Aqueduct: Maryland shipper Pax Orbis gets Jimmy Winkfield opportunity

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Seemingly armed with one talented 3-year-old sprinter in Germaniac, the Maryland-based trainer Tim Tullock will attempt to find out how good another one of his 3-year-old sprinters is when he ships in Pax Orbis for Monday’s $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes at Aqueduct.

A field of eight was entered for the six-furlong Winkfield, but Alex Inc is cross-entered in an allowance race Sunday at Parx and is likely to run there if the track is good, trainer Butch Reid said.

Pax Orbis, a son of Mr. Greeley and a half-brother to six-time stakes winner Sensible Lady, has won 2 of 5 starts, including a first-level allowance race at Laurel on Dec. 26. In his only bad race, Pax Orbis was beaten 9 1/2 lengths by It’s a Bang in a race run over a sloppy track.
“That horse came back and won the Maryland Million [Nursery],” Tullock said of It’s a Bang. “My horse is doing great. Like everybody else, been battling the weather, but we gave him a little breeze this morning [three furlongs in 37 seconds.] He’s a gritty little horse.”
Forest Boyce will come in to ride Pax Orbis, who will break from post 2.

Meanwhile, Tullock said he plans to run Germaniac, a 6 1/2-length winner of the Frank Whiteley Stakes on Jan. 4, in the Miracle Wood going a mile at Laurel next weekend.

Joining Pax Orbis in the starting gate for the Winkfield are Eye Luv Lulu, a two-time winner against New York-breds; Oliver Zip, second in the Don Rickles Stakes; Charleymillionaire, a two-time winner at Parx; Hot Heir Skier, a recent maiden winner at Laurel; Cavu, a maiden winner here on Dec. 14; and Otoy, whose lone win from five starts came on turf.

Many options for Moonlight Song

Trainer Charlton Baker will weigh several options for Moonlight Song, who on Thursday won his first stakes when he defeated Palace by 1 1/2 lengths in the $75,000 Gold and Roses. It was the first stakes win for the 7-year-old Moonlight Song, a gelding by Unbridled’s Song.
Baker could keep Moonlight’s Song with New York-breds in the $100,000 Hollie Hughes on Feb. 17. There is also the $250,000 General George at Laurel Park the same day.

“It’s a little quick back for how I’ve been spacing his races,” Baker said Friday morning. “We’ll see how he goes from here weight-wise. It’s only a month, I’d rather give him a little more time. He puts out a lot just to get him over to the races. He’s a handful but once you get him to the paddock he’s good.”

Baker would have nearly two additional weeks to the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool on March 1. Moonlight Song, a half-brother to Giant Moon, is 3 for 3 over the inner track.

Moonlight Song ran six furlongs in 1:10.58 and earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

Linda Rice, the trainer of beaten Gold and Roses favorite Palace, said she’s not sure where she will run her New York-bred, but said it likely would not be over the inner track. She is considering the General George or waiting for the main track to open in late March.

“I don’t think he runs as good on the inner track,” Rice said. “He’s a closing sprinter and he’s not getting up on the inner.”

Benzel has Zee Bros in Dubai

Trainer Seth Benzel enjoyed his experience in Dubai last year so much that he was hoping to put together a small string of U.S-based horses to take to Dubai this winter.

Thus far, Benzel’s string is a string of one, but it is the speedy Zee Bros, who arrived in Dubai this week to prepare for several races, including the Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 29.

When with Bob Baffert, Zee Bros won 2 of 6 starts, including the Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico. Most recently, he finished 10th in the Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita.

“Ahmed Zayat and his son Justin were pretty enthusiastic right from the get go,” said Benzel, referring to the owners of Zee Bros.
Benzel said there are prep races for Zee Bros on Feb. 13 and March 9 leading up to the Golden Shaheen.

“We’ll give him enough time to get over the trip. He’s a big horse – athletic – I don’t think three races will be a problem as far as timing,” Benzel said. “We’ll have to see how he suits that course over there and how he stacks up against some older horses that are established over there.”

Before he heads to Dubai himself, Benzel is overseeing a string of horses he has based at Adena Springs in Ocala., Fla. Among those horses is Riding the River, a multiple Grade 2 winner in Canada who could run in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 1.