Aqueduct: Galluscio's impact, absence will be felt on Thursday card

The presence of the late Dominic Galluscio will be keenly felt at Aqueduct Thursday, when three of his former horses, including his fastest sprinter and his last official starter, make their first starts since his March 17 passing following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 55.

On Monday, Your Move, the popular trainer’s 1,047th and final winner, returned to notch her fourth-straight victory for Steve Klesaris.

On Thursday, Marriedtothemusic, who won five races for Galluscio by better than 27 lengths, makes his first start for Linda Rice and tackles open company in race 8, one of two open first-level allowance events on the program.

Gary Gullo, who was among Galluscio’s closest friends, has taken over the New York mainstay’s two other horses on Thursday’s card: Awake At T Wire (fifth race), his last official starter, and sentimental hunch play of the day Spirited Touch (second).

“The thing about Dominic is that not only was he a colorful character and a great horseman, he was a highly intelligent man who always wanted to improve the backstretch, improve racing, and improve the sport,” said fellow trainer Richard Schosberg. “We lost a great man.”

The laser-quick Marriedtothemusic returned from a layoff in January with two blowout wins for Galluscio, capped by a score in 1:03.53 seconds for 5 1/2 furlongs that was just .03 seconds off the inner-track record. On the strength of that performance, which earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure, he was sent off at 4-5 in the Hollie Hughes Stakes and finished second to the venerable Be Bullish.

Marriedtothemusic’s main challenge figures to come from fellow New York-bred Chapman, an easy winner against open starter-allowance company last time out, who has since come back with a bullet work for Chris Englehart.

Among other contenders is Mr. O’Leary, who comes off a sharp second at Gulfstream Park as the first New York starter of the season for Christophe Clement.

In race 6, a one-mile allowance that begins the late pick four, Shug McGaughey also sends out his first starter on the circuit this year, when Peter Island goes for his second-straight win against seven other 3-year-olds.

Peter Island, a Robert S. Evans homebred colt by Tapit, overcame a slow start to win his debut beneath Joel Rosario, who picked up his first win of the meet here Monday, and has a return call.

Rice counters with Oltre’ Oro, who has posted the two fastest figures in the lineup and appears to be the one to catch.

The steadily improving Pass the Coffee is a stretch threat for Nick Zito.