Aqueduct: Pletcher duo back for Bold Ruler Handicap

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Daylight savings time is over, a fortuitous development for handicappers hung over from a two-day Breeders’ Cup, and still with six more stakes to tackle on Aqueduct’s Sunday program.

Five $60,000 overnight stakes, two originally scheduled for last Sunday’s cancelled Belmont card, surround a redo of the Grade 3, $100,000 Bold Ruler Handicap, which was wiped out by last Saturday’s freak nor’easter.

The seven-furlong, $100,000 Bold Ruler, carded as race 5, lost two of its original entrants, Rodman and Uptowncharlybrown, but is still headed by the Repole Stable entry of Caixa Eletronica and Calibrachoa, who ran third and fifth in the Vosburgh five weeks ago for Todd Pletcher.

Caixa Eletronica has notched three of his 15 wins since claimed by his current connections earlier this year, including the Grade 3 Westchester and a starter handicap under a 131-pound impost. The 6-year-old’s main objective this fall is the Cigar Mile on Nov. 26, and he remains on course despite the delay.

“For a horse like Caixa, I honestly don’t see the postponement being an issue at all,” assistant trainer Whit Beckman said. “Last week he was sitting on go, but he’s doing great and will run as well as he would have. He’s one of those horses where I don’t think you can do anything to bother him.”

Calibrachoa, who has recorded 107 Beyer Figures in his last two starts on non-sealed surfaces, could benefit from the change of venue; he is 4 for 4 at Aqueduct on both dirt tracks.

“We’d like to see him more forwardly placed than he was in the Vosburgh,” Beckman said. “He was a little far back, and I think that took him out of his game.”

Rule by Night has won both of his starts on the Big A’s main track for Steve Asmussen, including a career-best 108 Beyer winning the seven-furlong Groovy overnight stakes last November. The move across town could be big for him as well.

Flat Bold, J J’s Lucky Train, Justin Phillip, and Sangaree complete the lineup.

Sangaree, scratched from the Oct. 1 Kelso because of a cough, made the 22nd start of his career – but first on dirt – in an overnight stakes at Saratoga and ran a lifetime top Beyer of 104. His half-brother, Congaree, loved Aqueduct’s main track, winning the Wood Memorial and back-to-back Cigar Miles.

Three of the supporting stakes are scheduled for turf, the Spice Island (1st race) and King Cugat (4th) at a mile; and the Middle Stage (6th) at 1 1/16 miles. The six-furlong Henribee (3rd) and the one-mile Toccet (8th) are for 2-year-olds on the main track.

Five of the seven in the Henribee – which was brought back from last Sunday − are out-of-towners, including Maryland Million Nursery winner Glib and Il Villano, a Parx Racing invader coming off an 11-length maiden win. They figure to vie for favoritism.

The Middle Stage, also brought back from last Sunday, picked up the significant additions of My Redbyrd, who won the Hattie Moseley at Saratoga, and Arch Support, beaten two lengths in the Grade 1 Garden City Stakes two starts back.

Good Karma, second in the Italian Oaks behind eventual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Danedream, and stakes-placed Naples Bay are uncoupled in the Middle Stage for Christophe Clement, who also has contenders Wallis in the Spice Island and Summer Front in the King Cugat.