Dream Bigger feeling good ahead of Great White Way

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York-bred Tiz the Law won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes, arguably the most prestigious race for 2-year-olds on the New York Racing Association circuit. While Saturday’s Great White Way Stakes at Aqueduct does not carry the same cachet as the Champagne, it does carry the same $500,000 purse.

And a New York-bred is guaranteed to win that race, too.

The Great White Way is a seven-furlong race restricted to 2-year-old progeny of New York-based stallions. A horse does not have to be bred in New York to participate in this race, but in this case all 14 horses entered are New York-breds.

The likely favorite will be Dream Bigger, who was favored over Tiz the Law when the two debuted in the same Aug. 8 race at Saratoga. That day, Dream Bigger finished second, beaten 4 1/2 lengths.

Six days before Tiz the Law won the Champagne, Dream Bigger won the $204,000 New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes. He came back six weeks later to win the Notebook Stakes here on Nov. 17. Dream Bigger, a son of Mission Impazible trained by Rudy Rodriguez for Mike Repole, tired late in that race, hanging on to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

“I didn’t have him tight the way I wanted him,” Rodriguez said. “We were supposed to skip that race and run him in this one. I didn’t miss any training, I just backed off after Finger Lakes.”

Rodriguez has picked up the pace in Dream Bigger’s training, noting that he even has galloped him the last few mornings over a wet track, something Rodriguez doesn’t normally do.

“He’s been getting aggressive,” Rodriguez said.

Some experience over a wet track may come in handy, as rain is forecast for Saturday.

Dream Bigger, who is 2 for 2 since adding blinkers, will break from post 13 under Manny Franco.

Captain Bombastic, a son of Forty Tales trained by Jeremiah Englehart for Team Hanley Racing, is 2 for 2, including a head victory in the Sleepy Hollow Stakes going a mile at Belmont on Oct. 19. He was on the lead that day. He came from off the pace when winning his debut going 6 1/2 furlongs 20 days earlier.

“I didn’t expect him to be that close,” Englehart said of the Sleepy Hollow. “He just ran a real game race.”

Englehart also sends out Moonachie, who was last behind Dream Bigger in the Notebook after setting and pressing the pace. Englehart said he made a mistake by having Franco send Moonachie to the lead in that race.

Saturday, Jorge Vargas Jr. rides Moonachie from post 14.

Giant Shoes, a son of Giant Surprise trained by Brad Cox, won his debut from off the pace over a sloppy track on Nov. 24 at Aqueduct. He breaks from post 12 under Dylan Davis.

Bank On Shea was a debut winner at Saratoga before finishing third to Dream Bigger in the Notebook. He goes out for Jason Servis, who won five stakes last weekend including the Grade 1 Cigar Mile.

Kierkegaard, coming off an open-company maiden win on turf at Churchill, and Chowda look like other contenders in the Great White Way.