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​Three Unions looks to display dual surface form in $100K Key Cents

by Ryan Martin

Last out turf maiden winner Three Unions will make a surface switch in pursuit of her first stakes conquest in Sunday’s $100,000 Key Cents for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies travelling six furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Richard Schosberg, who co-owns the daughter of Unified in partnership with Clear Stars Stable and Mitre Box Stable, Three Unions made her third time the charm with a maiden victory over the Big A turf on October 28, which she won in gate-to-wire fashion under Eric Cancel. 

Three Unions took command immediately and was met with a challenge approaching the far turn from Three Girls, but shook off the confrontation and drew off to a 2 3/4-length victory over firm footing. The victory followed a distant fourth behind fellow Key Cents aspirant Stonewall Star on September 22 at the Big A, a key event which also saw runner-up Disruption win next out and third-place finisher Silver Skillet earn black type in the next-out Maid of the Mist. 

Three Unions has a mind of her own, according to Schosberg. 

“I train around her, and I let her do what she wants because if I try to make her do something else, she’ll blow up on me,” Schosberg said. “She’s 700 pounds of pure TNT. With horses like that, you just have to let them do their thing. Eric has been on her since Saratoga, so he knows her and knows what he’s dealing with. She’s very delicate in her mind, but she’s got raw talent.”

Bred by Sequel Stallions New York and Lakland Farm, Three Unions is out of the Pioneerof the Nile mare Explicable, who also produced New York-bred stakes winner Excellent Timing. She was bought for $65,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, where she was consigned by Sequel Bloodstock. 

Cancel will retain the mount from post 4. 

Barry K. Schwartz’s homebred Stonewall Star rejoins her female counterparts following a third against males in Finger Lakes’ New York Breeders’ Futurity on October 17. The Flatter bay, trained by Horacio De Paz, tracked Acoustic Ave and the Grade 1-placed Kelly Breen trainee Andiamo a Firenze down the backstretch of the six-furlong event and matched strides with the pair around the far turn, engaging in a three-way battle in the stretch drive. She ultimately came up a length shy of victory as Acoustic Ave won by a nose.

Stonewall Star broke her maiden at second asking in gate-to-wire fashion two starts back on September 22 at the Big A in the same key maiden race where Three Unions was a distant fourth.

“She had been doing well so we went ahead and gave that a go,” De Paz said of her last effort. “It was a pretty good effort on her part, shipping up to a different racetrack. Kelly Breen’s horse is a pretty nice horse and I know they think pretty highly of him. The winner showed a liking to the track up there as well. I don’t think she ran bad rating off those two horses. She can kind of do both.”

Jose Ortiz will ride from post 5.

Trainer Phil Serpe will saddle WellSpring Stables' maiden winner Security Code, who seeks her first victory since besting Stonewall Star at second asking in a September 2 maiden event at Saratoga. 

The daughter of Frosted, out of graded-stakes placed Stopspendingmaria, is a half-sister to New York-bred stakes winner No Mo Spending. Bred by Rockridge Stud, Ascendant Farms, and Godolphin, Security Code will add blinkers when exiting post 3 under Jose Lezcano.

Completing the field are stakes winner Small Pebbles [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche] and maidens Weekend Rags [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], who adds blinkers, and Dream On Cara [post 2, Dylan Davis]. 

The Key Cents honors the dual stakes-winning New York-bred, who produced graded stakes winner Rebridled Dreams – the dam of graded stakes-winning millionaire Farrell as well as Grade 1-winners Carpe Diem and J.B.’s Thunder. 

The Key Cents is carded as Race 3 on Sunday’s 10-race program, which also features the $135,000 Forever Together for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles over the turf in Race 7. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.   

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.

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