Electability, Eagle in Love take traditional path in Aqueduct allowance
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The connections of Long Term will be taking a swing for stakes glory when they run their maiden in Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial. Electability and Eagle in Love, two horses who finished ahead of Long Term in separate maiden races, are being kept on a more conservative path.
Electability and Eagle in Love are part of an eight-horse field entered in a one-mile, first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds that serves as the co-feature on Friday’s eight-race card at Aqueduct. A first-level turf allowance also is slated for Friday, weather permitting.
Electability, trained by Chad Brown, debuted last summer at Saratoga, finishing seventh in an eight-horse turf maiden at Saratoga. He didn’t race again until March 5, when he outfought Long Term to win a one-mile dirt maiden by a half-length.
Brown said Electability gave him “mixed signals” as a 2-year-old and after his debut “he fell apart mentally a bit so we turned him out.” Electability also was castrated, so he ran as a first-time gelding when he beat Long Term.
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“When I brought him back over the winter the horse really turned the corner and started to train well on the dirt and had a much different attitude, and it became clear that he’d be fine running long on the dirt,” Brown said. “Castrating him really helped him.
“He ran how he trained – strong, solid, a bit of a grinding horse, but a nice horse,” Brown added.
Cathedral Bay, who finished fourth behind Electability on March 5, came back 15 days later to win his maiden here, earning a career-best 81 Beyer Speed Figure.
Eagle in Love, a gelding by Dialed In, was the only first-time starter in a field of seven when he won his debut here Feb. 3 by 4 3/4 lengths over Long Term. Trainer Rob Atras ran him in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel on March 19, and the horse lost contact with the field and was distanced, officially beaten 85 lengths.
Atras said “we don’t really know” what went happened at Laurel.
“He took a little dirt, he was a little hesitant. [Jockey Angel Cruz] went to get after him, and he kind of shut it down,” Atras said. “I’m glad this race went so we can hopefully rebound.”
Atras said Eagle in Love was a little weak mentally before he debuted, but after the race he “was working a little better, like he was figuring it out mentally,” Atras said.
Also looking to rebound is Unified Bomber, who finished 10th in the Withers and fourth in the Jerome after winning a one-mile maiden race on Nov. 7 at Belmont. He gets Lasix for the first time Friday.
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Good Skate has gone 2 for 2 on Lasix for Rudy Rodriguez after going 0 for 5 without it. Rodriguez also sends out Hagler, a speedy sort, who gets Lasix for the first time. One More Score comes off a win in a first-level allowance at Parx Racing for trainer Bruce Brown. Luni Sima, coming off a six-length win first off the claim for Peter Walder, and Rebel Empire, a sprint stakes winner at Delaware Park last August, complete the field.