Bonus Points seeks elusive graded win in Discovery

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Bonus Points has spent most of the year in futile search of a graded stakes victory. In Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Discovery Stakes at Aqueduct, he may have found the right spot to check that off his connections’ wish list.

The Discovery, the last graded race on this circuit restricted to 3-year-olds, drew a modest field of six with Senior Investment the lone graded winner among the sextet. Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Bonus Points, has won the Discovery six times and finished second in last year’s running with Neolithic.

Bonus Points, a son of Majestic Warrior, tried to take the New York road to the Kentucky Derby during the winter, but was no match for El Areeb in the Jerome and Withers – both Grade 3 events over Aqueduct’s now-defunct inner track – or Irish War Cry in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial over the main track in April. While Pletcher was winning the Kentucky Derby on May 6 with Always Dreaming, Bonus Points won the $100,000 Parx Derby.

Bonus Points unsuccessfully sought graded glory on the turf before returning to dirt in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones at Parx on Labor Day, running fourth behind Pavel. Bonus Points enters the Discovery off a 2 3/4-length win against older horses in the Maryland Million Classic, a race restricted to Maryland-breds.

“I thought it was a good effort from him for a 3-year-old running against older horses,” Pletcher said. “He’s been a consistent, hard-trying horse who seems to be in good form. He’s trained well since the Maryland race, so we thought we’d give it a try.”

Bonus Points, who will be ridden by Nik Juarez, is a closer who would benefit from a contested pace in front of him. He could get that with True Timber and Control Group in the field. True Timber finished behind Bonus Points in the Jerome and in front of him in the Withers, but remains eligible for a first-level allowance race. Control Group, a New York-bred who finished second to Twisted Tom in the Empire Classic, was supplemented to this race by owners Michael Dubb and David Simon.

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Senior Investment beat presumptive 3-year-old champion West Coast in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in April and ran third in the Preakness. He is another who would benefit from a strong pace.

“I think it’s a great spot for him,” trainer Ken McPeek said. “The pace dictates his finish. He’s a deep closer. He’s been pretty consistent. As long as the pace is fair and they back up to him a little bit, he’ll make his run.”

Spieth, a son of Bernardini, makes his stakes debut for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who also sends out True Timber. Can You Diggit, who finished behind Twisted Tom in three consecutive New York-bred stakes, wheels back just 10 days after finishing second in a statebred allowance race going a one-turn mile here.

The Discovery tops a 10-race card that begins at 11:50 a.m. Eastern and includes the inaugural runnings of the $150,000 Forever Together and the $125,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint, both scheduled for the grass at 1 1/16 miles and six furlongs, respectively.