Atras has trio lined up for Sunday stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The first stakes of Aqueduct’s winter meet didn’t go as trainer Rob Atras had hoped, with Sadie Lady finishing fourth in last Saturday’s $100,000 Garland of Roses.

Atras will hope for better results this weekend when he runs Chateau in Sunday’s $100,000 Gravesend Stakes and the pair of Olliemyboy and You’re to Blame in the $125,000 Queens County, also on Sunday.

Chateau, winner of the Grade 3 Tom Fool here in March, is coming off a third-place finish behind Hopeful Treasure and Green Light Go in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight here on Nov. 29. As he typically does, Chateau showed good early speed, but he gave way in the final furlong in what was his first start in 11 weeks.

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“There was other speed in there so I was concerned, but he got clear and I thought he ran a good race and just came up short,” Atras said.

On Sunday, over Belmont Park’s training track, Chateau worked a half-mile in 48.63 seconds in company with Horn of Plenty.

The Gravesend field is expected to include the promising Happy Medium, Cost Basis, and the multiple stakes winners Wondrwherecraigis and Jaxon Traveler.

In the Queens County, You’re to Blame and Olliemyboy will be running after finishing third and fifth in the same allowance at Churchill Downs on Nov. 21. Atras said he had to send both horses out of town because he couldn’t find a suitable spot for them in New York.

Olliemyboy began the year in the barn of Norm Casse at Fair Grounds and won two allowance races before finishing sixth in the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic. After a break and a change of trainers to Atras, Olliemyboy has run twice, both losses in allowance company over wet tracks.

In his first start for Atras, Olliemyboy ran fourth at Delaware Park. Atras said a storm came as the horses were in the paddock.

“The track was washed out, he was down on the inside, lost a shoe, and a had a foot problem after that we had to address,” Atras said.

You’re to Blame was claimed for $80,000 by Michael Dubb and Karen Murphy out of an allowance victory Oct. 2 at Belmont. You’re to Blame is 1 for 24 in stakes, with the win coming in the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup at Parx in 2018.

You’re to Blame was beaten only two lengths going 1 1/16 miles in that Nov. 21 Churchill race.

“I knew it was a tick short for him but I needed to run him, and our plan was to get a prep race for the Queens County for them,” Atras said.

On Sunday at Belmont, You’re to Blame and Olliemyboy worked five furlongs together in 1:03.27.

As for Sadie Lady, Atras said he deduced that she simply didn’t like the sloppy track in Saturday’s Garland of Roses and will likely throw it out. The Say Florida Sandy and Interborough here are options for her in January, but they are at seven furlongs, and she may be better suited to the $100,000 Broadway, a six-furlong race versus New York-breds on Feb. 13.