Aqueduct: Our Shopping Spree best chance yet for Agilion to get stakes win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After four bridesmaid finishes in stakes, Agilion may finally be headed to the altar in Monday’s $80,000 Our Shopping Spree Stakes at Aqueduct.

The Our Shopping Spree, a mile and 70-yard race restricted to New York-bred 2-year-old fillies, will go as race 3 on the nine-race program because it drew only five runners – not because it will allow patrons to get to Times Square early for the ball drop.

Agilion, trained by John Kimmel for GoldMark Farm LLC, won her debut at Saratoga by 5 3/4 emphatic lengths. Since then, she has finished second in four New York-bred stakes and third in a statebred allowance. She was beaten 9 1/2 lengths by Kelli Got Frosty in the East View Stakes earlier this month. Kelli Got Frosty is 3 for 5, with two stakes wins.

“She ran into probably the best New York-bred 2-year-old filly out there and she got beat a long way,” Kimmel said. “But she handled the rest of the group pretty good. I was thinking of giving her the winter off, but when they said Kelli wasn’t going in there, I told the owners let’s see if we can get a stakes win.”

Agilion, a daughter of Lion Heart, will be trying two turns for the first time, but Kimmel doesn’t feel that will be an issue.

“I don’t think the distance will be a problem,” Kimmel said. “She’s certainly rateable, but she’s got enough speed where she can place herself.”

Junior Alvarado, who rode Agilion last out, has a return call from the rail.

There is little depth to field. All are maiden winners as is Agilion, though Flattermewithroses did win the Voodoo Dancer Stakes, a seven-furlong turf race, as a maiden at Belmont in October. However, she has been defeated 82  lengths in her last three starts and has been beaten over 70 lengths in two dirt tries.

Hope for Tomorrow comes off a maiden win on the turf and was beaten 16 1/4 lengths by Agilion when both debuted in Saratoga. Hope for Tomorrow did finish second in a 12-horse field in an off-the-turf race at Belmont in October.

“She trained decent on the dirt,” trainer Dominick Schettino said. “She’s training well, she’s going forward. Her first start, we didn’t get a gauge on her. She came back fine out of the race. We weren’t sure what really caused that.”

Eyes of Midas was claimed for $25,000 by Leo O’Brien out of a win on Nov. 30. She will attempt to stretch out from six furlongs.

Miss Da Point ran fourth in a first-level statebred allowance race on Wednesday.