Aqueduct: Saturday's Charm finds good spot to end losing streak

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A return to the inner track, the presence of a plethora of speed, and a favorable outside post draw could all help Saturday’s Charm end an eight-race losing streak in Thursday’s $76,000 feature at Aqueduct.

The six-furlong race, a third-level optional $100,000 claimer, drew only five horses, including three who are being offered for the $100,000 optional-claiming tag. Candyman E, who just two weeks ago won the $100,000 Spooky Mulder Stakes, is in for the tag.

Saturday’s Charm, a son of Any Given Saturday trained by Steve Asmussen for Mike McCarty, raced three times over the inner track last season. He finished third in the four-horse True and Blue Stakes, before coming back to win an allowance race by 5 1/4 lengths, when breaking from the outside. In the Grade 3 Tom Fool, despite a poor start, Saturday’s Charm rallied to make the lead only to be nailed in the final jump by Comma to the Top.

In his seven subsequent starts, Saturday’s Charm has two seconds and two thirds, including a third behind Clearly Now and Forty Tales in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler. Saturday’s Charm threw in an uncharacteristically poor race when sixth in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight last out.

“I think he’s rounding back into form. We’re drawing a line through that last race and moving on,” said Toby Sheets, who oversees Asmussen’s New York string. “I do believe an outside post will help a little bit. He’s been stuck down inside a lot.”

With horses like Jake N Elwood and Royal Currier in the field, Saturday’s Charm, who will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., should get a favorable pace scenario in which to close.

Trainer David Jacobson enters the final week of racing for 2013 with 156 wins on the New York Racing Association circuit, three short of Gary Contessa’s record of 159 set in 2007. Jacobson has six horses entered in four races on Thursday’s card, including Moments Notiz and Candyman E.

Moments Notiz won a starter allowance by 6 3/4 lengths Nov. 21, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 102. In a similar spot Dec. 11, he was beaten a half-length by Bet the Power, a horse Jacobson had claimed away from him by John Terranova.

“I don’t think that was a bad race last time. I thought he ran good and he got beat by my old horse, who is a legitimate horse,” Jacobson said.

Jacobson claimed Candyman E for $62,500 in October and basically got all that investment back when Candyman E won the Spooky Mulder on Dec. 13.

“I don’t know how good a race that really was. It was for horses that ran for a claiming price,” Jacobson said. “I wasn’t that impressed with the race. He has his little issues. Mike Mareina is a sharp trainer. He ran that horse for a tag for a reason.”