Dini ships in pair for weekend stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Michael Dini, who wintered at Tampa Bay Downs and summers at Delaware Park, will have runners for each of the two turf stakes that highlight closing weekend of the Aqueduct spring meet.

In Saturday’s $100,000 Woodhaven Stakes for 3-year-olds, Dini will send out Bird’s Eye View. In Sunday’s $100,000 Memories of Silver Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, Dini will saddle Dynatail.

Bird’s Eye View won his turf debut last August at Monmouth Park and then finished third in the Grade 2 With Anticipation at Saratoga and third in the Grade 3 Bourbon at Keeneland to end his 2-year-old season. In two starts at 3, Bird’s Eye View has finished sixth in the Columbia Stakes at Tampa and seventh in a first-level allowance at Keeneland on April 8.

“The first time I ran him at Tampa, he actually ran good,” Dini said. “He wasn’t all the way fit, and he needed the race. At Keeneland in his next start, he got in nothing but trouble.”

Among those expected for the Woodhaven are Frostmourne, the winner of the Awad Stakes last year at Belmont; Mo Maverick, 3 for 3 on turf; and Secretary at War, a recent maiden winner at Gulfstream.

Dynatail, a daughter of Hightail, reeled off three consecutive victories from Dec. 3 through Jan. 24. She tried graded-stakes company in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks and finished fourth, beaten just 1 3/4 lengths by Fifty Five, whom she is expected to meet in the Memories of Silver.

Dynatail won her three races in gate-to-wire fashion. In the Florida Oaks, she was racing in second while longshot Like a Hurricane sped off to a six-length lead. Dynatail was engaged by several horses around the turn and fought on with those rivals until deep stretch, where she was overtaken.

“I think my filly was right there,” Dini said. “She was in the worst of it, stuck between horses.”

Rajiv Maragh will ride both of Dini’s horses on the weekend.