Discovery comes up a matchup of accomplishment vs. potential

The more-experienced runners Eloquist and Barese will take on lightly raced blue blood Saint Tapit on Sunday in a competitive renewal of the $150,000 Discovery at Aqueduct.

The race for 3-year-olds will be run over 1 1/8 miles. There are two other stakes on the card – the $150,000 Autumn Days and $120,000 Tepin, both on turf. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

The Discovery drew a field of seven, and Eloquist and Barese are among the most experienced members of the field as 11- and nine-time starters, respectively. Each has won four times.

Saint Tapit, who is making the fifth start of his career, is a son of the top-class stallion Tapit and the mare Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year who earned $2.5 million.

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Eloquist has won three of his last four starts, beginning with a victory over $40,000 conditioned-claiming rivals in August at Saratoga. The win came at the same distance of the Discovery. Eloquist comes into the Discovery off back-to-back wins in allowance routes, first at Parx Racing in September and then at Delaware Park in October.

“He’s really gotten better as the summer’s gone on,” trainer Butch Reid said. “He’s a big, long-striding colt and he’s kind of found himself lately. We stuck him in a claiming race at Saratoga, and it did a lot for his confidence. His last four races have been real good, and we thought he deserved a shot in a stakes.”

Eloquist is a son of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and he races for Cash Is King and LC Racing. Eloquist won his maiden in his two-turn debut last fall at Parx and proceeded to ship to Aqueduct and run fifth in the Grade 2 Remsen, won by this year’s Belmont Stakes hero Mo Donegal. Eloquist has been working at home at Parx for the Discovery.

“As the summer’s gone on, he’s put on weight,” Reid said. “He’s filled out a little bit. His body has matured. He’s done that very well.”

Eloquist, who has won races from both on and off the pace, will break from post 6 under regular rider Paco Lopez.

“He likes to lay close,” Reid said. “He doesn’t need the lead or anything like that. He’s a long-striding, one-paced horse, and I think he’ll be relatively close early.”

Barese also has faced Mo Donegal at Aqueduct, finishing fifth to him in the Wood Memorial in April. Several starts later, Barese won the $150,000 New York Derby for statebreds in July at Finger Lakes. Barese is returning to racing with straight 3-year-olds Sunday after finishing third by a length in the $250,000 Empire Classic for statebred 3-year-olds and up on Oct. 30 at Aqueduct. Manny Franco has the mount from post 3 for trainer Mike Maker.

Saint Tapit launched his career in June by winning a maiden special weight over 6 1/2 furlongs at Belmont Park, then won a first-level allowance over seven furlongs at Saratoga in August. Saint Tapit finished far back in the Bourbon Trail at Churchill in September and ran third last out in a second-level allowance over 1 1/8 miles on Oct. 20 at Keeneland.

Saint Tapit is seeking to become the second stakes winner produced by his dam, who has a Grade 3 winner in Graceful Princess. Whisper Hill Farm bred and owns Saint Tapit, who is trained by Todd Pletcher. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on the ridgling from post 7.

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Autumn Days Stakes

Lady Edith will attempt to win her second consecutive stakes when she starts as the probable favorite in the Autumn Days. The race is for fillies and mares over six furlongs on the outer turf.

Lady Edith is coming off a win in the Floral Park at the same distance at Aqueduct, and the Beyer Speed Figure of 98 that she earned is the best last-race number in the field Sunday. Lady Edith won by three lengths and defeated some of the same rivals she will face in the Autumn Days, which drew 11.

Joel Rosario was aboard for the Floral Park and again has the mount Sunday for trainer Christophe Clement. Clement also will saddle Honey Pants and Hit the Woah.

Tepin Stakes

Clement also will have one of the chief players in the Tepin in Smokie Eyes. The race is for 2-year-old fillies at a mile over the inner turf. It drew a field of 10, plus four main-track-only entrants.

Smokie Eyes finished in front of some of her Sunday rivals last out when she was third in the Chelsey Flower on Oct. 29 at Aqueduct. She set the pace in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, and her natural speed should serve her well as she shortens up a sixteenth in distance Sunday under Dylan Davis.

Alluring Angel will vie for favoritism off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo on Oct. 1 at Aqueduct. Prior to that, she was second by a nose in the Untapable at Kentucky Downs. Jose Ortiz has the mount for trainer Jorge Abreu.

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