A bit of improvement puts Vacation Dance right there in Atlantic Beach Stakes
Vacation Dance ran third in a Grade 3 stakes last out in his first start against winners and has reason to move forward Saturday when he goes in the $120,000 Atlantic Beach at Aqueduct.
The six-furlong turf race for 2-year-olds is one of two stakes on a 10-race card that has a special first post of 10:50 a.m. Eastern. The $120,000 Stewart Manor is the counterpart for 2-year-old fillies.
Vacation Dance is part of a five-horse field in the Atlantic Beach that includes No Nay Hudson, who was on the also-eligible list for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, which was to have been run Friday at Keeneland.
Vacation Dance has made two starts. He was a debut winner Sept. 4 at Saratoga in a maiden special weight for New York-breds over 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. One race later, Vacation Dance was third by a neck in the Grade 3 Futurity on Oct. 9 at Aqueduct.
“He’s had a month and he’s probably ready to move forward off that,” trainer John Kimmel said. “We’re excited for him to go back out there.”
Vacation Dance set a pressured pace in the Futurity, putting up fractions of 22.09 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.79 for the half-mile. He earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 82 in the six-furlong sprint, which went in 1:09.36. The winner of that race, Nagirroc, and the second-place finisher, Gaslight Dancer, were both to have run back Friday at Keeneland in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
“I thought his race was very good in the Futurity,” Kimmel said. “He was the only horse in the race that only had one start. He did all the dirty work. Did get a little late the last part.”
Kimmel said Vacation Dance would have benefited by another race before the Futurity. The horse also missed a work leading up to the race due to inclement weather.
“It rained so much, there was so much water,” Kimmel said. “I couldn’t work him. He ended up going into the Futurity 15 days without a breeze. Maybe if he had another breeze, he would have been a little tighter.”
Vacation Dance has had two breezes since the Futurity. He will break from post 3 on Saturday.
“He’s not a horse that needs to be on the front end,” Kimmel said. “He’d be fine chasing horses.”
Kendrick Carmouche has the mount on Vacation Dance, a son of The Lieutenant, for Sleeping Giant Stables, America’s Pastime Stables, and KimDon Racing.
Inflation Nation, who was fourth by a half-length in the Futurity, will start as a top contender, while No Nay Hudson enters off a third-place finish in the Indian Summer at Kentucky Downs, which was won by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint entrant Private Creed.
Redifined stands out in the Stewart Manor after chasing Love Reigns and American Apple in her last two starts. Those fillies were slated to have met males Friday in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
Redifined was third to Love Reigns in the Bolton Landing in August at Saratoga and second to American Apple in the Grade 3 Matron in October at Aqueduct. Jose Lezcano has the mount for owner Team D and trainer Tony Dutrow.
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