First starter could be first winner for rookie trainer Charlerie

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With four of the eight races being brought back from Thursday’s canceled card, Sunday’s Aqueduct card may look very familiar to ardent handicappers.

But one name on the card most certainly is new, that of Brandon Charlerie, who starts his first horse as a trainer in the sixth, a starter allowance for fillies and mares who have started for a claiming tag of $50,000 or less. Charlerie’s first starter will be Palladian Bridge, the likely favorite in this seven-horse field going six furlongs.

Charlerie, 25, is also the owner of Palladian Bridge. He claimed the filly for $16,000 last October at Belmont. She made one start for trainer Phil Scott but has made her last two for Randi Persaud. On Jan. 1, Palladian Bridge won a maiden $40,000 claiming race over the inner track. Three weeks later, she was run down in deep stretch by Sing for Beauty in a spot similar to Sunday’s.

“If you look at her [past performances], she’s always knocking on the door,” said Charlerie, whose father, Greg, was a jockey in Trinidad and Tobago and once worked for Mark Casse after coming to the U.S. “Her last race was a big race. She battled with Wildcat Belle, put her away, and then got a little tired at the end.”

Palladian Bridge will be ridden by Manny Franco from post 3. She could be on the lead or sit just off Eta Carinae and Sabrina Ballerina, the other potential speed horses, who are drawn to her inside.

KEY CONTENDERS

Palladian Bridge, by Girolamo

Last 3 Beyers: 71-76-65

◗ Consistent sort has never crossed the finish line worse than third in eight starts and has speed to be a factor from the start.

◗ In winning a maiden claimer here on New Year’s Day, she defeated Ranger Lady, who came back to win a first-level allowance at Parx on Jan. 24.

Sabrina Ballerina, by Here Comes Ben

Last 3 Beyers: 70-52-67

◗ Made a run from off the pace to finish third, beaten only a neck by Palladian Bridge for second, on Jan. 21.

◗ Drawn on the rail, she may revert back to front-running tactics that proved successful in winning a $40,000 claimer here Dec. 8.

Eta Carinae, by Bellamy Road

Last 3 Beyers: 68-60-60

◗ This 7-year-old mare has not been out since finishing third at this starter-allowance condition 13 months ago. Came off a similar layoff in 2015 to finish third in a first-level allowance race at Belmont.

DRF FORMULATOR fact: Over the last three years, trainer Carl Domino is 5 for 15 with a $3.69 ROI when bringing horses back off layoffs of 180 days or longer. That includes Romans Paradise, who won at Belmont last June at 14-1 off a 321-day layoff.