Clothes Fall Off, Momameamaria get rematch in allowance
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It really isn’t May. It just feels that way around these parts. One race that may have handicappers flashing back to the spring is Thursday’s second-level allowance feature at Aqueduct, where Momameamaria and Clothes Fall Off have a rematch of their May 30 tilt at Belmont Park.
That day, Momameamaria sped off to a 4 1/4-length victory over Clothes Fall Off in a $75,460, first-level allowance going 6 1/2 furlongs. Momameamaria has not raced since then, while Clothes Fall Off has a win and two seconds in four starts since. Her recent activity and her narrow loss in a stakes at Keeneland last out might give Clothes Fall Off an edge in this heat, which drew a field of nine. This $69,000 race goes as the seventh on an eight-race card.
Trainer David Cannizzo said Momameamaria was in need of a break following that May 30 race, which came 27 days after she ran third, beaten a neck for second by Clothes Fall Off, at Belmont.
“She had a long winter, then she gave us two hard efforts, so we just freshened her up and hope to have a really huge winter with her,” said Cannizzo. “She’s doing very, very good. I expect a big performance out of her.”
Momameamaria’s two career wins have come when she’s been on the front end. She may not be able to secure the lead Thursday with Laura Can Disco in the field.
“She’s much better in front, but she’s okay with a target,” said Cannizzo. “We’ll leave there running and go from there.”
Clothes Fall Off is coming off a neck loss to Meshell in the Fort Springs Stakes at Keeneland, the race after American Pharoah won the Breeders’ Cup Classic. She had to go five wide in the stretch, though the winner was outside of her.
The New York-breds Myfourchix, a winner of back-to-back statebred allowance races, and Blithely, whose lone win in 2015 came over the inner track, also are in with a chance.
Key contenders
Clothes Fall Off (Last 3 Beyers: 84-78-75)
The only time in seven starts she was worse than second was in the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga, where she was stopped cold while trying to rally along the inside and was forced to steady.
She should get a good pace scenario to close into with Laura Can Disco and Momameamaria likely going at each other early.
Is 2 for 2 on a wet track, which could be in play Thursday.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Clothes Fall Off. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is 57-22-14-7 with a $3.06 ROI over the past five years in sprints on the Aqueduct inner dirt following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Momameamaria (Last 3 Beyers: 81-73-59)
Returns from a six-month layoff following a convincing win over Clothes Fall Off on May 30. Has breezed 10 times since Oct. 12, including a pair of bullet moves over the Belmont main track, leading up to her return.
DRF Formulator fact: Over the last two years, Cannizzo is 1 for 16 (0 for 10 sprinting) when bringing horses back off a layoff of 180 days or more.