Stone Smuggler seeks more stakes success in $125K NYSSS Staten Island

NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Sunset Ridge Racing Stable’s dual stakes-winner Stone Smuggler will look to return to winning form in Saturday’s $125,000 Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Jorge Abreu, the 3-year-old Honest Mischief bay was purchased for $57,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Preferred Yearling Sale with an eye towards the lucrative $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue in December here, which she won by 1 3/4-lengths with a stalking trip. 

Dan Zanatta, co-managing partner of NY Final Furlong Racing Stable, said the Fifth Avenue score was a dream come true. 

“We bought her with that race in mind and to actually get her there and win it was incredible - you can't make that up. It's so hard to plan two years out to buy a horse for a specific race, but we're glad it worked out,” Zanatta said. 

Zanatta said the NY Final Furlong team, which focuses on New York-bred stock, keeps an eye out for New York-sired yearlings. 

“We seek them out because we know there's additional value there,” Zanatta said. “We might find one or two stallion series horses each year that we look to buy, but when we do find them, I get excited because I know they offer value on the purchase price side as well as additional value once they hit the racetrack.” 

Stone Smuggler graduated in style at second asking in the 5 1/2-furlong Lady Finger over sloppy and sealed going last September versus fellow New York-breds at Finger Lakes. She completed a productive juvenile campaign with a pair of local starts, landing a prominent third in the state-bred Key Cents in November ahead of her Fifth Avenue coup. 

Stone Smuggler [post 1, Manny Franco] has made just two starts this campaign, finishing a distant fifth in the Grade 3 Prioress on August 30 at Saratoga Race Course and sixth last out versus elder state-bred company in the 6 1/2-furlong Iroquois on October 25 here – a race that saw older millionaires Sterling Silver and My Mane Squeeze finish first and third, respectively, after dropping in from graded events. 

Zanatta said he is hopeful that Stone Smuggler is turning the corner and in top shape heading into Saturday’s test. 

“She's a filly that's always held a lot of weight and it's hard to get fitness into her. We breezed her 10 times ahead of the Prioress,” Zanatta said. “Last time, the Iroquois came up really tough - as tough as a Grade 2 with all those older horses in there. When we looked at this year, we always thought the main target would be this race just because it fits her so well being a stallion series race. It might be a bit long for her, even though she won at this distance last year, but the competition should fit her best.   

“Going into the Iroquois, I looked at her the week before - after she had breezed - and thought she still wasn't fit and was still holding a lot of weight,” Zanatta added. “But that's just her - she's a hearty, good-eating, good-training horse, it just takes a while to get her into peak performance. Hopefully, third start back off the layoff we'll have her right. She should improve yet again.” 

Stone Smuggler has worked back twice since the Iroquois, including a half-mile breeze Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 49.22 seconds in company with state-bred stakes-winning sophomore filly Kay Cup, who is co-owned by NY Final Furlong Racing Stable with Electric City Racing and Sportsmen Stable. 

Zanatta noted that Kay Cup, who won the seven-furlong state-bred Bouwerie in June at Saratoga, will cut back to seven-furlongs for a state-bred allowance here on November 30 following a pair of efforts traveling nine-furlongs in state-bred stakes. 

“Kay Cup breezed with Stone Smuggler head and head yesterday. Hopefully they both have good races over the next couple weeks,” Zanatta said. “Kay Cup will hopefully have a good allowance prep and then run in some New York-bred stakes races this winter.” 

Bred in the Empire State by Eaton and Thorne, Inc., Stone Smuggler is out of the winning Bustin Stones mare Bustinattheseams. She has banked $372,847 via a 6-2-1-1 ledger. 

Trainer David Duggan will send out a talented pair in multiple stakes-winner Sunday Girl [post 7, Flavien Prat] and five-time winner Intentious [post 6, Joel Rosario]. 

Mitre Box Stable, Clear Stars Stable and Eight Note Stable’s Sunday Girl has won 7-of-12 starts but has only stretched her speed successfully to 6 1/2-furlongs thus far– that score coming with a three-length victory in the local NYSSS Park Avenue last April as part of a four-win sophomore campaign. 

The 4-year-old Central Banker chestnut has won 3-of-6 starts this year, including stakes scores in the six-furlong Correction versus open company here in March ahead of a 2 1/4-length win in the six-furlong John Hettinger against fellow state-breds in her turf debut on June 29 here. 

Sunday Girl, bred in the Empire State by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, arrives from a prominent 2 1/2-length fourth in the Iroquois and will have the services of red-hot rider Flavien Prat for the first time since an off-the-turf state-bred optional-claiming win last July at the Spa. 

Sunday Girl, out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Lady Daphne, was a $100,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Her stakes-winning second dam, Littlebitabling, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Too Much Bling. 

Windylea Farm’s New York-homebred Intentious, a 4-year-old Solomini dark bay, enters from a rallying neck score in a seven-furlong state-bred allowance on October 26 here. There, with Dylan Davis up, Intentious rallied from last-of-8 and 10 lengths off the pace to score the narrow victory over stakes-placed Nina Kay. 

Intentious, who will make her stakes debut, has banked $169,551 via a 15-5-2-2 ledger. She is out of the winning Bluegrass Cat mare Punkin’s Pride, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Lightstream.  

Also entered are dual stakes-winner Soloshot [post 3, Jaime Rodriguez] for trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci; the Dimitrios Synnefias-trained Storm Changer [post 5, Jose Gomez], who captured the NYSSS Park Avenue here in April; multiple stakes-placed Midtown Lights [post 2, Javier Castellano], who races first off the claim for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.; and 11-time winner Khali Magic [post 4, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Rudy Rodriguez. 

The NYSSS Staten Island is slated as Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the $125,000 NYSSS Thunder Rumble in Race 1. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

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

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