Hot pace tips scale to closers

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With the likelihood of a hot pace in Thursday’s second-level/optional $62,500 claiming feature at Aqueduct, handicappers are likely to focus on His Name Is Sue or Puttheglassdown in the six-furlong contest.

At least four of the seven entrants in the field appear to want the front end, while His Name Is Sue and Puttheglassdown have proven to be successful coming from off the pace.

His Name Is Sue will be making his first start for owner/trainer Steve Klesaris, who claimed the 4-year-old gelding by Kantharos for $35,000 on Oct. 15 at Parx Racing. That day, His Name Is Sue finished fourth, beaten a neck and nose for second with a difficult trip. He steadied slightly on two occasions then had to go four wide in the stretch.

The race was won by Won and Done, who came back to win a similar race at Parx on Nov. 12 where he beat Puttheglassdown.

On Sept. 21, His Name Is Sue won an optional claimer at Parx over Midnightcharly, who came back to win an allowance and run second to Firenze Fire in the Fabulous Strike Stakes at Penn National.

Manny Franco is named to ride His Name Is Sue from post 3 on Thursday.

Prior to running second to Won and Done on Nov. 12, Puttheglassdown won an optional-claiming race at Monmouth by two lengths, taking advantage of a strong pace.

The last time he raced on the NYRA circuit, Puttheglassdown finished fourth in an allowance behind Performer and Payne. Performer has since won the Grade 3 Discovery, and Payne won an allowance here last week.

Puttheglassdown is trained by Jeremiah Englehart, who also sends out the speedy Runforthemunnings. A 3-year-old son of Munnings, Runforthemunnings is coming off a 10 3/4-length first-level allowance win going 5 1/2 furlongs at Laurel Park for which he earned a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He’s always been a horse that showed talent,” Englehart said. “I thought he’d win first time out for us, but he missed the break and I should have been more aggressive because he wants to be close. He’d rather be close than sit back.”

In July, Puttheglassdown finished second and Runforthemunnings seventh in a first-level allowance at Saratoga.

“Puttheglassdown was coming into that race a little better at that time than Munnings,” Englehart said. “I think Munnings is doing better now, but both horses are doing really well.”

Chateau, trained by Jason Servis, is 2 for 2 at Aqueduct, with both wins coming in front-running fashion. He has not been out since Oct. 10 when, at Delaware, he finished third behind Happy Farm who has since back to win the Grade 3 Fall Highweight for Servis as part of a four-race win streak.

Arthur’s Hope drops back into allowance company after a fourth in a division of the New York Stallion Series here Nov. 24. Three starts back, he won an allowance at Parx by five lengths over Life in Shambles, the 2018 Fall Highweight winner.

Aristocratic and Saratoga Giro, who both possess a good amount of early speed, complete the field.