Aqueduct: Sahara Sky looking to avenge narrow Carter Handicap loss

Sahara Sky will look to avenge his narrow loss in last year’s Carter Handicap when he travels across the country again to run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Carter, which this year had its purse raised to $500,000.

Sahara Sky rallied ferociously in the stretch in last year’s Carter but could not reel in Swagger Jack, who got the jump on Sahara Sky turning into the stretch. Sahara Sky got his revenge on Swagger Jack a month later when he beat him and all comers in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont.

“Last year, Joel Rosario rode him, and he just did not quite get up,” Jerry Hollendorfer, the trainer and a part owner of Sahara Sky, said of last year’s Carter. “When I talked to him the next day, he said he would ride him better the next time. He needed to get to know the horse, and he said he would ride him better, and he did.”

Following his victory in the Met Mile, Sahara Sky sat out the rest of 2013. He made his 2014 debut Feb. 2 in the Palos Verdes at Santa Anita, where he finished fifth. But he returned March 8 in the Grade 2 San Carlos and came with a flying finish under Rosario to beat Big Macher by a half-length.

Rosario is committed to ride Saturday at Keeneland, so Sahara Sky will be ridden by Corey Nakatani, who is 2 for 3 on Sahara Sky.

“Corey’s very familiar with Sahara Sky. He’s worked him a lot,” Hollendorfer said.

Sahara Sky is the 122-pound highweight for the Carter. He is expected to take on a field that includes Strapping Groom (120 pounds), Golden Ticket (118), Central Banker (117), and Clearly Now (117).

Havana to miss Bay Shore

Havana, last year’s Grade 1 Champagne winner and an Eclipse Award finalist in the 2-year-old male division, will not run in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Bay Shore Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.

Havana was scratched from the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream on March 1 due to a quarter crack. Though he has recently resumed training, he has not worked since Feb. 23.

“He is back galloping. We ran out of time for the Bay Shore,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “Hopefully, we can get a breeze into him soon.”

Pletcher said the next significant goal for Havana likely will be the Woody Stephens at Belmont on June 7.

Oliver Zip, who won the Fred “Cappy” Capossela Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths here March 8, is “75-25” to run in the Bay Shore. His connections also are considering stretching him out in the Wood.

Others pointing to the Bay Shore include Charleymillionaire, Financial Mogul, Kobe’s Back, Loki’s Vengeance, and Long On Value.

Kobe’s Back will be cutting back to seven furlongs in the Bay Shore, a distance at which he won the Grade 2 San Vicente on Feb. 16. He then tried to stretch out in the Grade 2 Rebel but finished a well-beaten seventh behind Hoppertunity.

“Both times he’s run two turns, he drew outside, and he didn’t break very well,” trainer John Sadler said. “We’re going back to something he does well. We know he’s very good at seven-eighths.”

Kobe’s Back worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Monday at Santa Anita with Nakatani up. Nakatani will ride him in the Bay Shore.

The Admiral, a possible starter for the Bay Shore, worked four furlongs in 46.60 at Santa Anita on Monday for trainer Bob Baffert.

Bird Maker to try Gazelle

Trainer Ian Wilkes hopes Bird Maker will appreciate flying north after her disappointing winter in south Florida.

Wilkes is running Bird Maker, a Marylou Whitney homebred, in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

In two starts at Gulfstream, Bird Maker was beaten by 12 lengths by Dame Dorothy in an off-the-turf first-level allowance race, then was beaten by 10 lengths by In Tune in that same condition. In Tune came back to win last Saturday’s Gulfstream Oaks to remain undefeated in three starts.

Wilkes said that in the race against In Tune, jockey Julien Leparoux had to “put her into the race too early. She doesn’t like to be pushed.”

Others pointing to the Gazelle include Got Lucky, My Miss Sophia, Regent’s House, Sweet Reason, Vero Amore, and Wraith.