Few changes in Queens County field
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though the lineup changed slightly, Law Professor and Unbridled Bomber look to still be the protagonists in Saturday’s $150,000 Queens County Stakes at Aqueduct.
Originally scheduled for last Saturday, the Queens County, for older horses at 1 1/8 miles, was pushed back after the final four races of last Saturday’s card were canceled due to fog.
Law Professor comes into the Queens County off a runner-up finish to Life Is Good in the Grade 1 Woodward here on Oct. 1 and a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland on Nov. 5.
“Maybe a mile is not right for him,” trainer Rob Atras said. “That race, they started out pretty quick and they finished even quicker. He’s not naturally that fast, but he likes to be more forwardly placed for him to run his best races.”
Last Sunday, Law Professor had a half-mile breeze in 51.80 seconds. Law Professor will break from post 7, two spots outside of where he drew last week.
“He likes to be forwardly placed, not be in traffic,” said Atras, who added being farther out “may ensure a little better trip.”
“As of right now,” Atras said, “he’s going into the race as good as he was last week.”
Unbridled Bomber brings a two-race win streak into the Queens County, with both wins coming in two-turn races. The one-week postponement of the Queens County enabled trainer Jim Ryerson to get a half-mile in 49.40 seconds into Unbridled Bomber. Ryerson was forced to cancel a work due to weather prior to last week.
“I think that makes me feel a little better,” Ryerson said.
In the redraw of the Queens County, Unbridled Bomber moved from post 10 to post 2.
“I think it’s good anytime you can maybe save a little ground,” Ryerson said.
Trainer Butch Reid made a change in his representative for the Queens County, electing to run Eloquist instead of last week’s entrant Ridin With Biden, who won Wednesday’s Kris Kringle Stakes at Parx. Reid said Ridin With Biden is a nervous horse and he didn’t want to ship him from Parx to New York twice in one week.
Eloquist brings a three-race win streak into the Queens County, including a nose victory over Barese in the Discovery, for 3-year-olds here on Nov. 27.
“He likes the track up there,” Reid said Thursday by phone from Parx. “He’s doing really well. That race is a lot tougher [than the Discovery], but we’re going to give it a shot. He doesn’t need the lead, but he’ll be forwardly placed.”
Trainer Lynn Cash also made a change, electing not to enter back Southern District but wheeling Plot the Dots back after he finished fourth in last Saturday’s Robert Manfuso Stakes at Laurel. Cash did enter back Double Crown, who upset the Kelso Stakes here on Oct. 29 at 42-1.
Bourbonic, the 72-1 upset winner of the 2021 Wood Memorial, and Forewarned, the 42-1 upset winner of the 2021 Queens County, look to be longshots again in here.
Sea Foam, Shooger Ray Too, Naval Aviator, and Thomas Shelby round out the 11-horse field.
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