned to the work tab on Friday when recording a half-mile breeze in 48.74 seconds over the Belmont Park training track in preparation for the Group 1, $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 28 at Meydan Racecourse.

The move was the seventh fastest of 45 recorded breezes at the distance.

Trained by Mark Casse, the Awesome Again chestnut cut back to a one-turn mile in his recent effort, where he broke last of seven, came under urging at the seven-sixteenths and outclassed his rivals to win by 2 ¼ lengths while garnering a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

Sir Winston will complete his Dubai World Cup training at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida.

"We just wanted him to go out there and stretch his legs a bit," Casse said of Sir Winston's Friday morning work. "We're getting him ready for South Florida and he'll likely arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday."

Casse noted the warmer climate in South Florida as the primary reason for shipping Sir Winston to Palm Meadows for his final Dubai World Cup preparations.

"We'll get him closer to some heat," Casse said. "I'd love to leave him in New York because he likes it up there, but we think with the weather in Dubai it's best to get him acclimated to a somewhat similar environment."

Casse said Tyler Gaffalione, who piloted War of Will and Got Stormy to Grade 1 victories for the trainer last year, will have the call aboard Sir Winston in the Dubai World Cup.

Elsewhere, Casse reported that Untitled, a recent second in a Friday Tampa Bay Downs allowance event to promising Grade 1-placed Gouverneur Morris, will likely ship to Aqueduct for the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham on March 7. The Gotham offers 50-20-10-5 Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Owned by Gary Barber and Michael Sebastian, the Florida-bred son of second-crop sire Khozan was a first-out winner for former trainer Ralph Nicks when gliding home to an 11-length win at Gulfstream Park on December 14 before finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Swale.

In his last out two-turn debut, Untitled was in front from his outside post, set a moderate tempo and dug in gamely down the stretch but was unable to fend off the Todd Pletcher-trained Gouverneur Morris.

"We were really happy with his performance," Casse said. "He's another horse that breaks a little bit slow, but I was proud of the effort he gave us. Todd's horse is obviously a nice horse."

Other possible candidates for the one-turn mile Gotham include War Stopper, Sixto, Shotski, Montauk Traffic, Mischevious Alex and Informative.

Casse also spoke highly of first out 6 ½-furlong maiden winner Patrol, who took the Saturday opener at the Big A, earning a 68 Beyer on debut.

Owned by Barber in partnership with Erik Johnson's ERJ Racing, the son of second crop stallion Liam's Map tracked the pace and dropped back to third before receiving his cue from jockey Dylan Davis around the far turn and made a move in between horses and won by 1 ½ lengths.

Casse said Patrol is not likely for stakes action next out and will target a first-level allowance event.

"He's a very nice horse and he should do better as he runs further," Casse said. "We expected him to run well, which he did."

On Saturday evening at Fair Grounds Race Course, royally-bred graded stakes winner Enforceable collected 20 more qualifying points towards the 'Run for the Roses' when finishing second in the Grade 2 Risen Star, which was won in gate-to-wire fashion by Mr. Monomoy.

Owned by John Oxley, the winner of the Grade 3 Lecomte at the New Orleans oval is third on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 33 points and will remain with Casse's Fair Grounds division for Louisiana Derby on March 21.

"He got away from the gate a little slow. Mr. Monomoy went out there on an easy lead and kind of stole the race," Casse said. "Unfortunately for us, we're a bit dependent on pace. He's still learning. He had to make a couple of different moves yesterday. Julien [Leparoux] had sensed the pace was slow."

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Risen Star winner Modernist has Alvarado Derby dreaming

Pam and Martin Wygod's Modernist, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and expertly piloted by Junior Alvarado, earned 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and an 84 Beyer Speed Figure with a prominent score in Saturday's second division of the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds.

The dark bay son of Uncle Mo graduated at Aqueduct Racetrack on January 25 with a gate-to-wire score in a nine-furlong maiden event and was similarly placed on Saturday exiting the inside post in an 11-horse field.

Alvarado, fresh off winning the Risen Star in the Fair Grounds nightcap, was back at the Big A for Sunday's opener to guide the Mott-trained Road Home to a third-place finish.

"Modernist showed great ability yesterday," said Alvarado, currently in fifth in the rider standings at the Big A winter meet. "He put me in a good spot and fought hard all the way to the wire."

Alvarado said he followed Mott's instructions to the letter.

"Bill said to take advantage of the one-hole and use him out of there, so we'll know how fast and how close up he wants to be," said Alvarado. "He got to a good spot and fought hard the whole way. When he won with me here at Aqueduct, he broke very sharp as well."

Modernist is in line to be Alvarado's fourth Kentucky Derby mount, having previously piloted Tax (14th, 2019), Enticed (14th, 2018), and Mohaymen (4th, 2016) on the first Saturday in May.

"I'm hoping the fourth time will be the charm for me. I'm very excited," said Alvarado.

Modernist is likely to make his next start in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 21 at Fair Grounds, a 1 3/16-mile test offering 100-40-20-10 points to the top-four finishers.

Alvarado said Modernist has the potential to be a solid Derby contender.

"I think he already is...we have the points, but there's still a lot for him to learn," said Alvarado. "His body is there already, but mind-wise he just needs to concentrate a little more in the first part of the race and he can become a great horse."

The well-bred Modernist's second dam is Sweet Life, who was named Kentucky's 2009 Broodmare of the Year having produced Grade 1-winning millionaires Life is Sweet and Sweet Catomine.

Kentucky Derby weekend could prove to be a special one for Alvarado, who is also the regular pilot of a pair of Mott-trained Kentucky Oaks contenders, including Godolphin homebred Lake Avenue, who won the Grade 2 Demoiselle in December at Aqueduct, and Harvey's Lil Goil, who won the Busanda earlier this month for the Estate of Harvey Clarke and Paul Braverman.

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Water White looks to add to Kentucky Oaks qualifying points in targeting Busher

E.V. Racing Stable's Water White posted her first breeze since running second in the Busanda, recording four furlongs in 53.22 seconds on Saturday on the Belmont training track. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez said the work was encouraging as the sophomore Conveyance filly targets the $250,000 Busher on Saturday, March 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 41st running of one-mile Busher will mark a slight cut back for Water White, who earned a 72 Beyer after running fifth in her graded stakes bow in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 7 at the Big A before running back at the same track and distance, finishing 7 1/2 lengths behind Harvey's Lil Goil in the Busanda on February 2 in her 3-year-old debut.

"She ran good, it was just that the winner was too much," Rodriguez said. "You don't know until you try, so we have to keep trying. But she looks good right now. She did it nice and easy on Saturday. She has to step up now, but it is what it is."

Water White earned four qualifying points towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs with her Busanda effort, with only 18 fillies having more points than her entering Sunday. Rodriguez said hopefully the Busanda, which offered 10-4-2-1 qualifying points, could be a springboard to the Busher, an invitational in which 50-20-10-5 points will be at stake.

"I have to talk to the owner, but we'll look at the next race coming up on the seventh and take it from there," he said.

Since running fourth in her debut at 6 ½ furlongs on August 18 at Saratoga Race Course, Water White has enjoyed success in routes, running second at one mile on October 5 at Belmont before a maiden-breaking score at third asking on over the same distance on November 15 at Aqueduct, edging Indawin by a head.

Bred by Richard Forbush in Kentucky, Water White was purchased for $50,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Sale.

Repole Stable's Dream Bigger, never off the board in six career starts with a 2-3-1 ledger, continues to train well and will look to again compete against fellow New York breds after running third in the 6 ½-furlong Rego Park on January 12.

"He tries; he doesn't really need anything and keeps himself ready," Rodriguez said. "We need him to improve a little bit to go to the next level, but there's a lot of money in the New York-bred stallion series."

The 3-year-old Mission Impazible colt won back-to-back stakes as a juvenile, capturing the New York Breeders' Futurity in September at Finger Lakes and returned to the NYRA circuit to win the Notebook with a 1 ¼-length score on November 17 at Aqueduct that earned him a personal-best 84 Beyer. All of his races have come between six-to-seven furlongs.

Dream Bigger was an earlier candidate for the one-mile $100,000 Gander on February 16, but Rodriguez said he wanted to be cautious after incurring a few minor issues out of the Rego Park.

A $205,000 purchase at the 2019 Ocala 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Dream Bigger continues to stable at Belmont, where he breezed four furlongs in 48.85 on the training track Friday. He is bred by Sequel New York, Twin Creeks Racing and Pamela Zielinski.

"We were thinking about stretching him out, but he came back with a little bruise after the last race, so we'll wait a little longer," Rodriguez said. "Our [original] intention was to run him a mile in the Gander, but he had a little issue and stepped on a nail and it took him a little while to get in order. But right now, he looks good and he worked pretty good [Friday]."

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Kept True another New York-bred success story for Treadway

Owner-breeder Jeff Treadway's Kept True enjoyed her first career stakes score in Saturday's $100,000 Broadway over the Aqueduct main track for older New York-bred fillies and mares.

The homebred daughter of Yes It's True shortened up to six furlongs from running second in the seven-furlong La Verdad at the beginning of the season and maintained her stellar record at three-quarters of a mile.

"It's certainly preferable when we find it, not easy to get the exact race that she wants. Ideally five and a half to six and a half is where she is best," Treadway said. "I was going through the stakes book and it doesn't look like there's much at the distance. We may look out of town for something at six furlongs or sit on her for a bit and wait for one of these New York-bred stakes. She's run well against open company and shown she was competitive. With the race yesterday, it seems that she has improved."

Treadway and trainer Leah Gyarmati previously enjoyed great success with the Kentucky-bred Sweet Reason who captured the Spinaway, Acorn and Test, all Grade 1 events, on the NYRA circuit.

"We had some real success with horses like [multiple stakes winner] Wonder Gal, [graded stakes winner] Noble Moon and Sweet Reason," Treadway said. "It's been a good relationship and a lot of success so hopefully we can keep it going. Sometimes you get into these ruts. When you get there, you don't feel like you can get out. Hope springs eternal in racing."

Kept True is out of the three-time stakes-placed Henny Hughes broodmare Well Kept and is a direct descendant of 1989 Champion Sprinter and Hall of Famer Safely Kept. Treadway acquired the broodmare from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale in Mach 2011 from Crupi's New Castle Farm, where she was a $95,000 RNA.

"We bought the mare as a 2-year-old at the sale and she was an RNA for Jimmy Crupi," Treadway said. "He came to us and said he really liked the horse so we bought her from him and it turned out to be great. She was a nice race mare. She was a decent stakes level horse and certainly a true sprinter. She has a Henny Hughes type of body on her."

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Sixto breezes in preparation for G3 Gotham

Southern Equine Stable's first out maiden winner Sixto was back to work for trainer Eric Guillot on Saturday, logging a half-mile maintenance move in 51.10 over the Belmont training track.

Under frigid temperatures in the high teens, the dark bay son of Curlin posted his first work in preparation for the Grade 3 Gotham on March 7, which offers the top four finishers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points towards the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

"I just gave him a little maintenance work," Guillot said. "He went in company with his [unraced] stablemate Three Eyed Raven. The weather was cold that morning, so the track was pretty deep and dry, and I didn't want to do too much with him. Next Saturday, I'll do a little more with him."

A dark bay Curlin sophomore, Sixto was acquired from the inaugural Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale last June, where he was purchased for $250,000 from the King's Equine consignment. A half-brother to stakes winner and multiple graded-stakes placed Catch My Drift, Sixto is out of the Yonaguska broodmare Drift to the Lead.

"He's a very aggressive young colt, very classy," Guillot said. "The best part about him is that he's very push button. He can do just about whatever you want him to. He'll get on the muscle in the shed row when he's being walked, but when he's on the track he's aggressive and all class."

Guillot stated that Sixto would have two more works in preparation for the one-mile Gotham, which is run over the Aqueduct main track at one-turn.

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Empire State-bred stakes winner Fierce Lady entered in Friday allowance

Nice Guys Stables and Steve Hornstock's stakes-winning New York-bred Fierce Lady will make her second sophomore start in an open allowance optional-claiming sprint in Friday’s seventh race at the Big A.

Trained by Dermot Magner, the dark bay daughter of Competitive Edge has excelled in restricted sprint stakes, winning the Seeking the Ante at Saratoga in August and completing the exacta in both the Stillwater at the Spa and the Joseph A. Gimma at Belmont in September.

Fierce Lady landed fourth in the Franklin Square when making her seasonal debut on January 18 at Aqueduct. Although nominated for the $100,000 Maddie May, a one-turn mile for New York-bred sophomore fillies on February 23 at the Big A, Magner instead targeted Friday's allowance sprint.

"She's doing good and she has a race under her now. We'll look to stretch her out down the road," said Magner.

The Magner-trained Inveterate, a bay daughter of Palace Malice owned by Nice Guys Stables, graduated in style by 6 1/4-lengths in Sunday's third race at the Big A when making all the running in a one-mile maiden.

"She looked good breaking her maiden today and I'm hoping she'll progress," said Magner.

A $40,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Inveterate was piloted to victory by Manny Franco.

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America's Day at the Races to show Aqueduct, Oaklawn Park stake action in special Monday broadcast

America's Day at the Races, the highly acclaimed live racing television program providing nationwide thoroughbred racing coverage, will have a special broadcast on Monday, Presidents Day, showcasing live racing from Aqueduct Racetrack and Oaklawn Park, which will host a Kentucky Derby prep race with the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest.

Presented by America's Best Racing, Runhappy and Claiborne Farm, the February 17 edition of America's Day at the Races will air from 4-6:30 p.m. Eastern on FS2 and broadcast from both tracks, including the 42nd running of the $100,000 Hollie Hughes at Aqueduct: a six-furlong sprint for New York-bred 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs in Race 8 with a 4:25 p.m. post time. My Boy Tate, who captured the 2018 edition of the stakes, will look to notch another one for trainer Michelle Nevin, drawing the inside post in the eight-horse field.

A stakes-packed card at Oaklawn will bolster the program, with the Grade 3, $200,000 Bayakoa for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up contesting at 1 1/16 miles at 4:08 p.m.

In Oaklawn's Race 8 at 5:09 p.m., a talented field of older horses will compete in the Grade 3, $500,000 Razorback Handicap. Math Wizard, fifth in the Breeders' Cup Classic, will make his 4-year-old debut in the 1 1/16-mile race, along with 2019 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes third-place finisher Joevia, who will be making his first start since the "Test of the Champion" in June. Other contenders include Warrior's Charge, fourth in the Preakness, as well as Guest Suite, Pioneer Spirit, Bankit, Exulting, Rated R Superstar and Bravazo, among others.

The next race will see 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points up for grabs for the top-four finishers of the 1 1/16-mile Southwest, where the group of sophomores is expected to leave the gate at 5:43 p.m. The Southwest will see the first, third and fourth-place finishers in the $150,000 Smarty Jones last month, all conditioned by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, comprise one-third of the Southwest's nine-horse field, including front-running winner Gold Street, Shoplifted (third) and Silver Prospector (fourth). Gold Street has won three in a row.

The Brad Cox-trained Answer In will be making his first start since finishing second, a head, back to Shoplifted in the $400,000 Springboard Mile in December at Remington Park. Trainer Todd Pletcher will send out Chase Tracker, while Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas entered American Butterfly.

America's Day at the Races will feature an Aqueduct-based crew of host Greg Wolf and analysts Andy Serling and Richard Migliore, while Oaklawn coverage will be anchored by Laffit Pincay III, Gary Stevens and Nancy Holthus.

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Cross Country Pick 5 handles $75K

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, with a total pool of $75,428, returned $452.25 for the 50-cent wager.

The sequence began at Aqueduct where post-time favorite Bronx Bomber [No. 1, $6.40] wired the field of 13 to win a first level allowance for conditioner John Toscano, Jr. and owners Drawing Away Stable.

The action then moved to Tampa Bay Downs for the next two legs as Killybegs Captain [No. 7, $6], with Samy Camacho aboard for trainer John Terranova broke alertly and never relinquished the lead to win the $100,000 Pelican with a commanding 2 ¾ length victory. Bye Bye Nicky [No. 9, $12.80] for owners Nice Guys Stables and trainer Derek Ryan followed in a maiden special weight contest for fillies and mares providing the biggest price in the multi-race wager.

The penultimate leg, a second-level allowance race at Oaklawn Park going 1 1/16 Miles on dirt, was won by Something Natural [No. 2, $6] for conditioner Brad Cox. The 3-year-old Violence colt owned by Madaket Stables, Kent Spellman, and Ten Strike Racing stalked from fourth position with Joe Talamo aboard, moving to the two-path in the stretch to grab the lead extending away to win by 1 ½ lengths.

The final leg returned to Tampa Bay Downs for the Minaret for fillies and mares 4-years-old and upward where graded stakes winner Lady's Island [No. 3 $4.20] with Emisael Jaramillo aboard went wire-to-wire to best the field of 10.

Owned by Matties Racing Stable and Averill Racing for trainer Gerald Bennett, the 6-year-old mare boosted her career earnings to $434,195 for her first victory of the season following a second-place finish in the Sunshine Millions Sprint on January 18 at Gulfstream Park.

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 Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

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Aqueduct Winter Week 8 stakes probables

Saturday, February 22
$100,000 Haynesfield
Probable: Aveenu Malcainu (Jeremiah Englehart); Dynamax Prime (Rob Atras); Fleet Irish (Alexandra Hillegass); Honor Up (Michelle Nevin); Mr. Buff (John Kimmel); Syndergaard (John Terranova); Twisted Tom (A.C. Avila)

Sunday, February 23
$100,000 Maddie May
Probable: Courageous Girl (David Donk); Holmdel Park (James Ryerson); Ice Princess (Danny Gargan)
Possible: Myawaya (Todd Pletcher)