Brown sends two in Waya Stakes
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Capital Structure and Rocky Sky may not rank in the top 10 among the older female turf horses in trainer Chad Brown’s barn, but either one could be good enough to get the job done in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Waya Stakes at Aqueduct.
Capital Structure, a 5-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega, won a second-level allowance going the Waya distance of 1 3/8 miles at Saratoga on July 31, with Coastana fourth. Coastana came back to run third in the Grade 2 Flower Bowl and could go favored in the Waya. Capital Structure then ran last of six in the 1 1/8-mile All Along Stakes at Pimlico on Sept. 10 after her saddle slipped during the early stages of the race.
“It’s amazing the jockey stayed on,” Brown said. “It was too short a distance for her anyway. Was trying to get some black type and it backfired with the equipment problem. Hence, I’m running her back on short rest and trying her back at a distance she likes. In hindsight, I should have trained up to this race anyway.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Capital Structure from the rail.
Rocky Sky was scratched from a second-level allowance race going this 1 3/8-mile distance on Sept. 22 when that race was rained off to the main track. Brown said he was thinking about the Waya anyway for Rocky Sky, and that it’s not a big deal she missed that race. Rocky Sky may be better equipped than Capital Structure to handle give in the ground, considering she won her maiden over good ground in Ireland last year and ran second to stablemate Bleecker Street in the Grade 2 Hillsborough over good ground at Tampa Bay Downs.
In her last start, Rocky Sky closed to be second to a loose-on-the-lead Beside Herself in an allowance at Saratoga.
Manny Franco rides Rocky Sky from the outside post in the eight-horse field.
Coastana, a 5-year-old daughter of Kitten’s Joy, finished behind Virginia Joy and War Like Goddess in the Flower Bowl at Saratoga. That was her second start off an 11-month layoff.
“She moved forward off her effort off almost a year layoff, and it presented an opportunity for her to step up and not be in too deep waters in a competitive but small field,” said trainer Cherie DeVaux, referring to the Flower Bowl field of six.
DeVaux noted that Coastana is scheduled to be sold at auction this November.
Flirting Bridge, third in the Grade 2 Canadian at Woodbine on Aug. 21, is trained by Brendan Walsh. She finished eighth behind Rocky Sky in a minor stakes in Ireland in April 2021.
Tass finished fourth in last week’s Grade 3 Athenia here, and trainer Carlos Martin has entered her right back to at least take a look. Tass won the Nellie Mae Cox Stakes at Colonial Downs on Sept. 7.
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Gladys, Lovely Lucky, and Flying Fortess complete the field.