Aqueduct: This Ones for Phil may upstage stablemate in Fall Highweight

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While yet another quick turnaround for the Grade 1-winning 3-year-old Willy Beamin will be a hot topic leading up to Thursday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. believes his other horse, This Ones for Phil, will dominate the post-race discussion.

“I expect him to win the race,” Dutrow, channeling his inner Joe Namath and Mark Messier, said of This Ones for Phil.

Dutrow’s uncoupled duo of This Ones for Phil and Willy Beamin top a six-horse field entered for the six-furlong Fall Highweight, the traditional feature on a nine-race Thanksgiving Day card that commences at 11:25 a.m. The Fall Highweight goes as race 8 with an approximate post of 2:42 p.m.

The Fall Highweight drew six, but Poseidon’s Warrior was cross-entered in Wednesday night’s $200,000 Fabulous Strike Stakes at Penn National.

Small Town Talk was cross-entered in the $100,000 Swatara Stakes, also Wednesday at Penn National, but his trainer, Chuck Simon, said Tuesday afternoon he plans to run in New York.

This Ones for Phil, a five-time stakes winner, has not run since finishing second to Royal Currier in an overnight stakes at Belmont Park in May. Dutrow said This Ones for Phil needed some time off after that race for a physical issue that did not require surgery. The horse shows nine workouts at Aqueduct since Sept. 21, including a three-furlong blowout in 36.55 seconds Tuesday morning.

“He just got turned out for a couple of months,” Dutrow said. “Phil’s never looked this good. He’s got more weight on him now than he ever has. We have an awful lot of confidence that Phil’s gonna run huge.”

The key could be how well This Ones for Phil breaks from his rail post under Ramon Dominguez, who won five races here Sunday. This Ones for Phil carries 130 pounds.

Dutrow said Tuesday that Willy Beamin will run in the Fall Highweight, just five days after finishing second to Called to Serve in the Grade 3 Discovery Handicap last Saturday here. In August, Willy Beamin won the Grade 1 King’s Bishop at seven furlongs three days after winning the Albany at 1 1/8 miles. In June, at Belmont Park, Willy Beamin won the seven-furlong Mike Lee four days after winning a one-mile allowance race. Willy Beamin has never run shorter than seven furlongs.

“We know three-quarters might not be his game, but he might run huge again,” Dutrow said. “I know he’s in good shape.”

Butch Reid, trainer of Poseidon’s Warrior seemed to be leaning toward running his horse Wednesday night at Penn National. First, the horse is 2 for 2 at Penn National and the Fabulous Strike is worth more money than the Fall Highweight. Also, he was a little concerned how his horse would handle carrying high weight of 135 pounds.

Caixa Eletronica, a $1.5 million earner and second to The Lumber Guy in the Grade 1 Vosburgh, makes career start 60 in the Fall Highweight.

Mine Over Matter, winner of the Hudson Stakes on New York Showcase Day, is in with a chance. The jockey/trainer combination of John Velazquez/Mike Hushion is (7 for 17) 41 percent the last 23 months.