Good Luck Gus runs himself into open company

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Good Luck Gus, the winner of Sunday’s Damon Runyon Stakes for New York-breds, will get a chance to prove himself against open company next year.

It’s just a matter of whether he will wheel back in the Jerome on Jan. 3 or wait until the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes here Feb. 7.

Ridden by Ruben Silvera, Good Luck Gus overcame a wide trip from post 11 to win the Damon Runyon by 1 1/2 lengths over Bullheaded Boy. Though his final time of 1:45.80 for a mile and 70 yards was 1.30 seconds slower than Freudie Anne won the East View Stakes on the same card, Good Luck Gus impressed trainer Rudy Rodriguez.

“He ran much better than I expected him to run,” Rodriguez said. “To do what he did was not easy. He was two to three wide first turn, then six to seven wide, and Ruben made another wide move again. I thought he got to hanging, but when he felt that horse behind him, he kind of sprinted away.”

Rodriguez said he would wait at least a week before deciding whether to run in the Jerome or wait for the Withers.

Rodriguez said that Vyjack came out of his runner-up finish in Saturday’s Queens County Stakes in good order. Rodriguez said he would like to give Vyjack a rest and point him for the Grade 1 Carter on April 4, but he said he had yet to talk with owner David Wilkenfeld.

Meanwhile, Dads Caps, who won this year’s Carter for Rodriguez, is pointing to the $100,000 Gravesend Stakes on Dec. 26. On Monday, Dads Caps breezed five furlongs in 1:02.01, the fastest of 10 moves over Aqueduct’s inner track.

Belle Gallantey, the Delaware Handicap and Beldame winner, worked six furlongs over the inner track Monday in 1:15.07 in preparation for the $100,000 Affectionately Stakes here on New Year’s Day.

◗ Freudie Anne, the 9 3/4-length winner of Sunday’s East View Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies, will be turned out for a short period, trainer Eddie Kenneally said Monday.

“We’ll send her to the farm in Kentucky for a little while, then decide what we want to do,” Kenneally said.

◗ Aqueduct is dark until Dec. 26.