Janet Garaguso Photo

Super Chow hungry for more stakes success in G3 Tom Fool Handicap

by Christian Abdo

Lea Farms’ Super Chow looks to repeat his recent graded stakes success in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Jorge Delgado, Super Chow made the grade last out in the Grade 3 Toboggan on February 3 here with a convincing 4 1/4-length gate-to-wire score under apprentice jockey Madison Olver.

The 4-year-old dark bay broke sharply from stall five-of-seven and displayed frontrunning tactics in the seven-furlong test, leading at each call with enough in reserve to fend off returning rival Manny Wah, crossing the line in a final time of 1:25.10 over muddy and sealed footing.

“The front-end is kind of his style, there might be one horse that is kind of faster than him in the first quarter, but I know we are bringing a really good horse into the race,” said Delgado. “He’s been in really good form for the last year and a half, so I’m really excited about this race.”

Olver has been aboard Super Chow four times with second-place efforts over the summer in Monmouth Park’s My Frenchman and Jersey Shore, and show-honors in the Carle Place in October at Belmont at the Big A. The pair reunited after Super Chow missed by a neck in an optional-claiming sprint in December at Gulfstream Park and finished a distant third in the Steel Valley Sprint at Mahoning Valley in November, under different riders.

“Olver has been doing a good job with him, and with the barn in the last year. She was a regular rider for us at Monmouth and did great stuff in the mornings as well,” Delgado said. “She earned this kind of mount.”

Together, the Olver-Super Chow duo won the first graded stakes of their respective careers in the Toboggan. The effort garnered a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

Prior to his Toboggan conquest, Super Chow won the Bowman Mill at Keeneland and Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs during his 2-year-old campaign along with last year’s Limehouse and Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park. He finished second in last year’s Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream and third in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special as a juvenile.

Bred by Spendthrift Farm, out of the Warrior’s Reward mare Bonita Mia, Super Chow is a full-brother to sophomore filly Princess Indy, winner of the Sorority at Monmouth in August.

Super Chow was a $75,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training and holds a 16-7-4-4 record that has banked $590,650.

Olver will retain the mount from post 3 with Super Chow carrying a field-high 124 pounds.

Susan Moulton’s Manny Wah looks to reach millionaire-status on Saturday while avenging his recent second to Super Chow in the Toboggan for trainer Will Walden.

"I thought the winner Super Chow looked like he relished the surface that day a lot. We thought Manny Wah was primed for a big effort, I thought he'd go up there and run well,” Walden said. “He ran well and came out of it great."

The 8-year-old son of Will Take Charge will make his third start for Walden, his first 41 outings coming under the care of conditioner Wayne Catalano. The chestnut boasts a 43-5-10-7 record with $955,196 in earnings, highlighted by a neck score in the 2022 Grade 2 Phoenix prior to a strong effort for fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, both at Keeneland.

“The way he ran last time shows the fact that he still wants to do it. It doesn't look like he has lost that much of a step," Walden said.

Ramon Vazquez will be in the irons aboard Manny Wah, who is assigned 119 pounds from post 4.

Merrylegs Farm’s New York homebred Listentoyourheart is set to try graded stakes company for the first time in his 18-race career. The 7-year-old gelding was last seen winning a six-furlong optional claiming sprint by a neck here on February 2. The victory earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure and marked the third win in seven tries since being moved to the care of conditioner Ray Handal last year from Christophe Clement.

“The horse is in great form. He’s run in some bang-up races and we’ve kind of knocked out his conditions, the New York-bred, and now he’s won his open,” said Handal. “When you get these guys running at a high level, I think it is the time to take a shot.”

Katie Davis has piloted the Afleet Alex bay to all of his triumphs under Handal, including a state-bred optional claiming sprint in April at the Big A in his second start with blinkers and an allowance sprint in May at Belmont Park, which were both awarded a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He’s kind of a goofball but Katie rides him in the morning and gets along with him really well. We put blinkers on him, Katie and I came up with that together,” Handal said. “Since we put the blinkers on him, he has really turned the page.”

Out of the Gold Token mare Je T’aime, Listentoyourheart was a stakes-winner as a juvenile in the Aspirant at Finger Lakes.

Davis will retain the mount from post 2 [118 pounds].

William Butler’s five-time stakes-winner and graded stakes-placed homebred Rotknee [post 5, Jose Lezcano, 121 pounds] looks to make the grade following a four-length triumph of the New York-Bred Say Florida Sandy here on January 28.

Trained by Mike Maker, the 5-year-old son of Runhappy last tried graded stakes company in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap when third beaten 2 1/2 lengths at Saturday’s distance by Bold Journey, the same foe who beat him in his next outing in the local Gravesend on December 30.

Rotknee is out of the Speightstown mare In Spite of Mama who also produced My Mane Squeeze, the winner of the recent Maddie May that has now won three consecutive state-bred stakes.

Owner-trainer David Jacobson will saddle a pair of contenders in Grade 3-winner Durante [post 8, Manny Franco, 122 pounds], who looks to bounce back from an uncharacteristic off-the-board finish in the one-mile Fifth Season at Oaklawn Park, and veteran stakes-winner Stage Left [post 7, Florent Geroux, 119 pounds].

A cut back to six furlongs could be appreciated by Durante, who has three wins at the distance in seven tries, including a 2 3/4-length triumph of the Grade 3 Bold Ruler at Belmont at the Big A on October 27.

Durante hit the board in his first seven starts since arriving to the East Coast in August and into the barn of Jacobson, after beginning his year in California for trainer Keith Craigmyle. Bred by William Humphries and Altair Farms, the 5-year-old Distorted Humor gelding has a record of 26-7-6-2 with $490,661 in earnings.

Stage Left enters from a pair of fourth-place efforts in the Gravesend and Toboggan. The 8-year-old Congrats gelding joined the Jacobson barn in March and has won 4 starts since, notably emerging victorious in an off-the-turf edition of the King T. Leatherbury in April at Laurel and the Rumson in September at Monmouth Park.

Out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Repent mare Diva Delite, Stage Left is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Midnight Bisou. He holds a record of 45-12-7-6 and has banked $710,983.

Completing the field is Downtownchalybrown [post 1, Julio Hernandez, 116 pounds] who enters off a Penn National optional claiming sprint victory for trainer Panagiotis Synnefias, and Twenty Four Mamba [post 6, Dylan Davis, 119 pounds], who captured a local optional claiming sprint in his last run for trainer Charlton Baker.

The Tom Fool is slated as Race 9 on a stacked Saturday card featuring the one-turn mile Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham in Race 10, which offers 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers; the Listed $200,000 Busher at one-mile for sophomore fillies, which offers 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, in Race 7; and the Listed $150,000 Stymie at one-mile for older horses in Race 8. First post on the 10-race card is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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

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