Eyeing another training title, Rice looks tough in trio of allowance races

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Linda Rice will be expected to win a third consecutive Aqueduct winter meet trainer’s title and on Thursday she has six entrants on the eight-race card, including contenders in each of the three allowance races on the second day of the 49-day meet.

In race 2, a first-level allowance for New York-bred 3-year-old males going one mile, Rice sends out Sand Devil, a son of Violence who got a perfect trip behind dueling leaders and drew off to win his debut in a six-furlong maiden race on Dec. 8. The margin of victory totaled four lengths and earned Sand Devil a field-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He had breezed well, trained really well, I was confident he was going to run well,” said Rice, who trains Sand Devil for owner/breeder Chester Broman.

Rice had the option of trying Sand Devil in Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes, also at a mile, but wanted to keep him with New York-breds in his first start going that distance.

“See how that goes and go from there,” Rice said.

Sand Devil, who drew the rail, is the least experienced runner in the field of six.

Smilensaycheese, trained by Mike Maker, was a debut winner in the slop at Saratoga in August and has subsequently run in four statebred stakes. He had the misfortune of running into Sacrosanct in three of those races, though he finished a respectable third behind that undefeated horse in the $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series.

Manny Franco rides Smilensaycheese from post 6.

Buttah, a second-out winner at Saratoga, has been defeated by double-digit lengths in three consecutive stakes for trainer Gary Sciacca. Buttah gets Lasix for the first time.

New Matthew has the benefit of a maiden win going a mile on Nov. 30. McDiesel and Corvus complete the field.

In race 4, a New York-bred second-level allowance for fillies and mares at one mile, Rice sends out the uncoupled entry of Malu and Bustin Bay in a field of eight. Two back, Malu won a first-level allowance by 7 3/4 lengths before finishing second to Call Her Bluff in this condition on Dec. 7.

Bustin Bay, a 13-time winner who is in for the optional $45,000 claiming tag, was fourth in this condition on Nov. 7.

Elliptic, trained by William Morey, seeks her fourth consecutive victory in this spot. She was a dominant 5 1/4-length winner of a first-level statebred allowance on Dec. 15.

In the featured seventh race, a conditioned allowance/optional-claiming race for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs, Rice sends out probable favorite St. Benedict’s Prep. After running fourth to Nic’s Style in the Pumpkin Pie Stakes two back, St. Benedict’s Prep was beaten a neck by stablemate Movie Moxy going one mile over a sloppy track on Nov. 22. She did earn a career-best 92 Beyer for the performance.

Speaking of the Pumpkin Pie, Rice said “I was a little disappointed in that effort. She had trained better than that. It was a little bit of a subpar effort but she came back and rebounded well.”

Movie Moxy came out of that allowance win to run a solid third, beaten a half-length, in the Grade 3 Go for Wand on Dec. 7.

Rachel’s Rock was expected to scratch out of Tuesday’s $75,000 Mrs. Claus Stakes at Parx to run in this spot. Early Edition, based at Parx with Stacy McMullin, was cross-entered in the same two races. Early Edition did win this condition here in March 2023.

N.Y.-bred purses upped in ’27

The New York Racing Association announced Monday that beginning on Jan. 1, 2027, all purses for New York-bred overnight races will be equal to their open-company counterparts.

NYRA had previously announced that beginning Jan. 1, 2026, all New York-bred overnight races for 2-year-olds would have purses equal to open company.

“The commitment to the New York-bred overnight program builds upon our previous efforts to support high-quality New York-bred racing,” Andrew Offerman, NYRA’s senior vice president of racing and operations said in a release. “Starting in 2026, the New York-bred foal crop will benefit from the financial reward of purse parity and will continue to reap those benefits throughout their racing careers.”

◗ Phileas Fogg earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure for his dominant eight-length victory in Sunday’s $150,000 Queens County Stakes. The victory was the third straight for Phileas Fogg since Gus Rodriguez claimed him for $62,500 in July at Saratoga on behalf of Steve Shapiro’s Jupiter Stable.

The next stakes option in New York for Phileas Fogg isn’t until the $150,000 Stymie going a one-turn mile on March 1. There is a $90,000 open allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 25.

Shapiro said if an invitation was offered, he would consider the $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream on Jan. 25, though he would be leery about having to ship and run back in four weeks.

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