Cicada Stakes favorite Save a rare Aqueduct starter for Amoss

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Tom Amoss will have a rare starter at Aqueduct when he sends out probable favorite Save against four other 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada Stakes at six furlongs.

Save will be just the sixth Aqueduct starter for Amoss, who has gone 0 for 5 with two seconds here, all in stakes races, since 1999. His last runner here came in the 2016 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes when Quijote finished second.

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Save, a daughter of Violence, has won both her starts, both at Fair Grounds and at six furlongs. In both, she was part of a strong early pace and edged away from her pace rival in the final furlong. In her first-level allowance victory on Feb. 16, Save did drift out some once clear.

“She is still making mistakes,” Amoss said. “With a race under her belt, she drifted out at the end of the race, which caught me off guard. It’s maybe more of a mental thing. She’s come back and done everything right since.”

Save drew post 4 of 5 and will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche. The other potential speed in the Cicada is Irish Constitution, who is drawn in post 2.

“I think we got a good break on the draw,” Amoss said. “Whether we’re on the lead or forwardly placed, we can watch the race develop with Kendrick.”

Salt Plage, a daughter of Quality Road, is based at Belmont Park but this will be her first start in New York. She won her first two starts at Parx Racing and, most recently, finished third behind Street Lute in the Wide Country Stakes on Feb. 20 at Laurel Park. Street Lute is a six-time stakes winner on the Maryland circuit.

“I thought it was a good effort,” said Linda Rice, the trainer of Salt Plage. “She’s shown she can sit off the pace and make a run.”

Trainer Ray Handal has entered both Irish Constitution and Just Read It in the Cicada.

Irish Constitution is wheeling back just eight days after winning a first-level allowance while on the lead all the way on March 12. Handal said the race did not appear to have an adverse effect on the filly, so he is likely to run her.

Just Read It won a maiden race here Jan. 31, then shipped to Turfway Park for the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes on Feb. 26 and finished sixth. Handal doesn’t believe Just Read It handled the synthetic surface that night and added that his filly shipped back to New York with good energy.

“She bounced out of the race like you wouldn’t even know she ran,” Handal said. “She’s carrying great weight, her coat’s dappled out.”

Pablo Morales rides Irish Constitution from post 2. Dylan Davis rides Just Read It from post 5.

Exogen, a Parx shipper, completes the field.

With only five runners, the Cicada is carded as race 3.

◗ The $100,000 Haynesfield Stakes for older New York-breds at a mile did not draw enough entries to be carded Sunday. It will be brought back for next Sunday, March 28, with entries taken Thursday.