Attfield, Map of the Moon take 2-year-old turf stakes
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Attfield passed his distance test Friday at Aqueduct, taking advantage of a ground-saving trip under Ricardo Santana Jr. to win the $150,000 Central Park Stakes by a half-length over favored Noble Dynasty. It was a neck back to pacesetting Honey Dutch in third.
There was a dead heat for fourth between Jutland and Beach Ballad.
After a win and a third in a pair of turf sprints, Attfield successfully stretched to 1 1/16 miles in the Central Park, something trainer Tom Morley wasn’t overly confident his horse would be able to do.
“Not at all,” Morley said when asked if he was confident Attfield would stretch out. “He’s very fast, but he has a wonderful demeanor.”
Attfield is by Vekoma out of the unraced Street Boss mare Graceful Witch, but “physically he does look like a horse that should be able to stretch out,” Morley said.
Morley said he and Santana talked earlier in the day about sitting behind the speed horses in the Central Park. Despite relatively slow fractions set by Honey Dutch, Santana did a good getting Attfield to settle into third, behind Honey Dutch and a stalking Jutland.
Beach Ballad, under Flavien Prat, made a three-wide move at the top of the lane, but Santana was content to stay inside on Attfield. When some space opened up at the three-sixteenths marker, Santana got Attfield off the rail, he collared Honey Dutch inside the sixteenth pole while being able to hold off a five-wide rallying Noble Dynasty and Junior Alvarado at the wire.
“I just wanted to stay inside, they’re 2-year-olds, they’re learning,” Santana said. “I didn’t want to take him out to the clear too early, so I just waited to turn for home. When he saw the clear, he gave me a nice finish.”
Attfield, named after Morley’s former assistant, John Attfield, who died in November 2024, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.87 and returned $9.65 as the third choice. Attfield is owned by West Paces Racing and Rainbow End Racing Stable.
“Ricardo said as soon as he saw fresh air he really did quicken up very, very nicely and then the last five strides you’re just hoping he could hold off [Noble Dynasty],” Morley said.
Morley said he would like to give Attfield a try in a one-turn dirt race in the near future. He may have to go out of town - Laurel Park has the $100,000 Heft Stakes going seven furlongs on Dec. 27 - or wait for the Jerome Stakes, a one-turn mile typically run in the first week of January at Aqueduct.
Map of the Moon upsets Stewart Manor
The Kentucky-based trainer Kelsey Danner doesn’t ship to Aqueduct often, but when she does it’s wise to pay attention.
For the second time in time in five weeks, Danner won a stakes at Aqueduct as Map of the Moon made a five-wide rally in the stretch under Axel Concepcion and rallied past Believe in Magic to win the $150,000 Stewart Manor Stakes for 2-year-old fillies by three-quarters of a length.
Believe in Magic, who brushed with Beach Heist in the stretch, finished a head in front of that rival for second. Beach Heist was 1 3/4 lengths in front of Hark Theangelssing.
Map of the Moon, coming out of a nose maiden win at Keeneland, was sent off at 10-1, returning $23.74 to win. Last month, Danner shipped in Kentucky Downs maiden winner Ground Support to take the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at 12-1. Last year, Danner won the Carle Place with Carson Run and in 2023 she took the Glen Cove with Danse Macabre.
Map of the Moon, who took advantage of a rapid pace in winning a maiden race at Keeneland on Oct. 11, got similar circumstances on Friday in the Stewart Manor. Beach Heist, under Nik Juarez, set fractions of 21.25 seconds for the quarter and 43.46 for the half while being pressed by Believe in Magic.
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Concepcion had Map of the Moon in mid-pack saving ground. Turning for home, Concepcion tipped Map of the Moon into the clear and she persevered through the stretch to run by the two leaders.
“We thought we would have enough pace to run at,” Danner said by phone. “She’s been training fantastic. She’s touted herself all month. She closed well, professional again about it.”
Map of the Moon, a daughter of Liam’s Map owned by John Ballantyne’s NBS Stable, covered the six furlongs in 1:08.49.
Danner said she has more to run at Aqueduct before turf racing is shut down for the season here on Nov. 16. She plans to start Otago in the $150,000 Knickerbocker on Nov. 15 and Nice as Pie in the $150,000 Forever Together on Nov. 16.
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