Contessa happy with Runaway Lute ahead of Fall Highweight

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Gary Contessa doesn’t make long-range plans with Runaway Lute, owing to foot problems that have plagued the talented New York-bred sprinter throughout his career.

But Runaway Lute’s feet don’t seem to be failing him these days, so Contessa is very much looking forward to running him in Thursday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct.

“He’s trained really well into this race,” Contessa said Monday. “It’s all about his feet. This horse is doing really well right now. I’m hoping to hold him together through Thursday.”

The Fall Highweight is one of three stakes on a nine-race Thanksgiving Day program that begins at 11:50 a.m. Eastern. The Fall Highweight is slated for 3:20 p.m., preceded by the $100,000 Central Park and followed by the $150,000 Winter Memories, both scheduled for the turf.

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Nine were entered for the Fall Highweight, but it seems only six will run. Lewisfield and Mesotherm were cross-entered in Wednesday’s Fabulous Strike Handicap at Penn National and were expected to run there. Jason Servis said Command Post will likely scratch from the Fall Highweight, but he does plan to run Life in Shambles, also cross-entered at Penn National, in New York. Always Sunshine, another who is cross-entered at Penn National, is expected to run in New York.

Runaway Lute, a son of Midnight Lute, has won his last two starts, albeit three months apart. He won a second-level New York-bred allowance at Belmont in July. He beat Gold for the King by three-quarters of a length in the Hudson Handicap on Oct. 20. Gold for the King came back to win a division of the New York Stallion series by 9 1/4 lengths here on Sunday.

At this time last year, Runaway Lute finished last in a New York-bred allowance at Aqueduct but came out of the race with a wrenched ankle, Contessa said.

“I think he’s a different horse this year,” Contessa said. “He’s not perfect, but he’s a little different mentally this year. I feel going into this race I’m presenting a lot better version of him right now.”

Always Sunshine recorded back-to-back stakes wins this summer but comes off last-place finishes in the Grade 3 Frank De Francis Dash at Laurel Park and the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill.

In the Breeders’ Cup, trainer Ned Allard said that Always Sunshine took a bad step and that jockey Frankie Pennington thought the 6-year-old horse might have broken down.

“So, he went to easing him up,” Allard said. “In the process of doing that he said [Always Sunshine] felt fine, but the race was over. He saved some bad ones toward the end of the year. He’s come out of them super and he’s training great. I just hope I pick the right spot.”

The expected scratches are likely to leave Heartwood the starting highweight at 131 pounds. Heartwood, trained and part-owned by James Chapman, is coming out of a second-place finish to Uno Mas Modelo in the Bet On Sunshine Stakes at Churchill Downs three weeks ago.

Celtic Chaos, third in the Hudson, and Win With Pride, a winner of three straight, complete the expected starters.