Beer: Aqueduct horses to watch for week of April 3
Brooklyn Gerty
Trainer: Chad Brown
Last race: March 31, 4th
Finish: 2nd by 1 3/4
Beyer: 77
Lone first-time starter in field of six caught a sloppy track and raced greenly while chasing a heavily favored stablemate through the stretch. Settled for second best, well clear of the rest of the field.
Short Kakes
Trainer: David Cannizzo
Last race: March 31, 7th
Finish: 3rd by 5 1/4
Beyer: 53
Turfway import was sharp in her first route attempt, which came prior to arriving in New York, and she backed that winning effort up well. She was part of a contested pace in a race that ultimately fell to closers.
The Gomper
Trainer: Michelle Nevin
Last race: March 31, 8th
Finish: 7th by 9 1/4
Beyer: 71
Five-year-old caught a wet track for the first time in his career, and it apparently didn't agree with him as he was outrun from the start and allowed to just race on from the back of the pack in the stretch. He's better than that, and his first start in New York for this trainer was a better-than-looks effort trying to close in a race that was dominated on the lead.