NYRA Photo

​Sibling rivalry: Chowda and Lobsta a tasty combo for Eddie F's Racing in NYSSS Thunder Rumble

by NYRA Press Office

• Sibling rivalry: Chowda and Lobsta a tasty combo for Eddie F's Racing in NYSSS Thunder Rumble
• Miss Marissa turns back for G3 Go for Wand; Market Alert steps up for NYSSS Thunder Rumble
• Two-time winner Mr Jefferson seeks juvenile hat trick in G2 Remsen
• West Point Thoroughbreds sends out two first-time starters on Cigar Mile undercard
• Rosario to miss time with hairline rib fracture

Eddie Fazzone, managing partner of Eddie F's Racing and proprietor of the popular Saratoga Springs restaurant Eddie F's Eatery, will look to satisfy his hunger for another stakes win by sending out full-brothers Chowda and Lobsta in Sunday's $150,000 NYSSS Thunder Rumble at the Big A.

The Gary Sciacca-trained duo, by Emcee and out of the Chief Seattle mare Salty Little Sis, were both bred in the Empire State by John Jayko's Fedwell Farm. Last year, the now 4-year-old Chowda won the Gander at Aqueduct to provide the partnership their first stakes win. Lobsta rolled into this year's edition of the Gander from a 5 3/4-length maiden romp but had to settle for second in a race won by Nicky the Vest.

Fazzone said the partnership, which includes Ross Lackey and Fazzone's brother-in-law Don Wilock, have been overwhelmed by the brother's success.

"It's pretty amazing. When you go into this as a small group, you don't expect to be winning stakes races," Fazzone said. "It was a big thrill to win the Gander with Chowda and then for his brother to come back and run second in the same race the following year was big too. These two guys have been a joy for us."

The brothers were both purchased privately from the breeder and Fazzone said Eddie F's Racing will soon have another appetizing racing prospect from the talented family.

"We also have a half-brother named Oysta, who will be two in January," Fazzone added. "He's on a farm in Virginia so you'll see him next year. He's by Micromanage."

Fazzone, who lamented missing out on Salty Heir [entered in R7 Sunday], a 2-year-old full brother to Oysta also trained by Sciacca, campaigns another pair of half-siblings bred in New York by Fedwell Farm in the 3-year-old gelding Dreampoint, by Point of Entry, and 2-year-old filly Dream Central, by Central Banker, who are out of the Deputy Wild Cat mare Dreamed to Dream.

Dream Central is entered in Race 2 on Saturday at the Big A, a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight for New York-bred fillies to be contested over the outer turf.

But while Dream Central is a 30-1 longshot in search of a first win, Chowda and Lobsta have established strong form as they prepare to square off in Sunday’s seven-furlong sprint for eligible state-sired 3-year-olds and up on Closing Day of the Big A fall meet.

Chowda has won 3-of-4 starts at Aqueduct and enters from a strong third in an open 1 1/16-mile allowance tilt on October 24 at Belmont that was won by subsequent Discovery winner Miles D for trainer Chad Brown.

Lobsta has posted six starts in his sophomore campaign for a record of 2-1-2, including a score in a one-mile state-bred optional-claimer in March at the Big A.

He enters from third-place finishes in the seven-furlong Mike Lee in May at Belmont and the 1 1/16-mile New York Derby in July at Finger Lakes, which was won by Americanrevolution who will contest Saturday's Grade 1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

"These two run hard every time. Lobsta ran third in the New York Derby against that monster of Todd's that's running tomorrow in the Cigar Mile," Fazzone said. "He's been off since then and is training really well. It's his first race back and we're hoping for the best with him.

"Chowda ran a great race in an allowance on October 24 against Chad's horse who ran third in the Travers and came back and won a stake last week," Fazzone continued. "Chowda is training great and we're hoping they both run really big on Sunday."

Both horses posted bullet half-mile works over the Belmont dirt training track in their most recent preparations with Chowda breezing in 48.70 seconds on December 1 and Lobsta working in 47 flat on November 27.

"They always train well. They just like to go. If you go back and look at all their works, they're always right around the bullet work for the day. They're both doing well right now," Fazzone said.

Fazzone credits Sciacca, who recently secured his 1000th career win, with keeping both horses at the top of their game.

"He's done a great job for me and my partnership and he's a great horseman," Fazzone said. "He's really one of the last real true New York trainers around. Going back to the early 80s, there's not many guys left that are born and bred New York guys. Gary is one of those guys and he's been training with the best of them. He does an incredible job."

Fazzone said that Chowda and Lobsta have generated a lot of attention for his restaurant and even piqued the interest of some of his patrons to join the ownership ranks.

"I try to keep to keep the partnerships small," Fazzone said. "I buy a majority and then piece them off so people have an opportunity. On Chowda, it's me, Ross and Don. With Lobsta, it's just Ross and I alone. I have some horses that have seven partners - just customers that come to the restaurant and want to come in."

While the restaurant will be closed on Sunday with the team already en route to the city to attend the race, Fazzone said he knows there will be a large cheering section upstate watching Chowda and Lobsta mix it up in the Thunder Rumble.

"When Saratoga starts up and people start coming to town that's when I get really busy. We've got big support from the locals. They love to watch the horses and cheer them on," Fazzone said. "It's been a lot of fun. Hopefully, these guys run a big race for us on Sunday."

And should Chowda or Lobsta happen to win, there's still one week left to celebrate the experience at Eddie F's Eatery before it closes for the season.

"Next Saturday is my last day and then we close down until February 16 when we re-open and get ready for another great season," Fazzone said. "It's grown every year and gotten more popular. We had a great summer and spring."

Miss Marissa turns back for G3 Go for Wand; Market Alert steps up for NYSSS Thunder Rumble

Cammarota Racing's Miss Marissa will turn back sharply in distance for Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Go for Wand, a one-turn mile handicap for fillies and mares at the Big A.

Trained by James Ryerson, the 4-year-old daughter of He's Had Enough captured the 10-furlong Grade 2 Delaware Handicap in July ahead of a trio of nine-furlong efforts on the NYRA circuit in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign presented by Lia Infiniti [8th] at Saratoga, and the Grade 2 Beldame Invitational [3rd] and Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm [4th] at Belmont.

Miss Marissa breezed three-furlongs in 36.75 seconds Wednesday over Big Sandy in preparation for Saturday's one-turn test.

"We're hopeful of rebounding off a poor effort. She's trained well leading up to this," Ryerson said. "There's plenty of speed in the race but going a one-turn mile you have to have her ready for a pace scenario, so that work was to try and help her with that. We're happy with how she's doing."

Listed at 4-1 on the morning line, Miss Marissa will exit the inside post under Jose Lezcano carrying 120 pounds.

Although Miss Marissa is often prominently placed in her two-turn affairs, Ryerson said he expects a stalking approach Saturday with 8-5 morning line favorite Lady Rocket likely to set the pace when stretching out in distance from post 2 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

"We have speed immediately to her outside. We'll let the rider judge what he wants to do, but I could imagine her being off the pace depending on how the race goes," Ryerson said. "She tests you a little bit in the mornings in terms of training, but she always shows up.

"In the past, she's shown to be a little bit better in the two-turn scenario," Ryerson added. "At this juncture, we're stabled here in New York and it's a graded race so we'll see how it plays out."

An $11,000 yearling at the 2018 OBS October sale, Miss Marissa, winner of the 2020 Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico, boasts a record of 19-6-3-2 with purse earnings of $694,690.

Ryerson said it is not yet decided if Miss Marissa will race as a 5-year-old.

WellSpring Stables' New York-homebred Market Alert, a chestnut son of D'Funnybone, is listed at 12-1 on the morning line as part of a loaded 12-horse field for Sunday’s $150,000 New York Stallion Stakes Series Thunder Rumble.

A veteran of 12 starts, Market Alert sports a ledger of 3-2-2 for purse earnings of $229,475 and enters Sunday's test off a half-length state-bred optional claiming event against older company that garnered a career-best 89 Beyer.

Ryerson said the multiple stakes placed Market Alert, who breezed a bullet half-mile in 47.60 November 29 over the Belmont dirt training track, is in good order ahead of his return to stakes company.

"He ran really big last time and he's come back and had a nice work here the other day," Ryerson said. "This is a tougher bunch, although he beat a nice group in his last race. He'll have to move forward again, but if he can run back similar to that race he can be a factor."

Jorge Vargas, Jr. retains the mount aboard Market Alert from post 2 which is slated as the 10th and final race of Sunday's card.

Two-time winner Mr Jefferson seeks juvenile hat trick in G2 Remsen

R. Larry Johnson’s Mr Jefferson will seek a breakthrough graded stakes victory when taking on an eight-horse field in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen for juveniles going nine furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The historic test is a 2022 Kentucky Derby qualifier, offering the top-four finishers points based off a 10-4-2-1 scale.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Mr Jefferson is the only horse in the field to have defeated winners, doing so last out travelling 1 1/16 miles on November 4 over the Laurel Park main track.

The chestnut son of leading third-crop sire Constitution, who will be represented by two offspring in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets, was pinched at the start of his most recent coup and tracked a close fifth down the backstretch of the compact field.

Lacking racing room around the far turn, Mr Jefferson attempted to angle wide but ultimately maintained his rail-skimming position and burst through a seam in upper stretch. He battled with stablemate Bold Leader in the final furlong, coming out 1 ½ lengths on top. The victory saw the Maryland homebred garner a 66 Beyer Speed Figure.

Unbeaten in two starts on dirt, Mr Jefferson broke his maiden at second asking in August in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Colonial Downs, where he defeated three subsequent winners.

While the Remsen will be the ultimate test for Mr Jefferson, Trombetta said the victory against fellow winners gives the colt somewhat of an edge.

“We’re looking for any edge we can get, but the fact that he has more seasoning should be to his favor,” Trombetta said. “As of now he’s doing really well and we’re scheduled to come that way.”

Mr Jefferson is out of the Malibu Moon mare Clockstrucktwelve, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winning sprinter Never Enough Time, a daughter of Munnings who also is trained by Trombetta.

“She’s a pretty accomplished sprinter and, to me, this one looks like a two turn kind of horse,” Trombetta said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re doing this for the mile and an eighth. This will tell us how legitimate he can be against these kind of horses. We’ve had a lot of nice horses over the years. We’re hoping this guy is one of them as well.”

Trombetta raced Mr Jefferson twice on turf, finishing out of the money both times. Two starts after making his debut in the five-furlong Hickory Tree at Colonial Downs, where he finished ninth as the post time favorite, he faced winners going a two-turn mile on the grass at Laurel, finishing fourth.

“I tried him five eighths on the grass and in retrospect, it wasn’t a good move,” Trombetta said. “He ran respectable going long on the turf. He ran OK but I liked what I saw on the dirt much better.”

Kendrick Carmouche will pick up the mount aboard Mr Jefferson, who will break from post 8 at 20-1 odds.

West Point Thoroughbreds sends out two first-time starters on Cigar Mile undercard

West Point Thoroughbreds founder and president Terry Finley is hoping to garner success with first-time starting juveniles Empress At War and Fiery Heart on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Empress At War, conditioned by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, was bought out of this year’s OBS June Sale for $300,000 and was consigned by Gabriel Dixon. The daughter of freshman stallion Classic Empire was sent to McGaughey’s division at Fair Hill following the sale, where she breezed consistently before shipping to Belmont in October. Her last breeze was a five-furlong move in 1:02.12 on November 17 – the fastest of six recorded works at the distance.

Empress At War, who is entered in Race 5 going 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf, is out of the War Front mare Decoder – a full-sister to Grade 1-winner Data Link who also was trained by McGaughey.

“She showed really well at the sale, which was the only sale she had been in,” Finley recalled. “I thought if we had a chance to buy her, Shug would be at the forefront. The mojo is always good when there’s a connection, and he obviously knows the family quite well. I really like the sire and think he has potential.”

Finley said he is hopeful in the filly’s ability to get two turns.

“It’s a good place to start and it’s time to get started,” Finley said. “She appears to be a filly that will want to go two turns. You’ve got to take a journey and it always starts with the first step.”

Finley and West Point will seek a maiden-scoring double as the racing syndicate will be represented in the following race by Fiery Heart, a Todd Pletcher-trained son of second-crop sire Outwork who makes his debut going six furlongs on the outer turf in Race 6.  

Fiery Heart was bought for $475,000 in partnership with Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola out of the Fasig-Tipton March Sale, where he was consigned by Scanlon Training and Sales. He is out of the stakes-placed Yes It’s True mare Say’s Who.

“It’s great to be partnered up with Mike Repole and Vinnie and Teresa Viola,” said Finley. “They have a good plan for these horses they buy and have had some good luck. Hopefully that luck can rub off on us a little bit. We’re excited to get him started.”

With the curtain soon to close on turf racing in New York for the winter, Fiery Heart will likely be sent to Palm Beach Downs in South Florida following Saturday’s race, where Pletcher is primarily based during the winter months.

“In Todd we trust,” Finley said in reference to the Hall of Fame conditioner. “He’ll probably go to Florida for the winter. It’s good to get a start in a horse before three. Todd likes the horse. We aren’t looking to set the world on fire first out, but we are excited to see what he can do.”

Empress of War will be ridden by Jose Lezcano from post 8, while Luis Saez will take the reins aboard Fiery Heart from post 1.

Rosario to miss time with hairline rib fracture

Joel Rosario, the leading rider by earnings in North America this season, is scheduled to miss some action with a hairline rib fracture which occurred in Thursday’s second race at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Rosario, a leading candidate for the 2021 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey, was unseated from his mount Irish Constitution, who ducked in past the wire after finishing seventh. The filly was caught by the outrider and subsequently returned to trainer Ray Handal.

Agent Ron Anderson said they will wait a few more days before coming up with a time frame for Rosario's return.

“Last night he had a little pain when he was trying to inhale,” said Anderson. “They found a hairline fracture in his rib. We’ll wait and see how he feels in the next three to four days and set up a timetable from there.”

Rosario had several records within reach, including that of stakes, graded stakes and most money earned in one calendar year. His tallied 69 stakes victories were only seven shy of the late Garrett Gomez’s record which was set in 2007.

In addition, Rosario has earned 49 graded stakes victories in 2021, coming close to the record of 55 graded stakes coups set by Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey in 2003.

Rosario’s mounts banked a total of 32,944,478 this year, just over a million shy of Irad Ortiz, Jr.’s 2019 record of 34,109,019.

This year, Rosario’s highlights include victories aboard Knicks Go in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, Grade 1 Whitney and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. He also secured Grade 1 victories aboard Gufo, Echo Zulu, Jackie’s Warrior and Malathaat.

“It was a magical year,” Anderson said. “He’s very close to three huge records: stakes, graded stakes and money in one calendar year. It’s all been great. There’s a lot of luck involved with these kinds of years. We’ve been very fortunate. We’ll play this out and hope for another great year next year.”