Aqueduct: Gotham prospect Uncle Sigh beats bad weather by working Monday afternoon

With the window of opportunity to get two workouts in before the March 1 Gotham Stakes starting to close, Withers runner-up Uncle Sigh worked five furlongs in 59.98 seconds over the Belmont Park training track on Monday afternoon, three hours after the usual morning training hours concluded.

The workout was timed by Uncle Sigh’s trainer Gary Contessa, who who said he caught the first three furlongs in 37 seconds and the final quarter in 22.98. Contessa said Uncle Sigh, ridden in the work by Nick Santagata, galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.96.

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“It was a very good work. There was a little bit of moisture in the track as you might imagine, but it was perfect,” Contessa said. “Now, I don’t have to look outside the window all night long wondering when it was going to snow.”

The training track at Belmont Park was closed four consecutive mornings due to a pair of winter storms. It re-opened Monday and Contessa planned to gallop Uncle Sigh that morning and breeze Tuesday. But more snow was forecast for Monday night into Tuesday morning, putting that workout in jeopardy.

Contessa said he felt that if he had to wait until Wednesday to work he likely would not have been able to get two works into the horse and that he might have to consider shipping him to Florida for the Tampa Bay Derby on March 8.

Late Monday morning, after Uncle Sigh galloped, Contessa called Glen Kozak, the New York Racing Association’s vice president/racing surfaces, and asked if he could work Uncle Sigh at Aqueduct on Monday between races. Kozak offered to have the Belmont training harrowed and open for Uncle Sigh to work at 1 p.m.

“This was of the utmost importance,” Contessa said. “There was a very real chance that we would lose the opportunity to work tomorrow and if that happened, I don’t think I could have made the race.”

Contessa said that during the four days when the training track was closed, Uncle Sigh jogged two days and walked for two days.

Contessa hopes to be able to work Uncle Sigh again next Monday, the day entries are taken for the Gotham.

Last Saturday, Contessa announced that Corey Nakatani would ride Uncle Sigh in the Gotham.