Big Everest, Celestial City get back to work in Danger's Hour Stakes
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Big Everest and Celestial City both went 2 for 2 with a stakes victory over Aqueduct’s turf course last fall. Saturday, both horses return off significant layoffs when they head a six-horse field of older horses entered to run one mile in the $100,000 Danger’s Hour Stakes at Aqueduct.
Big Everest, trained by Christophe Clement, may rate a slight edge over Celestial City because of distance and running style.
Big Everest, a 5-year-old English-bred gelding, won a third-level allowance in September and the listed Artie Schiller Stakes in November, both at the one-mile distance. He did it with a front-running style that enabled him to win 4 of 5 races from June through November. A first-level allowance victory in June came off an eight-month layoff.
“Sometimes he gets sore feet, but he’s very genuine, he’s game,” Clement said. “It’s going to be a tough race to bring him back, but he won his last race going a mile there, so let’s not change too much.”
Manny Franco rides Big Everest from post 3.
Celestial City, a 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo trained by Shug McGaughey, won a first-level allowance and the Grade 2 Hill Prince over Aqueduct’s turf course last fall. McGaughey shipped Celestial City to Del Mar for the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in December, and he raced last all the way around the course.
“I don’t know why he ran so bad in the Hollywood Derby,” McGaughey said. “I got no idea.”
McGaughey said Celestial City got a break at Niall Brennan’s farm in Ocala, Fla., before coming to him at Payson Park in February.
“He’s been training really well at Payson,” McGaughey said. “I picked this spot because he’d run so well over at Aqueduct last fall. I think I made the right decision. Chris’s horse is tough, but he’s coming off a long layoff too.”
Celestial City is 0 for 3 at a mile.
Trevor McCarthy rides Celestial City from post 5.
Trainer Joe Sharp scratched Anaconda out of a third-level turf sprint here Thursday for this spot. Anaconda was third to Big Everest in a second-level allowance at Aqueduct last September going a mile before running second in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship. In two starts this year, Anaconda has finished ninth and fourth in stakes at Santa Anita and Turfway Park.
Dylan Davis rides Anaconda from the rail.
Trainer Paulo Lobo has entered both Eleven Central and Koolhaus, both making their stakes debut with Koolhaus making his first start on turf.
So High, who is 3 for 19, ran fourth in a first-level allowance here April 7. He has not won since taking a $35,000 claimer here in November 2020.
The Danger’s Hour is carded as race 3 on a nine-race card that begins at 1:20 p.m.
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