Francesca LeDonne Photo

Talented juveniles set to compete in redrawn Central Park on Friday

by NYRA Press Office

Rescheduled from Thursday's canceled Thanksgiving card at Aqueduct Racetrack, the redrawn $100,000 Central Park for juveniles going 1 1/16 over the turf has attracted a talented field of 10 and will now be contested on Friday, December 6.

Conditioner Christophe Clement entered talented stakes-winner City Man for owners Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Peter and Patty Searles.

A New York-bred son of Mucho Macho Man, City Man has made each of his previous four starts on the dirt and enters the Central Park coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish as the favorite in the Sleepy Hollow at Belmont Park on October 19.

Looking for City Man to improve with a switch to turf, he broke his maiden in an off-the-turf event at on July 18 at Saratoga Race Course before earning a stakes win in the Funny Cide followed by a close third-place finish in the Bertram Bongard on September 20 at Belmont before running in the Sleepy Hollow.

"City Man is a dirt horse, but in his last two races he didn't quite finish his races on dirt as well as he should," said Clement. "We took him on the infield turf at Belmont and he trained very well over it with Joel [Rosario]. I think it's a fun race to try him. He had a very good work over it, so we will try him on the grass and see what happens."

City Man will leave from post 2 with Rosario aboard.

Trainer Mark Casse and Live Oak Plantation send out stakes-winner Old Chestnut.

The Speightstown colt picked up a pair of impressive gate-to-wire wins going five furlongs at Woodbine. He followed a maiden score over the all-weather surface on August 9 by notching a win against stakes company on turf in the Ontario Racing.

After finishing sixth in the Indian Summer at Keeneland, the Florida-bred chestnut showed renewed signs of life over the local course in the six-furlong Atlantic Beach on November 9 at the Big A, rallying from the back of the pack after some traffic trouble to get fifth.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez picks up the mount aboard Old Chestnut from post 4.

Facing winners for the first time is Mr. Kringle for trainer John Terranova and owners That's Amore Stable, Michael McMahon, and Bob Weeks.

The New York-bred son of Shakin It Up is coming off a handy win on November 14 at the Big A, where he defeated fellow state breds by 1 ¾ lengths going 1 1/16 miles on turf.

"He's doing well and he's a big, strong colt and he did it easy last time," said Terranova. "I was pretty impressed with how he came out of the race and trained on. We're looking to put him in there and see how he does."

Mr. Kringle will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche from post 8.

Also entered are Pixelate [Jose Lezcano, post 10], who was narrowly beaten in the Awad at Belmont in his last start; Ashraq [Mychel Sanchez, post 6], who will both try turf for the first time for trainer Michael Pino; Mo Ready [Manny Franco, post 1], a New York-bred who broke his maiden at the Spa in his most recent start; anHomeland [Junior Alvarado, post 3], a debut winner for trainer Bill Mott making his second career start.

Alpha Sixty Six, Chase Tracker and Prince of Pharoahs were entered for the main track-only.