Aqueduct: Best 3-year-olds on Friday card may be group of maidens in opener

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Although a first-level optional $50,000 claimer for 3-year-old sprinters is positioned in the traditional “feature” position as race 8 at Aqueduct on Friday, tune in early for your best chance of seeing any truly up-and-coming 3-year-olds, because the opener is a six-furlong maiden special that actually carries the day’s richest purse at $60,000.

Six entered the optional claimer, which carries a $51,000 purse, and the post-time favorite figures to be someone among the trio of Dangerous Lad, Dan’s Gold, and Personal Assistant, who earned virtually identical Beyer Figures for their respective maiden-claiming wins.

Dangerous Lad, who was headstrong setting the pace around two turns in his local bow for John Terranova, turns back to six furlongs and sheds seven pounds while picking up leading apprentice Irad Ortiz Jr.

Money in Motion will also attract support after some improved efforts on the inner dirt, the latest a rallying third behind King and Crusader, who wheeled back three days later to win the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes.

Little Wyatt and Nick Rules, both likely pace factors, also entered.

The opener, with a field of seven that includes the Klaravich Stable entry of Capital Goods and Economic Forecast, is one of three races brought back from last Saturday’s snowed-out card.

The 9-5 morning-line favorite, Got What, is a $430,000 colt by Mr. Greeley who was unveiled by Kiaran McLaughlin on Dec. 3, and dueled for the lead to the stretch.

Indian Pow Wow and Tactical Saenz were not entered back, but the race picked up another McLaughlin-trained runner in Meeting, a Darley Stable homebred who trained at Palm Meadows before shipping north recently.

Well Spelled, second in each of his three starts at Monmouth, returns from a layoff for Ben Perkins Jr. on the heels of a bullet five-furlong gate work.

Five in revised lineup for Evening Attire

A 10-race program was drawn for Saturday. Post time for the nightcap is scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern, eight minutes ahead of sunset.

The $75,000 co-featured stakes are the Evening Attire, postponed from last week; and the Affectionately. Both races are at 1 1/16 miles.

Missing from the Evening Attire’s redraw were Eighttofasttocatch, who would have been a strong pace factor, and Day of Destiny, who would have been 50-1.

The Todd Pletcher-trained Heart Butte, who stretched his win streak to four when he returned from a long layoff to take Parx Racing’s Auld Lang Syne on Dec. 31, brought the revised lineup to five. From the rail out, the Evening Attire (race 3) field is: Redding Colliery, Heart Butte, I Want Revenge, Thunder Ball, and Jimanator.

In post order, the six fillies and mares in the Affectionately (race 8) are: Katy Now, Love and Pride, Bahama Bound, Indian Burn, Orbiston Parva, and Bahia Beach.