Distance and weather favor Matty's Magnum
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Matty’s Magnum is a turf horse who has been successful on dirt under the right circumstances. Two of those circumstances are a distance of ground and a wet track.
Sunday’s $100,000 Ladies Handicap offers Matty’s Magnum a chance to run 1 1/8 miles and, given the forecast, it is likely Aqueduct’s main track will be wet. There is also the potential that Sunday’s card won’t be run, since snow is expected to change to rain with winds picking up throughout the day and temperatures declining rapidly.
Matty’s Magnum made the first 10 starts of her career on turf, winning just once. Matty’s Magnum has won three straight, all dirt races that were originally scheduled for the turf, including the Winter Memories Stakes.
“I know she doesn’t have the biggest Beyer Figures, but I think she runs to her competition,” trainer David Donk said. “The main reason I’m running is she’ll go all day – she has no distance limitations. This mile and an eighth on this track is like a mile and a quarter; it’s demanding.”
Sara Street may be the one Matty’s Magnum has to beat on Sunday. The last time Sara Street ran 1 1/8 miles over Aqueduct’s main track she finished second, beaten a half-length by My Miss Lilly in the Grade 2 Gazelle. Following a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico, Sara Street was away from the races for seven months owing primarily to foot issues. She returned from the layoff with an allowance win going a one-turn mile here in the slop on Dec. 21.
“She ran an excellent race off a long time off,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said.
Sexy Reasons was a Group 1 winner going long in Uruguay, but is winless in two starts in the U.S. Both of those races were around one turn. Trainer Todd Pletcher said the main reason he kept Sexy Reasons in New York for the winter was for this race’s nine-furlong distance.
“She gives us the impression that’s what she wants to do,” he said. “She’s steady and one-paced, and seems like the farther she goes the better. We’re looking forward to trying her at a mile and an eighth.”
Forever Liesl, who has twice finished in the money at 1 1/8 miles, Total Control, Crimson Frost, and Enthrall complete the field.
KEY CONTENDERS
Matty’s Magnum, by Even the Score
Last 3 Beyers: 67-66-68
◗ Her speed figures may be a cut below the others in this field, but her 2 for 2 record at 1 1/8 miles makes her a player.
◗ In the Winter Memories, she defeated Competitionofideas, who came back to win the Grade 1 American Oaks on turf.
Sara Street, by Street Sense
Last 3 Beyers: 79-68-91
◗ She was allowed to dictate the pace in the Grade 2 Gazelle, a 1 1/8-mile race here in April, and finished a strong second.
Forever Liesl, by Mineshaft
Last 3 Beyers: 73-86-81
◗ Finished a clear second in the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm, a two-turn 1 1/8-mile race run here Nov. 3.
