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​Jet Force looks to remain perfect in $100K Ruthless

by Mary Eddy

Orpen Horses’ Jet Force will try to extend her record to a perfect 3-for-3 for trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer in Sunday’s $100,000 Ruthless for sophomore fillies sprinting seven furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

A chestnut daughter of Jimmy Creed, Jet Force graduated on debut at Penn National going 5 1/2 furlongs on December 21, taking a maiden special weight from off the pace by one length with regular pilot Jaime Rodriguez in the irons.

Ten days later, Jet Force made the step up to allowance company to face winners for the first time, changing up her tactics and setting the pace in the six-furlong sprint for Pennsylvania-breds at Penn National. Breaking alertly under Rodriguez, the 3-year-old filly came away the best of eight runners and never looked back, leading at every point of call to win convincingly by 2 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:11.81.

“We’ve been quite happy with how she’s been improving and she seems to be doing well,” O’Dwyer said. “She’s a nice filly; strong, powerful and very willing. She sat off the pace and came on and beat them in her first race and then the second time she just bounced out and had loads of tactical speed. She used that to her advantage and coasted around at the front.

“[The Ruthless] is a big stepping stone for her coming off the back of two wins, but I think she has matured physically and mentally since then,” O’Dwyer added. “She needs to take a step forward, but we feel like she has.” 

O’Dwyer said he made the decision to run Jet Force back quickly in her allowance when a condition that he felt suited her came up sooner than he anticipated. 

“She came out of that first race really well and we didn’t breeze her back or anything in between. We just gave her a couple easy days and she was bouncing around the barn,” O’Dwyer said. “She had good energy and was in good spirits and was very happy to be back to the track.” 

O’Dwyer said he is hopeful that Jet Force will relish more ground as she prepares to travel the farthest of her young career in the Ruthless. 

“I’d like to think she’ll improve with the distance. It’s a deeper surface [at Aqueduct] than what she’s used to, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. She’s a very smart filly and doesn’t need to be on the lead,” said O’Dwyer. “She can relax and run her race from wherever. She learned so much from her first race.” 

Rodriguez will ride again from post 3. 

Omar Rodriguez and Jeff Ganje’s Shotgun Hottie shipped to the barn of new trainer William Morey, Jr. in January from Fair Grounds, switching barns after making her first four starts for Tom Amoss. 

A daughter of Gun Runner, Shotgun Hottie finished second on debut sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs before stretching out to 1 1/16 miles at third asking and breaking her maiden by three-quarters of a length under Tyler Gaffalione over the fast main track at Churchill Downs.

Shotgun Hottie made her stakes debut in the Untapable at Fair Grounds in her next outing, finishing fourth 3 1/2 lengths behind undefeated filly North County and earning a field-best 72 Beyer Speed Figure in defeat. The 3-year-old filly has one work at Belmont Park since arriving in the Empire State, breezing a half-mile in 49.78 seconds over the dirt training track on January 25. 

Morey said that seven furlongs may not be the filly’s preferred distance. 

“She trains like a route horse, like a mile plus horse, but with the timing I think seven furlongs will be the closest we can get right now,” said Morey. “She’s doing well.” 

Trevor McCarthy picks up the mount from the outermost post 7. 

Laurie Wolf and Glen Hill Farm’s Miss Interpret enters as the lone stakes winner in the field of seven, a last-to-first winner of an off-the-turf rendition of the P.G. Johnson at Saratoga Race Course in August. 

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Miss Interpret has run her best races at sprint distances, breaking her maiden traveling six furlongs over muddy going at Saratoga before her P.G. Johnson score at seven furlongs. 

The daughter of Street Sense broke last in the P.G. Johnson’s short field of four and improved her position at each point of call, crossing the wire 1 1/2 lengths the best in a final time of 1:24.80 under Jose Ortiz. 

Kendrick Carmouche gets the call from post 4 aboard Miss Interpret, who add blinkers.

The Chad Summers-trained Champagne Poetry will hope to build on a last-out maiden score for owner Jonathan Hardoon where she sprinted six furlongs to a narrow victory at the Big A on January 13. 

Piloted by Dylan Davis, Champagne Poetry sat close to pacesetter Glitter Up throughout, swinging to the three-path in the turn and grinding away to the outside of the leader to inch away to a neck victory.

A bay daughter of Carpe Diem, Champagne Poetry’s maiden score came on the heels of a third-place effort on debut over the turf at Aqueduct. She breezed a half-mile in 49.55 over Belmont’s dirt training track on January 28 in her final prep for the Ruthless. 

Davis will retain the mount from post 1. 

Landslid, a daughter of Flashback, is seeking the second win of her career after finishing on the board in each of her three starts since breaking her maiden at Belmont in September for owners Relentless Racing and Shon McLain. 

Trained by Rachael Keithan, Landslid has won or finished on the board in all but one of her eight lifetime starts, her only off-the-board finish coming in her 4 1/2 furlong debut where she broke slowly and never got involved. 

Since then, the grey filly has a perfect in-the-money record at distances ranging from five furlongs to a mile and 70 yards, with her lone victory occurring at six furlongs. Her latest effort was a well-beaten third at Parx going a mile and 70 yards in an optional claimer with Kendrick Carmouche up on January 19. 

Landslid, who adds blinkers, will break from post 5 with Luis Rodriguez Castro in the irons. 

Rounding out the field are Lady Milagro [post 2, Eric Cancel] and Knowing Glance [post 6, Manny Franco]. 

The Ruthless is named in honor of the Hall of Fame filly who won the inaugural running of the Belmont Stakes in 1867, becoming the first of three fillies to capture the Test of the Champion. Ruthless also became the first of three New York-breds and the second of seven fillies to win the Travers at Saratoga in 1867. 

Hagler looking to rebound in $100K Jimmy Winkfield

E.V. Racing Stable’s Hagler will add blinkers as he looks to secure his first stakes win for trainer Rudy Rodriguez in Sunday’s $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield for sophomores sprinting seven furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Jimmy Winkfield was initially scheduled for last Sunday's card which was cancelled due to the impact of a powerful winter storm in the New York City metropolitan area. Five of the original eight Jimmy Winkfield contenders have returned minus a trio of defectors who contested last Saturday's Spectacular Bid at Laurel Park in Witty [1st], Coastal Mission [2nd] and H P Moon (6th].

A son of Tapiture, Hagler enters the Jimmy Winkfield off a fifth in the Jerome going a one-turn mile over the sloppy and sealed main track at the Big A on New Year’s Day, setting the pace before weakening in the stretch under Trevor McCarthy and finishing five lengths behind winner Courvoisier.

The Jerome was the farthest the chestnut colt had traveled in his career, having broken his maiden in convincing fashion at Belmont Park going 6 1/2 furlongs in October to best a field of six other rivals by 4 1/2 lengths under Jorge Vargas, Jr.

Vargas Jr. got the call again in his next start, sending Hagler to the lead and never looking back to score in a seven-furlong optional claimer at Aqueduct, finishing up 1 1/4 lengths the better of stakes winner Doin’ittherightway.

Rodriguez said he is hopeful Hagler will appreciate turning back to sprinting after his off-the-board finish in the Jerome.

“From what he’s shown us in the morning, it looks like he wants to be a sprinter,” said Rodriguez. “You never know though. Maybe when he gets a little older he can go a little longer. But I want to try to keep him short. Let’s hope cutting him back will be good for him. It’s not an easy race and when you run in these kinds of races they’re usually tough.”

Bred in Florida by his owners, Hagler is out of the twice-winning Latent Heat mare Ambitious Dancer. His full brother, Sky of Hook, took down the Rick Violette at Saratoga Race Course in 2019 for Rodriguez to be Tapiture’s first black type winner.

Hagler will emerge from post 2 with Vargas, Jr. in the irons again. 

E.V. Racing Stable will also send out stakes-placed Life Is Great. Trained by Robert Klesaris, the son of Tapiture graduated in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at the Big A in November before shipping to Laurel Park to finish a game third in the seven-furlong Heft on December 26.

Life Is Great raced from off the pace in the Heft, settled in fourth position by Horacio Karamanos after being bumped at the start, closing well down the center of the stretch to be beaten just two lengths as the 3-5 favorite.

Out of the Read the Footnotes mare Zucca, Life Is Great is a half-brother to Sadie Lady, winner of the Correction at Aqueduct and the Dancin Renee at Belmont Park last year.

Manny Franco rides from post 3.

Rounding out the field are Beast Or Famine [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche] Dance Code [post 4, Dexter Haddock], and Morello [post 5, Jose Lezcano].

The Jimmy Winkfield is slated as Race 4 and the Ruthless is set for Race 8. First post on Sunday's nine-race card is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter 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 winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.