After a near miss in stakes company, Town of Gold will be much shorter odds

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After nearly stealing the Atlantic Beach Stakes at odds of 58-1 here last month, Town of Gold figures among the horses to beat in Friday’s $82,000 first-level allowance feature for 2-year-olds scheduled for six furlongs on Aqueduct’s outer turf course.

Rain is in the forecast for Friday – the heaviest expected in the later afternoon or early evening – perhaps making Friday the final day of turf racing on this circuit.

Though Town of Gold won his maiden over a yielding turf course on Oct. 22 at Laurel Park, trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. felt his colt was “not getting a hold of it. That turf was really bad, he ran through it.”

Duarte felt the Atlantic Beach was Town of Gold’s “first time over a really nice turf course.”

Town of Gold will break from post 6 under Dylan Davis.

Christophe Clement, who entered the final week of the fall meet atop the trainer standings with 14 wins, sends out the uncoupled entry of Phantom Smoke and Swashbuckle, both debut winners on turf at Belmont Park. Both are New York-breds who are facing open company for the first time.

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Phantom Smoke, a son of Ghostzapper, won as the 2-1 favorite in a field of 10 going six furlongs Oct. 4.

“He always trained well after we got him from the 2-year-old in training sales,” Clement said. “He always showed speed but did not finish his work I think because of the surface.”

Phantom Smoke breaks from the rail under Junior Alvarado.

Swashbuckle, a son of Quality Road, won his debut by 3 1/2 lengths going 1 1/16 miles. Swashbuckle has to cut back to six furlongs in this spot.

“I think he’s got enough ability and he’s good enough to overcome what we are doing,” said Clement, who would have preferred this race to be seven furlongs.

Kid Cash and Lookin for Trouble are both trying the turf for the first time in this spot. Lookin for Trouble, trained by Mike Maker, won his debut going 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt at Saratoga and has twice been stakes-placed. He is coming out of a fifth-place finish in the Notebook Stakes here Nov. 14.

Kid Cash is a maiden but is out of a dam, Royal G G, who won twice on turf and who has produced three other foals who have won over that surface, including Big Rock, a four-time turf winner.

Rudy Rodriguez, trainer of Kid Cash, is putting blinkers on the 2-year-old son of Tapizar, who finished third in both career dirt starts.

Kendrick Carmouche rides Kid Cash from the outside post.

Hillbilly Logic, also a maiden after finishing third in his lone career start on dirt, ships in from Kentucky for trainer Wesley Ward.

It’s a Gamble and Spectatorless round out the field if on turf. Texas Basin was entered to run only if the race is moved to the main track.