Amedeus Music rounding into form but faces pace dilemma
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The connections of Amedeus Music are hopeful the New York-bred can rekindle the success he enjoyed at last winter’s Aqueduct meet when he makes his first start of this winter’s Aqueduct season in a statebred second-level allowance/optional $45,000 claimer that goes as the feature on Thursday’s eight-race card.
Beginning Thursday, first post for eight-race cards at Aqueduct is 1:10 p.m. and first post for nine-race cards – typically only Saturdays – is 12:40 p.m.
Last winter, Amedeus Music had two wins and a second in a trio of one-turn mile races at Aqueduct. His victory in a Feb. 29 first-level allowance came with a strong closing kick against a field that included several horses who would win multiple times after that race.
Having run 10 times from May 2023 through February 2024, Amedeus Music was given the spring and summer off. He returned on Oct. 5 in a starter allowance/optional claimer at Delaware Park in which he was basically eased. Two months later, in a similar condition at Laurel Park, Amedeus Music came within a neck of Greener Pastures, a horse who came back to win his next start and then finish a well-beaten second going 1 1/4 miles here on Sunday.
Horacio De Paz, the trainer of Amedeus Music, said it was a mistake bringing Amedeus Music back off a layoff going two turns at Delaware Park.
“Probably not the best of situations. He got tired, but he came out of that in good order like he would take a step forward in his next start, which he did,” De Paz said. “He ran big. He’s a weird horse in that he’s got a long, sustained run; he takes off at the five-eighths.”
What could work against Amedeus Music on Thursday is the seeming lack of pace signed up for this race.
The horse to beat may be Land d’Oro for trainer Christophe Clement. A son of Medaglia d’Oro, Land d’Oro is coming off a first-level allowance win on Nov. 23, a race from which the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers all came back to win their next starts. Kolomio, who was third in that Nov. 23 race, actually came back to win his next two starts.
Land d’Oro’s win came with blinkers added.
Stonewall Star skips Interborough
De Paz said his stakes-winning New York-bred mare Stonewall Star suffered a setback, which explains why she was not entered for Saturday’s $150,000 Interborough Stakes at Aqueduct.
De Paz said that Stonewall Star would be out until late spring or summer.
A field of seven was entered for the Interborough led by Socially Selective, a Bill Mott trainee who is coming out of a runner-up finish behind Mystic Lake in the Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 21. That was her first start since a second-level allowance victory at Gulfstream last Feb. 21.
Among the more interesting entrants in the Interborough is St. Benedicts Prep, who just last Saturday was beaten a nose by Ms. Bucchero in the What a Summer Stakes at Laurel. Should she run Saturday, it would the third start in 24 days for St. Benedicts Prep.
Linda Rice, who trains St. Benedicts Prep, also entered Just Music. Rounding out the field are Caldwell Luvs Gold, Cara’s Time, Dame Cinco, and Scalable.
Civaci adapting nicely
It hasn’t taken jockey Sahin Civaci long to make his presence felt in New York.
Civaci, the leading rider at Woodbine in 2024, started riding at Aqueduct three weeks ago and recorded seven wins from 20 mounts last week. His nine wins from 42 mounts have him tied for fourth in the standings with Eric Cancel.
At Woodbine, Civaci rode on a synthetic track. At Aqueduct, he’s riding on dirt.
“It’s a little different surface. You get a lot of kickback here compared to the Tapeta so I managed to get used to that now,” Civaci said. “I’m just settling into New York in general.”
Among his seven winners here last week was Running Away, whom he guided to a front-running victory in the $125,000 Busanda Stakes, a race for 3-year-old fillies and potentially a horse for the Kentucky Oaks.
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Running Away is trained by Wesley Ward, for whom Civaci has ridden two winners at Aqueduct so far this winter. While Civaci naturally will have the option of returning to Woodbine when that track opens in the spring, Ward feels he might be better served by sticking it out in New York.
“I think he’s really going to get better when the bigger-name riders come to town if he stays around,” Ward said. “You get better with who you are playing against. He’ll step up his game when Johnny [Velazquez] and boys come back to town if he’s still around. He’ll improve himself.”
Through the first three weeks of the winter meet, there is quite the logjam atop the jockey standings with Jose Lezcano and Manny Franco tied with 14 wins and Kendrick Carmouche (13) right behind them.
Carmouche will miss Thursday and Friday due to a three-day careless riding suspension that began Sunday for his ride on Frizzante, who was disqualified from first in the sixth race here on Jan. 11.
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