Celebrated Talent may be tough to catch in featured allowance

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – If Celebrated Talent makes the early lead, he could prove hard to catch in Sunday’s $69,000 allowance feature at Aqueduct.

The race at a mile and 70 yards was written as a second-level allowance with the option for horses to be offered for a $62,500 claiming price. Four of the seven horses are in for the tag.

Celebrated Talent enters the race off a sharp four-length score against first-level allowance foes in which he was hustled to the front under apprentice Angel Cruz and maintained a clear margin throughout. It was his first race equipped with blinkers.

“A couple of riders, Cornelio [Velasquez] in particular, said the horse is a little timid,” said trainer Linda Rice. “You hit him with the whip, he shies from the whip. You see him swap leads back and forth in the stretch in several of his races. I put the blinkers on thinking it might help him be a little truer in the stretch.”

Cruz will be aboard Celebrated Talent again.

Celebrated Talent may have to outfoot Golden Itiz for the early lead. Golden Itiz leapt at the start of a $40,000 claiming race last out and finished a well-beaten fourth.

Snake Pit and Casiguapo likely will be stalking the top two.

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Key contenders

Celebrated Talent (Last 3 Beyers: 90-84-93)

* Showed improvement with blinkers added last time but must be able to outrace Golden Itiz for the early lead to have his best chance.

“He’s pretty fast,” Rice said of Celebrated Talent. “He’s got two-turn pedigree, and I put blinkers on him that made him more focused. He ran very well with the blinkers. He seems to like the inner track, and the horse is really training well.”

Snake Pit (Last 3 Beyers: 90-83-87)

* Makes his first start off the claim for owner-trainer David Jacobson, who scratched him out of a $40,000 claimer Friday to run in this spot, where he is being offered for the $62,500 tag.

* Won for $40,000 last out, showing good courage to come back after being passed in the stretch by Conspiracy.

Golden Itiz (Last 3 Beyers: 75-84-89)

* Won a race similar to this over a good main track in November, when offered for the same $62,500 claiming price he is in for today.

* Last race is a throw-out as he leapt at the break and was last early, while he prefers to be forwardly placed.

* Goes first off the claim for Michelle Nevin, who has a 26 percent strike rate in such circumstances.

Casiguapo (Last 3 Beyers: 69-86-88)

* Won a first-level allowance Dec. 7 over the inner track, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 88. Came back three weeks later and finished seventh in a stakes at Parx after encountering some traffic trouble entering the first turn.