Aqueduct: Godolphin-owned runners will clash in Excelsior

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The initial game plan as it pertained to Sheikh Mohammed’s 4-year-olds Romansh and Long River was to keep them separated, which explained why Long River stayed in New York for the early part of the winter while Romansh was based in south Florida.

While Long River improved his résumé with a pair of victories at Aqueduct, Romansh’s stock dropped somewhat with a last-place finish in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream.

Next Saturday, the two Godolphin Racing runners will meet in a race for the first time when both run in the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior Stakes, the final stakes scheduled for Aqueduct’s inner-track meet. The Excelsior is contested at 1 1/8 miles.

On Friday, Romansh, trained by Tom Albertrani, worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 at the Palm Meadows training center in south Florida. Long River, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, was scheduled to work Saturday at Palm Meadows. Both horses will ship to New York on Monday.

Romansh, a son of Bernardini, won 3 of 7 starts as a 3-year-old, topped by his 9 1/4-length romp in the Grade 3 Discovery last Nov. 2 over Aqueduct’s main track. After it was decided he would stay in the United States and not ship to Dubai for that country’s winter carnival, Romansh was pointed to the Donn, where he finished last of 11 under John Velazquez without a plausible excuse.

“It looked like he was in good position. Johnny said he didn’t offer to move forward at any point,” Albertrani said. “Maybe, it was just the fact it was his first time off the layoff.”

Given that disappointing performance, Albertrani said the Excelsior “might be a better spot” than attempting a more prestigious race.

Albertrani said Jose Ortiz will ride Romansh.

Long River, a son of Grade 1 winners A.P. Indy and Round Pond, won the Time for a Change Stakes on Dec. 1 over the main track and the Evening Attire on Jan. 18 over the inner track. He was in south Florida by Feb. 1 and his connections mulled over several starts, including the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and stakes at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn. But the Santa Anita Handicap came up too tough with Will Take Charge, Mucho Macho Man, and Game On Dude, while shipping to those other places can be difficult, according to McLaughlin.

“He’s doing great; nice horse. We hope this is the start of graded stakes competition for him,” McLaughlin said. “It’s so important because of his pedigree. He’s one of the best bred horses in racing.”

On March 1, Long River worked five furlongs in company with Holy Bull Stakes winner Cairo Prince, the two going in 59.95 seconds for five furlongs.

McLaughlin said Irad Ortiz Jr., brother of Jose, will ride Long River in the Excelsior.

Others pointing to the Excelsior include Cease, Don Dulce, and Percussion. Entries will be taken Monday.

Regent’s House has options

If Long River is among the best-bred horses in racing, then Regent’s House isn’t too far behind. A daughter of Street Cry and the multiple champion filly Ashado, Regent’s House won her debut by 6 1/2 lengths here last Sunday for McLaughlin and Darley Stable.

Regent’s House is the first winner from three foals – two whom made it to the races – for Ashado, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2004 and champion older female of 2005 and a nominee this year for the Hall of Fame.

Regent’s House won despite unseating her rider, Manuel Franco, in the post parade and briefly running off. She was corralled by the outrider, who brought her over to the starting gate.

Regent’s House showed good speed, prompting the pace before taking over at the three-eighths pole. She covered six furlongs in 1:11.58 and earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure.

Though she had trained in Florida, Regent’s House ran at Aqueduct in part because the purse for the race was $60,000 – compared with $39,000 at Gulfstream – and because the company figured to be softer, McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said he is considering both an allowance and the Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle on April 5 for Regent’s House’s second start.

“We will nominate to it and see how it comes up,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said that he was not so much surprised that she won but by how much she won “especially first time out for Team McLaughlin. That usually means they’re graded stakes quality.”

HRTV to profile Robbie Davis

Former jockey and current trainer Robbie Davis will be the subject of a documentary on HRTV that debuts Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

The show “Inside Information: Davis” will profile Davis as a jockey and the father of three children – son Dylan and daughters Jackie and Katie – who have followed in his bootstraps into the profession.

The half-hour show also will take an extensive look at Davis’s career, in particular focusing on the extreme heartache and anguish he coped with following his involvement in an ontrack tragedy at Belmont Park in October 1988 – the death of popular jockey Mike Venezia, a longtime fixture on the New York circuit.