Aqueduct: Reid hopes lightning strikes twice in Withers

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Four years ago, trainer Butch Reid won the Grade 3 Withers Stakes with Afleet Again, who upset four rivals at odds of 24-1.

Next Saturday, when the Withers is run for the 134th time, Reid will try to win it again with Honorable Judge, a full brother to Afleet Again.

“I don’t know if lightning can strike twice or not, but we’ll give it a try,” Reid said.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Honorable Judge and Afleet Again are both sons of Afleet Alex out of the Wild Again mare Lucky Again. When Afleet Again won the Withers, it was a one-turn mile race worth $150,000 run over Aqueduct’s main track in late April. Now, the Withers is a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race, worth $250,000, run over Aqueduct’s inner track. The Withers is the second leg of New York’s 3-year-old series that includes the $500,000 Gotham on March 1 and the $1 million Wood Memorial on April 5.

Honorable Judge won a two-turn maiden race at Parx Racing on Aug. 11 and, most recently, a two-turn first-level allowance race at Parx on Nov. 3. In between, he finished last in the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs on Sept. 7.

“The Iroquois was a real disappointment,” Reid said. “We went down there and he wasn’t himself. We scoped him [after the race] and he had a little throat issue. He had minor surgery and that got cleaned up and he’s been doing fantastically well ever since.”

In his Nov. 3 allowance win, Honorable Judge made the lead in upper stretch and then got a little distracted, Reid said.

“He was kind of playing with them. He went to the lead, was drifting in, drifting out, running green,” said Reid, adding in that regard “he’s like his brother.”

Reid also is hoping that Honorable Judge is like his brother in regards to wanting to run a distance of ground at Churchill Downs. Afleet Again, in 2011, won the Breeders’ Cup Marathon, at 1 3/4 miles, at Churchill.

“I don’t think the distance is going to be a problem,” Reid said. “He has the same disposition as [Afleet Again]. He’ll run as far as he needs to.”

A field of five or six is shaping up for the Withers. Post positions will be drawn Monday. The field is expected to include Classic Giacnroll, Honorable Judge, Samraat, Street Gent, Uncle Sigh, and possibly Scotland.

Vero Amore stretches out

Reid also will be represented in next Saturday’s $100,000 Busher Stakes for 3-year-old fillies with Vero Amore, who will be running back 20 days after getting beat a nose in the Ruthless Stakes here.

While Reid has wanted to stretch out Vero Amore in distance – the Busher is 1 1/16 miles – he wasn’t necessarily planning to wheel her back on such short rest until he saw how well the filly has done since the race.

“I had crossed this race off after that hard effort,” Reid said. “With that pedigree we’ve definitely wanted to run her longer. She’s been galloping great and aggressively, so we’ll go ahead and take a shot.”

Vero Amore is by Mineshaft out of the dam Summers Edge, a daughter of The Cliff’s Edge.

Others expected in the Busher are Fierce Boots, winner of the Busanda; Ballylee, Fleet of Gold, Joint Return, and My Jimmy Chew Girl.

Strapping Groom eyes Toboggan

Strapping Groom, winner of the Grade 1 Forego and recent winner of the Gravesend, tops the field expected for Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan Stakes at six furlongs.

Others under consideration include Dads Caps, Non Stop, Sensational Slam, and possibly Bet the Power and Jake N Elwood.

Uno Duo tops Correction probables

Reid also was considering running I’m Mom’s Favorite in next Saturday’s $100,000 Correction Stakes, but said the filly missed an important workout last week that will likely cause him to pass the race.

I’m Mom’s Favorite, previously trained by Tony Dutrow, won the Miss Preakness Stakes last May and has not run since finishing seventh of eight in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga on Aug. 24.

In her absence, the recent minor stakes winner Uno Duo will head the field expected for the Correction, run at six furlongs. Uno Duo comes off a 3 1/2-length victory in the Fickle Fanny Stakes over the inner track on Dec. 12.

Others pointing to the Correction include Lion D N A, Baby J, and Delightful Quality, who ran 1-3-4 in the Interborough, and P J.s Superego. Villette and Fantasy of Flight are possible.

Two stakes shifted on calendar

The New York Racing Association announced Friday that the Grade 2, $250,000 Ruffian, originally scheduled for April 5 (Wood Day) at Aqueduct, will be moved to May 11 at Belmont to be part of the Jockey Club Tour on Fox series.

The Westchester, a one-turn mile race typically run as a prep for the Metropolitan Handicap, also will be run May 11, an indication that the Met Mile could be moved off its typical spot on the calendar, which had been Memorial Day (May 26). NYRA has yet to announce its complete 2014 Belmont summer meet stakes schedule.

The Man o’ War, which had been run in July, has been moved to May 11 as well to be part of the 90-minute Fox Sports 1 show.