Aqueduct: Rush Now tries to add to Terranova’s claiming success in Thursday feature

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer John Terranova and his client Sovereign Stable have recently dabbled in the claiming game, picking their spots judiciously. With Rush Now, a horse they claimed for $50,000 on Jan. 1, they might have found the right spot for the 6-year-old gelding in Thursday’s $71,000 feature at Aqueduct.

Rush Now, a three-time stakes winner when in the barn of Tony Dutrow, is one of six horses entered in the one-mile race that is a third-level optional claimer. Rush Now is one of three horses entered for the $75,000 claiming tag.

Granted, the sample size is small, but Terranova has had success first off the claim the last five years, winning with three of five horses under that scenario. That includes Bet the Power, who won first off the claim for Terranova/Sovereign in December and who is entered in Saturday’s Grade 3 Toboggan at Aqueduct.

The day Terranova claimed Rush Now, the 6-year-old son of Tiznow faded to fourth after sparring on the lead with Writingonthewall, who went on to post a narrow victory over Mr Palmer.

That race was Rush Now’s first in seven weeks, or since he won a third-level optional claimer at Parx Racing when he was in for $40,000. Terranova is hoping that Rush Now may have needed that race and could benefit from being based in New York and not having to ship from Maryland.

“He looks great, he’s training well, it’s the first time we’re running him,” Terranova said. “We’ve just been getting a feel for him these last few weeks. He breezed really well for us.”

On Jan. 20, Rush Now worked a half-mile in 48.03 seconds, the third fastest of 63 workouts at that distance that morning. C.C. Lopez, who was unseated in a spill Sunday and who took off his two mounts Monday, is named to ride Rush Now on Thursday.

Rush Now has been successful from both on and off the pace. Colleen’s Sailor, second in the Lord of the Night Stakes last out, is the other main speed in here.

Beautyinthepulpit, trained by Bruce Brown, has not been out since finishing last in the four-horse Fourstars Allstar Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 18, 2012. Brown said that Beautyinthepulpit had “a lot of little nagging injuries” and credited owner Al Fried with giving the 6-year-old son of Pulpit the time he needed.

Don Dulce would benefit from a contested pace if he runs. Don Dulce finished second in three consecutive stakes before running fifth in the Evening Attire on Jan. 18. Earlier this week, trainer David Jacobson said he was “taking it day by day” before deciding whether to run Don Dulce in this spot.

Keep the Canoli, trained by Greg Sacco, ships up from Parx coming off a second-level optional-claiming win in the mud Jan. 13. Regulus finished last in the Lord of the Night Stakes and will have blinkers removed from his equipment by trainer Gary Contessa.