Take Me to Hardoon returns in Key Cents

by Keith McCalmont

Special Event training well into Forever Together

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart will send out Take Me to Hardoon in the 5th running of the $100,000 Key Cents, one of four stakes slated for Friday along with the $150,000 Forever Together, $150,000 Gio Ponti and the $150,000 Grade 3 Comely, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Take Me to Hardoon, a $77,000 purchase at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, returns to action in the six-furlong main track sprint for New York-bred juvenile fillies after finishing last of seven following a troubled trip in the Grade 1 Frizette on October 18 at Belmont Park.

The dark bay daughter of Violence won smartly in her September 2 debut at Saratoga, when a length the best over Key Cents rival Sassy Agnes, who has since come back to win a pair of stakes upstate at Finger Lakes.

Englehart is hopeful of a return to form for the talented filly he says will appreciate turning back in distance to a sprint.

"She's always been a nice filly in the mornings and we had some high hopes for her. The maiden race is what we thought she would do. I was a little disappointed in the stake that Jaywalk won [the Frizette], but maybe she didn't want to go that far," said Englehart. "She came out of the race fine and I didn't see any inclination of why she ran the race she did, so we'll give her another shot and just go from there. She's just had two career starts, so there's a lot of time for her to prove herself."

Bred by Stephen Crestani, Englehart helped pick the filly out at the sale for owners Gold Square LLC.

"I just liked her overall presence," recalled Englehart. "She had the look of a racehorse. A nice shoulder, nice hip, and everything about her looked like she wanted to be a nice horse. There's definitely some earning potential with having a nice New York bred."

Take Me to Hardoon will leave from post two under David Cohen.

To win the Key Cents, Take Me to Hardoon will have to fend off challenges from a talented field of 12 led by stakes winner Maiden Beauty and a strong pair for trainer Linda Rice which includes the aforementioned Sassy Agnes and Maid of the Mist winner Surge of Pride.

Maiden Beauty debuted with a 3 ¼-length score in the Lynbrook over six furlongs of a sloppy Belmont main. The Revolutionary bay completed the exacta behind Party Like Grandma in the Seeking the Ante and has since finished sixth in the Joseph A. Gimma and fourth, when rallying from last of 11, in the Maid of the Mist. Jose Lezcano will ride from post 10.

Sassy Agnes, a chestnut daughter of Central Banker, brought $105,000 in March at the OBS 2-year-olds in training sale. Following a difficult debut when seventh after breaking poorly from the gate in a maiden turf sprint at Saratoga, Sassy Agnes then finished second to Take Me to Hardoon before reeling off wins in the Lady Finger and Shesastonecoldfox at Finger Lakes with prominent trips. Owned by Beach Haven Thoroughbreds, Sassy Agnes will try for the all-stakes hat trick from post three under Jose Ortiz.

Surge of Pride, bred and co-owned by Chester and Mary Broman in partnership with Grey Fox Stable, graduated in a Saratoga turf sprint but picked up her first career stakes win when rallying from ninth to win the Maid of the Mist, a one-turn mile over the Belmont main track, while making her dirt debut. The Kantharos bay followed that effort with a distant third in the Grade 3 Tempted at Aqueduct. Junior Alvarado retains the mount.

My Best Friend, Collegeville Girl, Wait a Minute, Sadie Lady, Elegant Zip, Saloon Girl, She's So Shea D and Espresso Shot complete the field.

The 2nd running of the $150,000 Forever Together, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upwards, will go as the tenth and final race on Friday's card. A contentious field of 10 turf starters includes defending champion Penjade, the ultra-consistent La Moneda and Special Event, who has trained sharply for this event for conditioner Shug McGaughey.

An Emory Hamilton homebred, Special Event sports a record of 2-2-1 from seven starts in 2018 with her most recent score coming on May 4 in an optional claiming event on the Laurel Park turf.

The bay daughter of Arch posted a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure on June 21 when second to multiple Grade 1 winner New Money Honey, defeated just a neck, in an optional claimer over a good Belmont turf. Following three tries in Grade 3 stakes at Monmouth Park when second in the Eatontown, third in the Matchmaker and fourth in the Violet, a freshened Special Event will look to break through in stakes company for the first time.

Special Event breezed four furlongs in 49.09 seconds on November 12 over the Belmont main.

"I gave her a little bit of time. I was a little disappointed in her last race," said McGaughey. "She's been training really well and I'm looking forward to running her. She had a really good work here the other day. She's doing really well."

McGaughey is cautiously optimistic about his filly's chances on a wet turf.

"She's kind of a big filly and that may not be her best, but she did run on good turf at Belmont and it might have been a bit less than good that day," said McGaughey.

The well-bred Special Event is out of La Reina, who captured the Grade 3 Tempted here for McGaughey in 2003. She will break from post nine under Lezcano.

The French-bred Penjade rallied from fifth to nose out a victory over Not Taken to capture the inaugural Forever Together. The 5-year-old Air Chief Marshal mare, trained by Chad Brown for Amerman Racing, launched her career in France in 2015, winning once in six starts.

After going winless, with three seconds, through five starts in 2016, Penjade finally found her winning form taking four of six starts last campaign, all on the turf. She will make her third start of the season on Friday from a good third in an optional claiming event won by Forever Together rival Bellavais.

Irad Ortiz, Jr., will pilot Penjade from post five.

La Moneda, a New York-bred daughter of Freud trained by Tom Morley for Patricia Moseley, put together a four-race win streak from June 9 through August 24 that ended on the 5-year-old bay's first stakes win in the Yaddo at Saratoga.

With six wins and two seconds from 10 career starts, La Moneda has proven to be a model of consistency while racing almost exclusively on the turf. Last out, in the 1 1/16-mile Ticonderoga over a good Belmont turf, La Moneda chased home Fifty Five to complete the exacta. Alvarado has the call from post three.

Lift Up, Ready to Confess, Bombshell, Lady Joan, Dolce Lili, Bellavais, Conquest Hardcandy and main-track only entrants Matty's Magnum, Saida and Sexy Reasons complete the field.

Gates will open at 10 a.m. at Aqueduct on Thursday through Saturday. First post on Friday's 10-race card is 11:50 a.m.