Aqueduct notes: Bakken scores second impressive victory

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Bakken looks like he could be a serious horse in 2014, but he might not be finished racing in 2013.

Confirming that he is not a one-hit wonder, Bakken scored a second impressive victory Saturday at Aqueduct, winning a first-level allowance race by 2 1/4 lengths. His final time of 1:09.79 was the fastest by 1.37 seconds of four six-furlong races run on a windy day. He earned a 96 Beyer Figure. The victory came after he won his debut at Belmont on Oct. 13 by 6 1/2 lengths, running six furlongs in 1:08.46 and earning a 97 Beyer.

Though Bakken left Belmont on Monday for south Florida, he is under consideration to ship west for the Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, trainer Chad Brown said.

“The Malibu is something we’ll think about,” Brown said Monday. “Won’t commit him to the race until I see how he’s training. That would be the next thing on the schedule that would possibly make sense for him.”

Bakken is a son of Distorted Humor out of the Honour and Glory mare General Jeanne. He is a half-brother to Justwhistledixie, a Grade 2 stakes winner and the dam of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner New Year’s Day. Bakken also is a half-brother to Chace City, a Grade 2-winning sprinter.

Bakken had some physical issues that prevented him from getting started until late in his 3-year-old season. Following Bakken’s debut, Brown opted to run him back in an allowance race to get him some experience “before we threw him into the deep end of the pool,” Brown said. “We always liked him. We know he’s got an enormous amount of talent.”

Breen in action around world

Before heading to Japan on Tuesday, trainer Kelly Breen was at Belmont Park on Monday watching virtually all 10 of the horses he has based here, including 2011 Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice, put in workouts.

Breen will be spending Thanksgiving in Japan, where he will run Pants On Fire in Sunday’s Japan Cup Dirt. Pants On Fire has been in Japan long enough to get two breezes in clockwise fashion.

“He had two workouts going in the opposite direction and finished up strong,” Breen said. “He likes it there. He’s doing well. The people from the Japan Racing Association have been after us ever since we won the Louisiana Derby with him about coming over. It kind of fell into place. Wish he ran better in the Breeders’ Cup, but this is pretty good timing [and] a lot of money – close to $2.7 million. We pick up Gary Stevens to ride the horse, and things look good.”

Pants On Fire won stakes at Monmouth and Churchill before finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, where Breen felt the horse was compromised chasing the pacesetting Goldencents.

While Breen will be with Pants On Fire, he will have horses in weekend stakes at Aqueduct and Churchill. Afleet Accompli, recently second in an allowance race at Parx, is running in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct. On Monday, Afleet Accompli blew out three furlongs in 35.85 seconds over the Belmont training track.

Also Saturday, at Churchill, Stonetastic, the runner-up in the Pocahontas Stakes in September, will run in the Golden Rod.

Meanwhile, Breen said Ruler On Ice, 1 for 15 since his 24-1 upset in the 2011 Belmont Stakes, worked three furlongs in 37.20 seconds Monday. Ruler On Ice recently finished fifth in an allowance race at Parx. Breen said he hopes to run Ruler On Ice in a race over Aqueduct’s inner track in late December or early January.

“His legs have been getting better, but if he just doesn’t have it to run with the quality of horses we need him to run with, we might retire him,” said Breen, who trains Ruler On Ice for George and Lori Hall.

The Lumber Guy blows out

The Lumber Guy, still looking to regain the form he showed as a 3-year-old, blew out three furlongs in 35.98 seconds Monday over the Belmont training track in preparation for Thursday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Fall Highweight Handicap.

The Lumber Guy, winner of the Grade 1 Vosburgh in 2012, is coming off poor performances in this year’s Vosburgh and Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“I don’t have any real excuses, nothing we could see why he hasn’t bounced back this year,” trainer Mike Hushion said. “Hopefully, the Breeders’ Cup was a throw-out because of the [slow] break and taking the kickback like he did, considering what all the riders were saying about the kickback. I’m not a big fan of excuses, so we’ll take him over there and see what he can find out.”

The Lumber Guy will be coupled with B Shanny. Both are owned by Barry Schwartz.

Eight in Go for Wand

Willet, beaten a neck when second in the Go for Wand Handicap a year ago, is back for another try against seven rivals that include Florida shipper My Pal Chrisy and California shipper Executiveprivilege, a Grade 1 winner as a 2-year-old in 2012.

Willet won a pair of one-turn New York-bred stakes before running second behind the undefeated and since-retired Cluster of Stars in the $150,000 Iroquois Stakes last out.

Others entered in the Go for Wand, the feature on Friday’s 10-race card, are Centring, Royal Lahaina, Street Girl, Fantasy of Flight, and Ol Donyo.