On dirt or turf, Rice runners figure in allowance

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The sixth race at Belmont Park on Oct. 27 was a fun race to watch. Seven of the nine horses were separated by three-quarters of a length at the finish of the New York-bred second-level allowance/optional $40,000 claiming turf sprint won by Driven by Speed.

Four of those seven horses are entered back in the same condition Thursday at Aqueduct, if the race remains on the turf. Rain was forecast Tuesday in the New York City area followed by colder temperatures that puts turf racing at risk this week. If run on turf, the course certainly won’t be firm as was the case in October.

Linda Rice trained First Appeal and Barrier to Entry, the second- and fifth-place finishers from that Oct. 27 race. First Appeal was last of nine early and weaved her way through the inside to get beat just a nose while earning second by a nose over Munchkin Money. Barrier to Entry, a perennial bridesmaid, ran well on the outside and finished fifth, beaten a neck.

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Rice said First Appeal, who does her best running from off the pace, would definitely start if the race remains on the turf. Barrier to Entry, who is only 2 for 40, would run on either surface. Rice also entered Startwithsilver, who despite having made 11 of her 13 career starts on turf, would only run if the race is transferred to the dirt. She won her career debut over Aqueduct’s main track by 6 3/4 lengths in April 2016.

“She won’t like a boggy, soft turf, so we thought we’d try her once again on dirt seeing how she did break her maiden on the dirt,” Rice said.

On turf, Munchkin Money would likely be favored. She won a first-level allowance by four lengths Oct. 1, then finished third in that wild finish Oct. 27, where she chased the front-running True Charm – also back in this field – all the way around the course before getting beat a head.

Timely Tradition, Unrepented, and Court Dancer are all entered to run only if the race is run on the dirt. Timely Tradition, a 3-year-old daughter of First Defence, is 2 for 2 on wet tracks. She has not run since finishing fifth in the Bouwerie Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies May 29.

“She ran a bit off form, we gave her some time off, and it took a while to get her back,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “She’s training well, it’s not an easy race – she’s not the only main track only – but she’s doing well and it’s time to bring her back.”

Court Dancer, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, was beaten a neck Nov. 23 when a race similar to this was rained off to the dirt. Unrepented, a 6-year-old daughter of Repent, was claimed by Robertino Diodoro when she finished last of nine in a turf race in this same condition. She is 10 for 35 on dirt.