Distaff Handicap, carryovers for spring meet opener

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A graded stakes, the first two scheduled turf races of the year, and carryovers in a pair of multi-race wagers are on tap Friday at Aqueduct as the 12-day spring meet gets started.

Five New York-breds – including three from the barn of winter-meet leading trainer Linda Rice – are among the nine entrants in the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap, which goes as race 8 on a program that begins at 1:30 p.m.

The Distaff will be leg five of the pick six that begins the day with a carryover of $75,958. It also is leg four of a late pick five sequence that has a $46,622 carryover after going unsolved Sunday. The late pick five can only be played by those with a NYRA Bets wagering account or those who wager ontrack or at a New York state simulcast facility.

Races 6 and 9 – which are in both the pick six and pick five – are scheduled for the turf. However, there is a 90 percent chance of rain Friday – and the high is only forecast to be in the low 40s – which could force those races to the dirt.

There are several wet-track specialists entered in the Distaff, perhaps none more superior than Kathryn the Wise, who has won all three of her wet-track starts by a combined 31 lengths. Kathryn the Wise, trained by Chad Brown for owner-breeder Lawrence Goichman, is 4 for 4 against New York-breds, and 0 for 2 in open-company allowance races. She is coming off a 10 1/4-length victory in the La Verdad Stakes on Jan. 5 at Aqueduct, a race from which she emerged with an injured foot.

Kathryn the Wise injured the bottom part of her foot, known as the frog, which acts like a shock absorber, and missed some training time.

“She’s hard to keep on the track, she’s definitely had her share of injures, but she keeps coming back from them and she’s a very talented horse,” Brown said.

Irad Ortiz Jr., fresh off his meet riding title at Gulfstream Park, is in to ride Kathryn the Wise from post 7.

Kathryn the Wise may play out as the primary speed in the Distaff.

Part of that may depend on what Come Dancing does under Manny Franco. Come Dancing makes her first start since getting beat a neck by Marley’s Freedom in the Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap on Dec.1.

Trainer Carlos Martin was thinking of waiting for the Ruffian next month at Belmont, but was impressed by Come Dancing’s most recent workout, a five-furlong move in 1:00.10, the fastest of 35 last Saturday at Belmont.

“I never want to have them 120 percent cranked for their first start of the year – it’s a long season – but by the same token that work was really impressive as was the way she came out of it,” Martin said.

Come Dancing is 2 for 2 over a wet track.

:: Shop for PPs, picks, DRF+ and more in our store!

Rice entered three fillies in the race in part due to the forecast. She definitely plans to run Holiday Disguise, who won this race last year over a fast track, but who also is 2 for 4 over wet tracks. Startwithsilver would likely run on a wet track, Rice said. Split Time could either run here or be held out for the $200,000 Top Flight Invitational on April 13, Rice said.

Holiday Disguise came off a four-month layoff with a solid 4 1/4-length victory in the Broadway Stakes, her seventh win from 13 lifetime starts.

“Since then she’s trained very well in between races,” Rice said. “I think it’s a pretty competitive race, but she likes the distance, she won the Distaff last year, and with a race under her belt she’s coming in in good form.”

Dawn the Destroyer defeated Kathryn the Wise by a neck in an allowance race here Nov. 29. Dawn the Destroyer came back to win the Interborough going seven furlongs here Jan. 25. Dawn the Destroyer came back three weeks later and finished third in the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel.

Yorkiepoo Princess, Pacific Gale, and Rosyjersey complete the field.

Friday’s card is a prelude to Saturday’s five-stakes smorgasbord, which features the Grade 2 Wood Memorial for Kentucky Derby hopefuls and the Grade 1 Carter for older male sprinters. Graded stakes winners Tacitus, Haikal, and Tax topped a field of 11 entered for the Wood when entries were finalized Wednesday. Vino Rosso, last year’s Wood winner, was scheduled to face the freaky fast World of Trouble in the Carter, which drew a field of seven.

Following this weekend, there will be a five-day race week at Aqueduct (Wednesday through Sunday) followed by a four-day race week (Wednesday through Saturday) before racing shifts to Belmont Park on April 26.