Give Alliteration long look off layoff
Alliteration, who showed potential while beginning her career over the inner track last winter, will return from a nine-month layoff in a first-level allowance race at Aqueduct on Thursday.
Alliteration, a 3-year-old Congrats filly trained by Chad Brown, finished second while sprinting in her career debut in January. Brown stretched her out to a mile and 70 yards in her next start, and she scored a nice-looking two-length victory after opening up a four-length lead in upper stretch.
Brown worked her three times after that race but then decided to give her time off. On Thursday, she will face nine rivals going 6 1/2 furlongs.
“She needed some time to deal with a few minor issues,” Brown said. “We turned her out and gave her some time to grow up a little. She seems to be training well. We think she’s a nice filly.”
Owner Martin Schwartz purchased Alliteration for $260,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. spring 2-year-old auction in April 2014.
Sweetpollypurebrd has won three of her last four starts and is a contender if she can transfer her turf form to the main track. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, Sweetpollypurebrd has made six of her last seven starts on turf. She won a first-level New York-bred allowance at Belmont Park in July and a restricted $50,000 claiming race at Saratoga in August. Sweetpollypurebrd rallied from off the pace to win a second-level statebred optional race at seven furlongs on turf Oct. 21.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Sweetpollypurebred. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez is 14-1-4-1 with a $0.55 ROI over the past five years going turf to dirt with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Il Mulino. Trainer Bill Mott is 15-10-1-0 with a $4.66 ROI over the past three years in dirt sprints at Aqueduct with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Mr Maybe will be freshened
Mr Maybe, an impressive 4 1/4-length winner of the Grade 3 Red Smith Handicap at Aqueduct on Saturday, will be given some time off, according to trainer Brown.
Mr Maybe showed a good turn of foot to win the 1 3/8-mile Red Smith going away. He earned a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure.
“We’re going to send him to Florida, freshen him up, and then point to some of the bigger turf stakes,” Brown said. “He won’t race again this year.”
Mr Maybe was making his second start for Brown and owner Michael Dubb and partners. He was privately purchased from Cash Is King LLC and trainer Butch Reid after winning a first-level allowance race at Parx on Aug. 31.
In his first start for Brown, he won a 1 3/8-mile optional-claiming race on turf by four lengths.
“Brad Weisbord deserves a lot of credit here because he was adamant about buying this horse,” Brown said. “It wasn’t an easy deal to complete. It fell apart at one point, and he went back and got the horse purchased for us.”
After two weeks of the Aqueduct meet, Brown has won seven races and leads the standings by one victory over Todd Pletcher and Rodriguez. Brown was the runaway winner of the Belmont fall meet with 35 wins.