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Split Time looks to end year on high note in Bay Ridge

by Najja Thompson

Set to make her first start since finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Comely on November 23, Split Time will look to pick up her fourth stakes win of the year headlining a competitive field of nine in the $100,000 Bay Ridge for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/8 miles on Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Linda Rice for Tic Stables, Split Time boasts a record of 5-2-2 from 10 starts including stakes wins at three tracks having captured the Maddie May at Aqueduct, the Alma North at Laurel and the New York Oaks at Finger Lakes in a lucrative 2018 campaign.

The talented Take Charge Indy bay, bred in New York by Sequel Stallions, arrives at the Bay Ridge from a good fourth, just a half-length out of third, in a loaded edition of the Grade 3 Comely won by the well-regarded Blamed over the multiple graded stakes placed Remedy.

"We were trying to be third with her in a graded race and improve her broodmare value," said Rice. "We've had a very good year with her, she's won three stakes and we wanted some graded black type and we ended up just a little shy of that. But she did run well in a very tough race."

Split Time, a $62,000 purchase by Rice at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale in Saratoga, has already paid big dividends for her connections with $326,700 in purse earnings.

Rice said Split Time made a good visual impression at the yearling sale.

"At that time, Take Charge Indy was a new stallion and an unknown quantity, but she had a big, beautiful frame and a lot of leg under her, great shoulder, and she was modestly priced due to the unknown sire," recalled Rice. "I thought she was worth a shot and of course, we've been very pleased with her."

In the Bay Ridge, Split Time will again try nine furlongs which the conditioner feels may be just slightly beyond the ultra-consistent filly's preferred distance.

"I think that she prefers a little shorter, maybe seven furlongs to a mile, but she can get a mile and an eighth it just might not be her best distance," said Rice.

Reunited with meet leading rider Junior Alvarado who has been aboard for four of her five career victories, Split Time will leave from post 5.

Unbridledadventure enters for Flying P Stable and trainer Bruce Levine in search of her third consecutive victory.

A 4-year-old New York-bred daughter of Courageous Cat, she is an unbeaten 4-for-4 at the distance, most recently capturing an allowance race on November 7 at the Big A and enters off an optional-claiming win on December 2 at Laurel Park.

Claimed by Levine for her new connections last September and facing stakes competition for the first time since finishing sixth in the New York Stallion Series Park Avenue in April of 2017, Levine believes she's earned the right to compete in this spot.

"She's proven she really likes two-turns and loves the distance, so we thought we'd give her the opportunity to prove herself," said Levine. "There are some quality horses in this field, but she's been training well coming into this and hopefully she'll get enough pace where she can stalk comfortably and finish strong."

Unbridledadventure will leave from the rail with Manny Franco in the irons.

Trainer Phil Serpe enters a pair of talented 3-year-old filly homebreds for owners Chester and Mary Broman Sr. with Held Accountable and Out of Orbit.

A daughter of Exchange Rate, Held Accountable began her career winning her first two starts including a victory in the Joseph A. Gimma as a juvenile and closing out her juvenile year with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Demoiselle to multiple graded stakes winner Wonder Gadot. Following an arduous start to her 3-year-old campaign, Held Accountable has found her top form of late, winning back-to-back races taking an optional-claiming race on October 25 at Belmont and an allowance race on November 23 at Aqueduct.

Out of Orbit, a daughter of Malibu Moon has amassed a record of two wins, four second-place finishes, and three thirds from fourteen starts this year. Stretching out to a mile on the dirt for the first time since March, she won an optional claiming race on November 16 at Aqueduct and followed with a second-place finish beaten only a half-length on December 9 at the Big A.

Held Accountable will leave from post 7 with Eric Cancel aboard. Out of Orbit will depart from post 9 with David Cohen in the irons.

Frostie Anne, will enter for trainer Rudy Rodriguez who also co-owns with Michael Imperio.

A 5-year-old New York-bred Frost Giant mare, Frostie Anne has six wins from 11 starts this year and two wins from three starts at the distance.

Winning the Saratoga Dew on August 17, she went on to finish ninth in the Empire Distaff on October 20 at Belmont and rebounded to finish third in the Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes on November 1.

Last out, Frostie Anne finished second after encountering trouble at the start in an allowance race on December 14 at Aqueduct.

"The last time I thought she was going to be on the lead and she was just off after the start, but I thought she ran well with what she had to overcome," said Rodriguez. "She's been training well and we've been pointing to this race. It's a competitive field, but hopefully we can use her speed to establish herself up front.

Frostie Anne will be ridden by Ruben Silvera from post 2.

Also entered is Bonita Bianca for trainer Jason Servis and owner Michael Dubb; Pink Twist for owner Eric Fein and trainer John Terranova; No Hayne No Gayne for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Toby Sheets; and Pride of Saratoga for trainer Jeremiah Englehart and owner Spa City Stables.