Aqueduct: Toscano's fortunes on the rise

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With 23 wins and slightly more than $1 million in purse earnings, 69-year-old John Toscano Jr. in 2013 enjoyed his most successful year in nearly three decades of training horses.

Toscano kicked off 2014 in winning fashion when My Lucky Lieu won a maiden $12,500 claiming race on Thursday’s card at Aqueduct. Sunday, Toscano hopes Miss Da Point can pick up where she left off when she runs in the $75,000 Judy Soda Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at one mile.

Miss Da Point, a daughter of Strong Contender, was responsible for four of Toscano’s 23 victories in 2013, including her last two starts in December. She is also 3 for 6 over the inner track, including a New York-bred overnight stakes on Dec. 31, 2012.

“She seems to have an affinity for the inner track,” Toscano said Friday. “But Harbor Mist is in the race and it’s going to be a little bit tough. The owners will make the decision whether to run or not. They’re leaning toward running.”

The owners of Miss Da Point include Bran Jam Stable, headed by Mike Mellen, who is in part responsible for Toscano’s success in 2013. Mellen, who has horses in California with Peter Eurton, gave Toscano 10 horses to train in 2013.

“He put $75,000 in the account and we got him up to 10 horses and we’ll go from there,” Toscano said.

Toscano trained horses from 1979 to 1983 before stopping. He held myriad jobs, working for trainer John Parisella, then as a stable manager for owner Wayne Widmer and as a jockey agent.

He returned to training in 1991 and in 2004 he was briefly on the Triple Crown trail with Sinister G, who won the Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park. Sinister G finished 10th of 11 runners in that year’s Wood Memorial.

Asked if there are any Sinister G type runners in the barn, Toscano said, “Not yet. But I’ll let you know if I do.”

Willet to stay in training

Following Willet’s dominant victory in a New York-bred stakes here on Dec. 6, trainer and part-owner Jimmy Iselin indicated that Willet may be retired and possibly bred.

But Willet remains in her stall in Aqueduct’s barn 4 and, at least as of this week, Iselin plans to run her again at age 6.

“She’s here, healthy, sound. It’s very hard to let go,” Iselin said Thursday as Willet was ridden around the shed row. “We’re going to try to run around two turns and win a graded stakes.”

Willet, a daughter of Jump Start, has won four stakes restricted to New York-breds and all of her wins have come around one turn. In 2012, she was beaten a neck in the Grade 2 Go for Wand. She finished fourth in last November’s Go for Wand.

Willet is not in serious training and Iselin has not yet picked out a spot for her return. The first graded opportunity for fillies and mares around two turns in New York is the Grade 2, $200,000 Top Flight at 1 1/16 miles over the inner track on March 1. Another potential graded opportunity for Willet is the Grade 2, $250,000 Ruffian, a one-turn mile over the main track on April 19.

Meanwhile, Iselin is high on Crafty Dreamer, a 5-year-old New York-bred son of War Front who is entered here Sunday in a second-level allowance for statebreds. Crafty Dreamer, away from the races for a year – from August 2012 to August 2013 – due to chronic shin problems, is coming off a 4 1/4-length victory in a first-level allowance race over the main track on Nov. 30. Iselin hopes Crafty Dreamer runs well enough Sunday to have him under consideration for the Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct on April 5.

“You got to shoot high,” said Iselin, who cautioned he wouldn’t run Crafty Dreamer Sunday if the track was not to his satisfaction. “Hopefully, my confidence will be rewarded. If it isn’t that’s part of the game too.”

Fourth fatality on inner track

Uncle Smokey suffered a lateral condylar fracture of his left foreleg during the running of Thursday’s seventh race and had to be euthanized on track. He became the fourth racing fatality of the inner track season.

During the 2012-13 inner track meet, there were nine racing-related fatalities. In 2011-12, there were 21 fatalities, which led to Gov. Cuomo’s appointment of a safety task force.

Uncle Smokey was a 6-year-old gelding who was making his third start in 16 days for trainer David Jacobson and Drawing Away Stable.

Vacation for Miss Narcissist

Miss Narcissist, who was scratched when her hind legs got caught up in the gate prior to the Dec. 22 East View Stakes, was sent to Florida for a two-month break, according to trainer Linda Rice.

Rice said that Miss Narcissist had several cuts on her legs, but none that were serious enough to warrant sutures.

“Mentally, hopefully a little sunshine and grass will bring her the right way,” Rice said.

Prior to the gate mishap, Miss Narcissist had won three consecutive races, including the Joseph A. Gimma and a division of the New York Stallion Stakes.

◗ Mean Season, who earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure when winning a first-level allowance race going six furlongs here on Dec. 22 in his first start for trainer Bill Mott, will remain in New York for the foreseeable future, according to assistant trainer Leana Willaford.