Aspirant, Lady Finger runners prep for rich Breeders’ Futurity
Finger Lakes has a pair of six-furlong stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds on Friday, the $115,749 Aspirant for colts and geldings and the $119,613 Lady Finger for fillies.
Both races are futurities that have required owners to make three nominating or sustaining payments dating to at least early 2014 and, in some cases, 2013. That money is added to the purse of the race, as is the $1,000 entry fee.
The Aspirant and Lady Finger will produce runners for the biggest race of the Finger Lakes season, the $200,000-estimated New York Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 17. That six-furlong race, which is open to both males and females, requires two separate sustaining payments and a $2,000 entry fee.
The Aspirant, which has a field of eight, will match Inside Straight, trained by Todd Pletcher; Dr. Shane, trained by Nicholas Esler; and Love That Jazz, conditioned by Steve Asmussen. The field also includes two locally based runaway maiden winners: Sky Devil, trained by Michael Ferraro, and Saratoga Giro, stabled with Paul Barrow.
Pletcher has only had four starters at Finger Lakes in the last five years, but he did win the 2011 Aspirant with Bay Park Boy. He has named Joe Bravo to ride Friday. Inside Straight scored a front-running statebred maiden win in his second career start Aug. 15 at Saratoga over Governor Malibu, who was far clear of the rest of the field. Governor Malibu, who was making his debut, is a $135,000 2-year-old sales purchase trained by Christophe Clement.
Dr. Shane won his debut in May and has made three subsequent starts in stakes company. He was third behind two talented rivals, Sudden Surprise and Manipulated, last time out in the Funny Cide at Saratoga.
Love That Jazz is still a maiden after three starts but was second-best to the sharp debut winner Get Jets at Saratoga.
The Lady Finger has a field of 12. Oddly, three of the top choices – Celestial Sighting (Rudy Rodriguez), Frostie Anne (Eddie Kenneally), and Backwood Bay (Linda Rice) – have shown little early speed and have closed from off the pace.
The two quickest runners might be Gregorian Gold, owned and trained by Fair Hill-based Richard Lugovich, and Pont de l’Alma, who is stabled at Presque Isle Downs and will be making her first start for John Tebbutt after racing four times for trainer David Markgraf.
Gregorian Gold was second-best in her career debut at Saratoga to Frosty Margarita, a promising runner trained by Rodriguez. Trainer Lugovich is 1 for 11 on the year.