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​Battle Bling in fine fettle for G3 Turnback the Alarm

by Keith McCalmont

Michael Dubb and Gandharvi Racing Stables’ Battle Bling will look to make the grade in Friday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Turnback the Alarm, a nine-furlong test for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward, on Opening Day of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Rob Atras, the 4-year-old daughter of Vancouver enters from a pair of 1 1/16-mile wins, having captured a handicap in September at Colonial Downs and the Twixt last out over a sloppy and sealed main track on October 1 at Laurel Park. 

The ultra-consistent dark bay has posted a record of 8-3-4-0 since being claimed by her current connections for $62,500 out of a runner-up effort here in December 2021. Her lone off-the-board effort for Atras was a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 La Troienne in May at Churchill Downs.

"You just don't see horses that run like that, especially at that level,” Atras said. “She just tries every time. She shows up whether or not she gets a good trip or a good pace to run at. She finds a way to show up and be there. It's nice to have a horse like that in the barn."

Battle Bling earned graded black type with a rallying runner-up effort in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Delaware Handicap in July ahead of her current streak which was accomplished with prominent trips.

"She's very versatile. She can come from off-the-pace, she's been right on the pace,” Atras said. “A mile and a sixteenth or a mile and an eighth, two turns, she just keeps showing up."

Battle Bling boasts a record of 4-1-3-0 at the Big A, led by a score in the nine-furlong Ladies in January followed by finishing a neck back of Bank Sting in the Heavenly Prize Invitational in March and three-quarters of a length to returning rival Exotic West in the Top Flight Invitational in April.

Atras said Battle Bling’s affinity for the Aqueduct main track is pivotal.

“It's nice she's won here and at the distance,” Atras said. “I think that's important at Aqueduct where it can be a tiring track. She handles this track well.”

Atras said Battle Bling, who worked a half-mile in 48.41 over Big Sandy on October 22, has maintained her winning form.

"She worked real good last week and had a light half today. She's doing good," Atras said. 

Kendrick Carmouche retains the mount from the outermost post 7.

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Nostalgic returns to the scene of her lone graded win in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Gazelle, where she bested Venti Valentine in April by 1 1/4-lengths.

Trained by Hall of Fame Bill Mott, the sophomore Medaglia d’Oro bay exited that effort to finish 10th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs. Following a two-month break, Nostalgic returned to make a pair of Grade 1 starts at Saratoga Race Course, finishing a distant third in the Coaching Club American Oaks in July and sixth in the Alabama in August.

Last out, she tried turf for just the second time, finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational on September 17 here.

Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr. has the call from post 4.

Louis Lazzinnaro’s graded-stakes placed Exotic West will make her first appearance since being freshened following an off-the-board effort in the restricted Summer Colony on August 19 at Saratoga.

Trained by Gary Sciacca, the 4-year-old Hard Spun bay has trained consistently over the Belmont dirt training track in preparation for her return.

“She blew out good this morning in 47 and came into it real good. She's doing well,” Sciacca said. “She'll be tough. She's doing really well. She's really come together. She's gotten bigger and broader.”

Exotic West has won 3-of-4 starts on the main track at the Big A, including a pair of one-mile allowance wins ahead of her Top Flight Invitational coup at nine furlongs. Her lone off-the-board effort on the main track here came in the Ladies when she stumbled and unseated jockey Dylan Davis.

Sciacca said he would like to see Exotic West continue that good run of form at the Big A.

“I hope she stays that way. She likes the distance going a mile an eighth, and she likes the two turns,” Sciacca said. 

Exotic West, who he claimed for $40,000 out of a winning effort in August 2021 at Saratoga, picked up graded black type with a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Allaire Du Pont Distaff in May at Pimlico. 

Exotic West will exit the inside post under Ruben Silvera.

Andrew Rosen’s First to Act [post 3, Javier Castellano] enters from a distant runner-up effort to Nest in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Beldame here on October 9 for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

The 4-year-old Curlin bay, out of the graded-stakes winning Giant’s Causeway mare First Passage, is a half-sibling to graded-stakes winner Berned. First to Act graduated at second asking in April at the Big A and notched an allowance score two starts later in July at Belmont Park ahead of a runner-up effort in her stakes debut in the nine-furlong Summer Colony.

Rounding out a competitive field are the Brittany Russell-trained Hybrid Eclipse [post 2, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], who finished third last out in the Grade 2 Beldame; the multiple graded stakes-placed Coach [post 5, Eric Cancel] for trainer Brad Cox; and stakes-winner W W Fitzy [post 6, Trevor McCarthy], who scratched out of Saturday’s Pumpkin Pie in favor of this spot for conditioner Tom Morley.

The Turnback the Alarm is slated as Race 9 on Friday’s 10-race card. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern and doors will open to the public at 10 a.m. 

The 29-day Aqueduct fall meet, which offers 33 stakes worth a total of $6.375 million, is highlighted by the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap on Saturday, December 3. 

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

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