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Three-time stakes winner Bankit points to $100K Haynesfield

by NYRA Press

• Three-time stakes winner Bankit points to $100K Haynesfield
• Pleasure Luck likely for allowance company next out
• Wonderwall to complete winding road to stakes competition in Sunday’s Busanda
• Aqueduct winter meet Week 7 stakes probables

Following a 4 ¾-length triumph over Mr. Buff last out in the Alex M. Robb, Bankit will be eyeing a return to action in the $100,000 Haynesfield, a one-turn mile for 4-year-olds and upward on March 21 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing, Bankit recorded a dozen starts last season, including open company stakes placings at Oaklawn Park in the Fifth Season on January 25 and Grade 3 Razorback on February 17, where he was second beaten a head both times, as well as a third in the Oaklawn Mile on April 11.

The 5-year-old bay son of Central Banker, who stands at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, registered a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure for the nine-furlong Alex M. Robb triumph. Breaking from the outside post in the six-horse field, Bankit was swift from the gate and tracked the pace of Sea Foam and Mr. Buff. At the top of the stretch, Bankit had dead aim at Mr. Buff and took command from the popular New York-bred just outside the furlong marker completing the nine-furlong journey in 1:51.59.

Bankit will cut back to one mile for the Haynesfield, a race named in honor of the New York-bred winner of the 2010 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Like Bankit, Haynesfield also was trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

Since his Alex M. Robb effort, which earned a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure, Bankit has remained in training under the watchful eye of Asmussen’s Belmont Park-based assistant Toby Sheets. He last worked on January 17, completing five furlongs in 1:01.66 over the Belmont Park training track.

“He got a little break because he got a huge number. He’s doing really great,” Sheets said.

Bred in the Empire State by Hidden Brook Farm and Blue Devil Racing, Bankit has amassed $816,675 through a 26-4-8-4 lifetime record. In addition to the Alex M. Robb, Bankit won the 2018 Sleepy Hollow at Belmont Park during his juvenile season as well as the 2019 New York Derby at Finger Lakes. He is the first offspring out of the Colonel John mare Sister In Arms and was purchased for $260,000 from the SGV Thoroughbreds consignment barn at the 2018 OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Chestertown will make his 2021 debut in an open company allowance on Saturday afternoon. The New York-bred son of multiple champion producing sire Tapit is out of two-time Grade 1-winning New York-bred Artemis Agrotera and was purchased for $2 million from Becky Thomas’ Sequel Bloodstock consignment barn at the 2019 OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Woodford Racing, Robert Masiello and breeders Chester and Mary Broman.

Chestertown, who won last year’s Albany on September 4 at Saratoga, defeated his Empire State-bred counterparts last out going a one turn mile on December 6 in an optional claiming event at the Big A.

“He’s competitive against open company and he’s mentally grown up a bit,” Sheets said. “He’s got a lot of talent, he just has to get things together. He’s settled down a lot.”

Through a consistent 10-3-3-1 record, Chestertown has not yet defeated open company but came close to doing so when second, beaten a neck, in a first-level allowance at Fair Grounds last February.

Asmussen is no stranger to success when it comes to prosperously conditioning offspring of Tapit, having trained the likes of 2014 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Untapable, 2016 Belmont Stakes winner Creator as well as champion producing sire Tapizar, who won the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

“He knows lots about Tapits, that’s for sure,” Sheets said.

Pleasure Luck likely for allowance company next out

Trainer Mark Hennig said he is not in any rush with impressive maiden winner Pleasure Luck, who graduated in style second time out going 6 ½ furlongs on December 19 at Aqueduct.

Bred in New York by John Hicks, William Ziemba and Elyse Mach and owned by Alan Brodsky, Pleasure Luck broke her maiden off a five-month layoff after finishing third on debut to subsequent graded stakes-placed Make Mischief.

In her maiden victory, Pleasure Luck broke from the rail under jockey Jose Lezcano, who weaved his filly a couple of paths to the outside and in the clear before taking command past the three-sixteenths pole and drawing off an impressive 7 ¼-length winner in a final time of 1:21.67 over the fast main track and a 73 Beyer.

Hennig said the daughter of second crop sire Carpe Diem, out of the Awesome again mare Beginner’s Luck, had been touting herself in morning training.

“She was training well going into it,” Hennig said. “It was one of those times where they backed up what you see in the morning. She finished things well. Jose rides a lot for me, so I didn’t give a ton of instructions.”

Hennig said Pleasure Luck will likely run through a condition and face winners before stepping into stakes company.

“Right now, we’ll probably just look for an allowance with her,” Hennig said.

Pleasure Luck was purchased for $50,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s 2019 Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Mike Recio’s South Point Sales Agency.

In the Big A Saturday opener, Hennig sends out maiden filly Tekila, who arrives off a distant sixth in a key maiden race won by Hit the Woah, where the second, third, seventh and eighth place finishers all came back to win their respective next efforts.

“Let’s hope we continue the trend,” Hennig said. “I think she continues to improve. She needed the first race. I think she learned a lot and didn’t have any quit in her that day, so hopefully she comes back and gives a better account of herself.”

Owned by Samotowka Stables, Tekila is by third crop sire Liam’s Map out of the Malibu Moon mare Beautiful Girl and was a $75,000 acquisition from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She was bred in Kentucky by Jumping Jack Racing.

William Parsons, Jr. and David S. Howe’s New York homebred Singular Sensation, third in the nine-furlong Bay Ridge on December 13 at Aqueduct last out, will likely make her next start at Gulfstream Park in South Florida, where Hennig has a division during the winter months.

The daughter of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft acquired black type last out off only ten days’ rest after finishing second in a one mile allowance event on December 3 at the Big A.

“I ran her back quick last time in ten days,” Hennig said. “After running back that quick, we decided to being her to Gulfstream and maybe get one start before going back up north.”

Wonderwall to complete winding road to stakes competition in Sunday’s Busanda

The word is on the street – and the overnight – that Wonderwall will make her stakes debut following back-to-back victories in Sunday’s $100,000 Busanda for sophomore fillies going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct.

Wonderwall recorded one runner-up finish and two off-the-board efforts in her first three starts at Laurel Park last year for then-conditioner Jeremiah O’Dwyer. In her final start of the juvenile campaign, the Munnings filly broke her maiden with a 7 ¼-length score on December 19 at the Maryland track. The day also saw Wonderwall claimed for $25,000 and transferred to the care of trainer Claudio Gonzalez.

In her first start for Gonzalez and new owner Marcial Cornejo, Wonderwall again won handily, staying off the pace before comfortably cruising to a 10 ½-length score against optional claimers going 1 1/16 miles on January 8 at Laurel. Following her stellar sophomore bow, Gonzalez will move her up to stakes company for the first time when she competes in the 48th running of the Busanda, carded as Race 8 at 3:50 p.m. Eastern.

“She came back good from that race and that’s why we decided to go there,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not an easy race and will be a challenge for her, but we can try. Since she did so good the last time, it looks like she can handle a little more [nine furlongs].”

Originally purchased for $50,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Wonderwall will be shipping to a different track for the first time in six career starts.

“It’s tough to say, the track will be new and she’ll be running without Lasix, but we’re just hoping everything will be OK,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez, who will saddle Maryland-bred Harpers First Ride in Saturday’s Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, said Wonderwall exhibits a quiet-but-willing demeanor as she trains at her base in Laurel.

“She’s really quiet and she does everything right when she has to gallop and breeze,” he said.

Jockey Trevor McCarthy will pick up the mount for the first time and will break from post 3 in the five-horse field. Wonderwall is listed at 5-1 on the morning line, while The Grass Is Blue is the favorite at 7-5.

“I know Trevor and he’s such a good rider, so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens,” Gonzalez said.

Aqueduct winter meet Week 7 stakes probables

Saturday, January 30

Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan

Probable: American Power (Rob Atras), Drafted (David Duggan), Malibu Pro (A.C. Avila), Pete's Play Call (Rudy Rodriguez), Share the Ride (Antonia Arriaga)

Possible: Sunny Ridge (John Kimmel)

Sunday, January 31

$100,000 Jimmy Winkfield

Probable: Pico d'Oro (William E. Morey), Return the Ring (Eddie Barker), Subsidize (Chad Brown), Weyburn (Jimmy Jerkens)

Possible: Texas Basin (George Weaver)