Aqueduct handicapping roundup: Week of Feb. 22
Six more weeks?
Between a four-day race week already in place for February and a relentless barrage of wintry weather, there hasn’t been much action around here lately. Four of nine scheduled programs since Punxsutawney Phil’s dour Groundhog Day prediction were canceled, with training either canceled or curtailed as well.
During the 10-day stretch from Feb. 11-20, there was only one day of racing at Aqueduct. Three straight cancellations Feb. 14-16 brought the total number of full cards lost at the meet to seven, which is already one more than last winter. In addition, racing was halted after one race Jan. 11 due to dense fog.
A surface to love – or not
The only day of racing last week took place Presidents Day, Feb. 17, on an inner track that was harrowed and labeled the all-encompassing “good.” The surface played a full second slower than par in the day’s six sprints, and even slower in four two-turn routes.
Some horses plainly relished the going, while others did not. Seven horses won by margins ranging from just over two lengths to just over 10 lengths.
Other than Killaday ($9.70), a well-bet first-time starter who drew off by almost nine lengths as one of Taylor Rice’s three winners, six of the day’s nine winners with past experience recorded new Beyer Speed Figure tops, several by significant margins:
| Winner | Beyer | Previous best Beyer |
|---|---|---|
| Belle Gallantey | 95 | 85 |
| In the Dark | 72 | 70 |
| Ground Force | 97 | 88 |
| Lasso | 101 | 88 |
| Bass River Road | 74 | 64 |
| Start Jumping | 98 | 93 |
Lasso’s freakish win in a $16,000 claimer, which upped his record to three wins from 17 starts, was 13 points better than his previous top figure on turf and 26 points higher than his prior dirt top of 75.
Nuffsaid Nuffsaid ($7.20) did not run a new Beyer top, but her 79 was an improvement of 23 points on her most recent effort.
Hoppy Do ($12.80) received a figure of 70 that was his second-best ever. From 20 prior starts, his top number of 82 was earned in the mud – his only other start on a wet track.
When horses come back with a last-race line from Feb. 17, regard big figure move-ups (second and third finishers as well) with a grain of salt. Likewise, it might pay to be lenient with those who failed to muster their typical numbers.
Bullish on Taylor Rice
Making his fifth appearance in the Hollie Hughes Stakes, the 9-year-old Be Bullish ($7.50) powered past odds-on whippersnapper Marriedtothemusic to win the six-furlong race for the second time, to go along with a trio of third-place finishes.
He was the first career stakes winner for Taylor Rice, who was the 23rd jockey to ride the gray gelding. Rice is the leading apprentice at the meet. Although apprentice weight allowances cannot be claimed in stakes races, that didn’t deter David Jacobson from giving her a leg up.
“She impressed me so much with the way she has been riding with her bug,” he said, “and I felt she would be the right fit for this horse. And she is, and she will ride this horse back again next time.”
Be Bullish improved to 15-23-12 from 75 career starts, and the $60,000 winner’s share edged him closer to the $1 million plateau at $946,568.
Wet track expected
Rain pelted the New York area Wednesday, and the forecast was for more Friday. So, it’s likely that Saturday’s pair of two-turn stakes – the regularly scheduled Kings Point and last week’s canceled-and-redrawn Stymie – will be run on a wet track.
In the Stymie, the horse who stands to benefit most from the circumstances is Percussion, a 6-year-old gelding who has had an extra week to recover from his 106 Beyer earned for a runner-up finish in the Evening Attire on Jan. 18. That race took place on a wet track, as did his fine effort in last year’s Brooklyn Handicap, where he was run down in the final yards by the amazing Calidoscopio.