Buy Land and See returns off promising dirt debut
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though a stakes winner on turf in his youth, Buy Land and See trained too well on dirt not to give that surface a try at some point. After earning a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure when third in his dirt debut Dec. 31, Buy Land and See’s future appears to be on that surface, according to trainer Tony Dutrow.
“I think he’s better on the dirt,” Dutrow said.
Buy Land and See’s next dirt start comes Thursday at Aqueduct in a second-level allowance/optional $62,500 claiming race at seven furlongs that goes as the feature on Aqueduct’s nine-race card.
Buy Land and See was away from the races for about a year when returned in the Belmont Turf Sprint Championship last Oct. 2. A seventh-place finish there and a fourth-place finish in a subsequent turf allowance in November left Dutrow with a relatively fresh horse, but no turf options in New York.
In his dirt debut, Buy Land and See stalked the pacesetting Pioneer Spirit through modest fractions and vied with that one for the lead into midstretch before giving way when things got a little tight with American Monarch coming out from his inside and ultimate race winner Untreated coming near him as he went by from the outside. Though beaten 1 3/4 lengths, Buy Land and See was 5 1/4 lengths clear of the fourth-place finisher.
“I think he got a little bit tired going the mile last time,” Dutrow said.
In a race where the jockeys seem to be playing musical mounts, Trevor McCarthy takes over on Buy Land and See as Kendrick Carmouche has landed on Answer In. McCarthy, despite going 0 for 7 last Friday, has won with 14 of his last 35 mounts at Aqueduct.
Answer In and Little Menace both go out first time off the claim for trainers who do well under such circumstances. Trainer Robert Falcone, who is 2 for 5 first off the claim this meet, claimed Answer In out of a winning effort for $40,000 here Dec. 17. Zoomer and More Graytful, second and third behind Answer In that day, came back to win their next starts for $50,000 and $45,000 claiming with a 92 and 96 Beyers, respectively.
Little Menace was third to Zoomer in that Jan. 23 race and was taken for $50,000 by Rob Atras, who is 5 for 22 this meet first off the claim.
No trainer here is winning at a higher percentage than Juan Vazquez, who is 11 for 27 (41 percent) at the winter meet. Vazquez sends out Repo Rocks, who won a first-level allowance here Dec. 10 and then finished second to Dreams Untold in the Blitzen Stakes on Dec. 28 at Parx Racing.
Repo Rocks is 0 for 7 at this seven-furlong distance.
Sibelius, third to Repo Rocks on Dec. 10, came back to win his first-level allowance condition Jan. 8 and is entered here. Chestertown, third behind Happy Medium and Wudda U Think Now the last time he raced in this condition, Jemography, and Famished complete the field.
With sunset now after 5 p.m., first post on eight- and nine-race cards during February will be 12:50 p.m.