Carmandia first time out for Dutrow

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. has been very successful with horses he has obtained from Buckram Oak Farm. Silver Train won 3 of 5 starts, including the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Tiger Heart won two allowance races and finished second in the Grade 1 Vosburgh.

Thursday at Aqueduct, Dutrow runs the Buckram Oak Farm 3-year-old filly Carmandia for the first time in a second-level allowance race going seven furlongs. A 3-year-old daughter of Wild Rush, Carmandia looks to have found the right field for her first start in three months.

, who won 2 of 9 starts for trainer Carl Nafzger, has not run since finishing 11th in the Audubon Oaks on turf at Ellis Park on Aug. 6. Dutrow said he received Carmandia shortly after that race and she needed ample time off.

"She needed to be straightened out,'' Dutrow said. "She had front-end issues, hind-end issues. Now, she's got no issues.''

Carmandia, who won an entry-level allowance race at Churchill Downs the last time she ran on dirt, shows only two published works since her last start.

"She's ready,'' Dutrow said. "You don't have to worry about her getting tired.''

Edgar Prado will ride Carmandia from post 7 in the nine horse field.

Genuine True, trained by Steve Asmussen, may be the horse to catch. Genuine True has been first or second in all five of her starts, including a second-place finish at this level going six furlongs on Sept. 24 at Monmouth Park.

both come out of the Iroquois Handicap, restricted to New York-breds. Star Celebrity, claimed two starts back by Dominic Galluscio for $40,000, ran third in the Iroquois while Nevaeh finished ninth. Nevaeh, however, finished second at this condition two starts back at Belmont Park.

An interesting longshot could be Santa Rosalia, who makes her first start since finishing sixth at this condition on May 18. In her eight starts prior to that, Santa Rosalia had 2 wins, 4 seconds, and 2 thirds. Trainer Robert Ribaudo gave Santa Rosalia the summer off, hoping for another productive fall and winter.

"She's fit and ready to go,'' Ribaudo said. "It may take a race or two before she's at her best.''