Aqueduct notes: Palace points to Gravesend Handicap

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Palace, winner of the Grade 3 Fall Highweight in his last start, will look to cap a sensational second half of 2013 while potentially earning honors as the champion New York-bred sprinter when he runs in next Saturday’s $100,000 Gravesend Handicap at Aqueduct.

On Friday, Palace worked four furlongs in 49.86 seconds over the Belmont Park training track, getting his last quarter in 24.53 seconds while galloping out five furlongs in 1:02.58. On a track that wasn’t yielding particularly fast times most of the morning, this was a solid move.

Trainer Linda Rice, who has won 7 races from 10 starts with Palace since claiming him for $20,000 in October 2012, said she wasn’t looking for anything special from Palace on Friday.

“Between the race at Saratoga and the [Hudson Handicap], we had 60 days and then we had six weeks to the Fall Highweight, we had to train him more aggressively,” Rice said. “At this point, I just wanted to make the breeze today so he’s on course.”

On Nov. 28, Palace won the Fall Highweight over Grade 1 winners Strapping Groom and The Lumber Guy, earning a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure.

Rice is expected to also send out Frazil, who won the Gravesend in 2011 and finished fourth in it last year. Frazil, a 7-year-old gelding, is coming off a second-place finish to Moments Notiz in an optional-claiming race.

“He’s good. He’s an old trooper,” Rice said of Frazil.

Strapping Groom, winner of the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga, is the only other confirmed starter for the Gravesend. Possible starters could include Mine Over Matter and Malachite.

Saratoga Snacks targets Robb

Saratoga Snacks, who stumbled badly at the start of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in which he finished eighth, has recently resumed training and is being pointed to the $100,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes here Dec. 28, trainer Gary Sciacca said Friday. Saratoga Snacks, owned by Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells, won the Robb last year.

Saratoga Snacks stumbled badly when the gates opened in the Cigar Mile. He stepped on himself, known as a grabbed quarter, and came out of the race body sore. Sciacca said Saratoga Snacks missed a week to 10 days of training before resuming jogging this week.

“He’s much better now,” Sciacca said.

Sciacca recently took over the training of the New York-bred Giant Finish, who ran 10th in the Kentucky Derby and 11th in the Belmont Stakes. Sciacca said Parcells recently bought part interest in Giant Finish from Andy Cohen.

Sciacca said Giant Finish is pointing to an allowance race scheduled for the end of the month.

“He’s training like a bear,” Sciacca said.

Transparent heading to Dubai

Transparent, a 3-year-old trained by Kiaran McLaughlin for Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Stable, is heading to Dubai to race in that country’s Winter Festival, McLaughlin said Friday.

Transparent, a son of Bernardini who cost $725,000 as a yearling, finished first but was disqualified for interference in the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga in July. Thereafter he ran disappointingly in the Travers and was fourth in the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 21, his last start.

McLaughlin said that Transparent is going to Dubai because Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford “thought he fit well in a couple of races over there. He’s coming back in April after the festival.”

McLaughlin said that Transparent is not being pointed to the Dubai World Cup.

On Friday, Transparent worked five furlongs in 1:01.44 over the Belmont training track. He is scheduled to ship to Dubai on Tuesday.

Ria Antonia back to track

Ria Antonia, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, jogged once around the Belmont training track Friday morning, her first time on the track since being placed first by the stewards in the Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.

Ria Antonia spent about five weeks at Hogan Equine, a farm in Cream Ridge, N.J., before returning to trainer Jeremiah Englehart’s Belmont Park barn earlier this week. Ria Antonia will be shipped to Fair Grounds in about two weeks to prepare for the Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 22 as she attempts to get on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

Friday was the first time Englehart has seen Ria Antonia since the Breeders’ Cup.

“She looks good. I’m sure she’s anxious to get back and start doing something,” Englehart said. “She’s always really smooth. That’s one of the nice things about her.”

◗ Candyman E, making first start off the claim for David Jacobson and Al Gold, rallied past pacesetting Dads Caps (8-5 favorite) in deep stretch to win Friday’s $100,000 Spooky Mulder Stakes by three-quarters of a length. It was the ninth win from 20 career starts for Candyman E, a 6-year-old gelding by Candy Ride.

Candyman E ran six furlongs in 1:12.20 and returned $8.40. Praetereo, also trained by Jacobson, finished third.