Aqueduct Friday allowance a real grab-bag
The feature race at Aqueduct on Friday, a second-level optional claimer, is a real head-scratcher and illustrates how many different ways a horse can be eligible for these events.
The mile-and-70-yard race uses the same language that can be found in condition books across the country, which at times can cast a very wide net to allow entries.
The top contenders include Coach Inge, trained by Todd Pletcher, who gets into the nine-horse field the old-fashioned way. He won a first-level allowance on Feb. 11 and now moves up to the next condition level.
Effinex, trained by Jimmy Jerkens, and Coltimus Prime, who will run for Christophe Clement for the first time, enter off a different path.
Effinex, winner of the $300,000 Empire Classic Handicap in October, has scored all three of his victories in New York-bred company, and statebred races don’t count against his eligibility here in an open race.
Similarly, Coltimus Prime has won only in Ontario-sired, Ontario-bred, and Canadian-restricted company. He scored his biggest win last July at Fort Erie in the $500,000 Prince of Wales, middle leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. Clement will add blinkers to the horse’s equipment Friday.
Mr Palmer, conditioned by Bill Mott, and Integrity, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, are entered for the optional $62,500 claiming price. This will be the first claiming start for either of them. Both horses won at the second-level allowance condition in February 2014, and are likely looking for a little class relief in this spot. They may not have found it in this tougher-than-usual second-level race.
Rodriguez returns from a 25-day medication suspension Friday.
Another runner in for the claiming price is Son of a General. Claimed for $40,000 by Linda Rice last June, he has posted back-to-back 90 Beyer Speed Figures since returning to the races in January after a seven-month layoff. He finished second at this level last time out.
So how does one sort out a complicated field like this? Not easily.
I lean to Coltimus Prime. Clement has put a nice string of 11 workouts into Coltimus Prime at Payson Park, dating back to Jan. 16. According to DRF Formulator, Clement is 13 for 47 (28 percent) the last five years with a return on investment of $2.29 with horses making their first start for him following a trainer switch and a layoff of between 110 and 190 days. Coltimus Prime will have had 153 days between starts Friday.