Critical Eye a less harsh spot for Bank Sting and Make Mischief

ELMONT, N.Y. – After stepping out of their weight class in the Grade 2 Ruffian here three weeks ago, Bank Sting and Make Mischief will return to statebred company in Monday’s $200,000 Critical Eye for fillies and mares going a mile at Belmont Park.

With the corresponding race for males, the $200,000 Commentator, failing to fill, the Critical Eye becomes the richest of 10 races on a program dedicated entirely to New York-breds. First post is 1 p.m.

Bank Sting won last year’s year Critical Eye as part of a four-race winning streak that came entirely against New York-bred competition. After missing time due to an incident at Monmouth Park and then finishing fifth in the Empire Distaff in October, Bank Sting put together another three-race win streak that included two victories in restricted stakes and a neck decision in the open-company Heavenly Prize at a mile.

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In the Ruffian, Bank Sting found the sealed surface and the competition a tough combination to overcome and finished 9 3/4 lengths behind the Grade 1 winner Search Results. Though Bank Sting has won over wet surfaces before – including last year’s Critical Eye – trainer John Terranova doesn’t think that’s her preferred footing.

“I think she tolerates it,” he said. “She’s run well against New York-breds but against that level of filly [Search Results] it’s probably not the best surface for to excel on.”

Joel Rosario will ride Bank Sting from post 4.

Make Mischief finished three-quarters of a length behind Bank Sting when running fifth in the Ruffian. The race prior to that, Make Mischief won an open second-level allowance going a mile by 10 1/4 lengths, earning a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

Make Mischief has placed in graded stakes four times. She breaks from post 7 under Dylan Davis.

Maiden Beauty will likely try to wire this group from post 2 but is likely to have company up front from the likes of Mashnee Girl and Love and Love.

Secret Love and Laobanonaprayer complete the field.

Back with New York-breds

Runaway Rumour began her career with three straight wins, including two versus New York-bred company.

Winless in her last seven starts against open company, Runaway Rumour returns to face New York-breds in the $125,000 Mount Vernon Stakes going a mile on turf.

Runaway Rumour is 0 for 2 this year, with a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Hillsborough at Tampa Bay and a fifth in the Beaugay, which was listed as being run over firm ground, but the course had taken some rain earlier on the card.

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“The first race back in Tampa, I’m going to put a line through that because it was a mile and an eighth. It’s a lot to ask coming off a layoff,” Abreu said. “Last time, [Jose] Lezcano said she wasn’t getting a hold of the track. She wasn’t going to beat the winner, but she could have been a little closer.”

She’s the One will make her stakes debut in the Mount Vernon after winning three of her first five career starts. Trainer Christophe Clement said a mile is “pushing it” with this daughter of Macho Uno.

“If it’s firm, I think she’ll get the mile,” he said. “If it was not a one-turn mile I wouldn’t do it. She did win at a mile, but it was a perfect trip at Aqueduct.”

Clement also has Classic Lady, who was beaten a nose in this race last year and who won the Ticonderoga here last Nov. 5.

“She’s a complicated filly in that she ties up and she’s got different issues,” Clement said. “But she looks well, her last work was fine, it’s a short field, and Joel [Rosario] knows her and has won on her.”

Giacosa, Pop the Bully, and Silky Blue complete the six-horse Mount Vernon which goes as race 2.

Captainsdaughter could upset

The last time Captainsdaughter went turf to dirt and came back on short rest, she pulled a 22-1 upset in a six-furlong maiden race at Belmont Park.

Monday, Captainsdaughter goes turf to dirt, is running back in 16 days, and will look to upset the $125,000 Bouwerie Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.

In between her one win and Monday’s Bouwerie, Captainsdaughter has finished second in three stakes and third in another. Most recently, Captainsdaughter finished 10th of 12 in a first-level allowance going seven furlongs on turf.

Trainer Russell Cash said he wanted to give Captainsdaughter another shot on turf and at the very least use that race as a prep for this. Cash is adding blinkers to the filly’s equipment for the first time.

“A couple of guys commented that she’s been difficult to steer sometimes,” Cash said. “I’ll give her a shot in them. I can always take them off if they don’t work.”

The favorite and horse to beat is Yo Cuz, who looks to rebound from a fourth-place finish when she broke poorly as the 1-5 favorite in the Park Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes at Aqueduct on April 24. That 10 1/2-length defeat came after three consecutive stakes victories against restricted company.

Monday, Yo Cuz breaks from post 2, just outside one of the other primary speeds, November Rein, who makes her first start since running fifth in the Joseph A. Gimma here last September. That race was run over a muddy track. Prior to that, November Rein won the four-horse Seeking the Ante Stakes at Saratoga.

Sterling Silver, who beat New York breds in her debut last November and the Franklin Square Stakes in January, is back with New York-breds after open-company defeats in the Busher Invitational at Aqueduct on March 5 and the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland in April.