Chelsea Durand Photo

Tricky Temper up in time in $100K Key Cents

by Keith McCalmont

Mark Stanley’s Tricky Temper arrived in the final jumps to collar pacesetting Cara’s Time and capture Saturday’s $100,000 Key Cents, a six-furlong sprint for New York-bred juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Jeremiah Englehart trainee provided jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. with his fourth win on the card, including a similarly dramatic score in the state-bred Notebook aboard Works for Me in Race 4.

“She broke well and put me in a beautiful spot. I just bided my time,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “The horse in front of me [Cara’s Time] is a nice filly, so I just used her like a target and got there on time. Jeremiah did a great job with her. He was very positive and told me she was doing really well and to ride her with confidence.”

Stakes-winner Cara’s Time, with Dylan Davis up, marked off splits of 22.76 seconds and 46.78 over the fast main track with My Shea D Lady and Tricky Temper stalking her early foot. Tricky Temper advanced up the rail through the turn, as My Shea D Lady retreated, and took aim at the pacesetter, who opened up by 1 1/2-lengths at the stretch call.

Tricky Temper was asked for more by Ortiz, Jr. with an eighth of a mile to run and the talented bay pricked her ears and charged once more at Cara’s Time, who drifted out to meet her rival in the final 70 yards. But there was no denying the momentum of Tricky Temper, who prevailed by a neck in a final time of 1:11.74. It was a further 6 1/2-lengths back to Unicorn Cake in third with My Shea D Lady, Soloshot and the slow-starting Alley’s Song rounding out the order of finish. Brown Suga Babe and Ashburn Alley were scratched.

Ortiz, Jr. said his filly took a moment to respond in the stretch run.

“I hit her once and she didn’t do anything, just stayed straight. I asked her a second time and she went two paths wide. I corrected her and she just kept going forward,” Ortiz, Jr. said.

Tricky Temper made her first two starts in state-bred company at Saratoga Race Course, graduating on debut on August 9 in an off-the-turf maiden event ahead of a fading fourth in the six-furlong Seeking the Ante. She then stepped into open company here, finishing second in the six-furlong off-the-turf Matron on October 8 ahead of a distant ninth when stretched out to 1 1/16-miles in her turf debut in the Chelsey Flower on October 27.

The Mitch Friedman-trained Cara’s Time has competed exclusively in state-bred company through a record of 5-2-2-0. She made her last two starts here with Davis aboard, taking the seven-furlong Joseph A. Gimma in September and finishing a pacesetting second on October 29 in the one-mile Maid of the Mist.

“I was optimistic on her today. Cutting back from the mile, I thought she definitely would be strong here at six [furlongs],” Davis said. “She’s plenty fit and Mitch did a great job. She’s getting better every start and I really thought that we were home a winner. She responded for me down the lane, it’s just that horse was a little bit better. My filly, she’s very quirky and you’ve got to stay with her. She’ll drop you if you’re not paying attention to her. She ran great.”

Bred in the Empire State by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm, Tricky Temper banked $55,000 in victory while improving her record to 5-2-1-0. She returned $5.90 for a $2 win bet. Tricky Temper is out of the multiple stakes-winning Any Given Saturday mare Winter Book, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Motor City.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Aqueduct with a nine-race card featuring the $120,000 Central Park in Race 5 and the $135,000 Forever Together in Race 7. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern. 

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

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.