Aqueduct: Bear's Spirit to make first start for Chatterpaul in Monday allowance

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With an influx of horses from a new client, trainer Naipaul Chatterpaul has already run – and won – more races during this winter’s Aqueduct inner-track meet than he did all of last winter.

On Monday, Chatterpaul will seek his fourth win of the meet when he sends out Bear’s Spirit for the first time in a $62,000 entry-level allowance race at 5 1/2 furlongs, the feature on a nine-race card that includes four races brought back from Friday’s card that was canceled due to extreme cold.

Chatterpaul actually had two horses entered in this race but said he will scratch D’ Sauvage after that gelding had blood and mucus in his lungs following Saturday training. The race will have at least one more scratch as trainer Eduardo Jones named jockey Angel Arroyo on both halves of his entry of Sunrise Lover and Buddy Red, necessitating that one must scratch.

Bear’s Spirit is one of eight horses Chatterpaul received from White Wabbit Wacing, managed by Gregory Schwartz. Another one, Scotus, is running in Monday’s seventh race, dropping in for a $20,000 claiming tag after winning for $35,000 on Jan. 13.

Since the Dec. 11 opening of the inner track, Chatterpaul is 3 for 7 with runners owned by White Wabbit. For the meet, Chatterpaul is 3 for 24 with 3 seconds and 4 thirds. Last winter, Chatterpaul went 1 for 21 at the inner-track meet.

Bear’s Spirit, a 5-year-old gelding by Tale of the Cat, is winless in his last six starts but is dropping in class after running seventh in the Claiming Crown Express at Gulfstream on Dec. 7. He was trained by Aubrey Maragh for that race.

“The Claiming Crown was a pretty tough race,” Chatterpaul said. “He’s a pretty competitive horse, nice horse. He’s training really well. I like how he’s coming up to this race here.”

Rajiv Maragh, who has been aboard all three of the Chatterpaul/White Wabbit winners at this meet, has the call on Bear’s Spirit from post 3.

The horse to beat in the race is Abra, a 6-year-old gelding by Elusive Quality trained by Linda Rice for Mulberry Stable. Two starts back, Abra was utilized as a pacemaker, or rabbit, for Palace in the Gravesend Handicap, in which Abra finished third. Last out, at this level, Abra finished second to Carried Interest, a graded stakes-placed runner as a 2-year-old.

“His last couple of races he’s been in against some pretty tough company,” said Rice, who has her niece, Taylor Rice, named to ride. “By attrition, he’s going to end up in the winner’s circle.”

Sokitumi Samurai, beaten a neck for $35,000 claiming in the mud Jan. 12, and Bos’n Alwyne, beaten a neck for $20,000 claiming Jan. 5, round out the field.