Illudere returns to dirt in comeback spot

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The last time Illudere raced on dirt, he scored a front-running maiden victory going a one-turn mile at Belmont, beating a pair of Chad Brown-trained runners. That was 14 months ago.

Thursday, Illudere returns to dirt while making his first start in 11 months in a second-level/optional $62,500 claiming race where he will face a different pair of runners from the Brown barn.

The $75,000 race is the feature on an eight-race card that officially kicks off Aqueduct’s 2019-20 winter meet. From Thursday through March 29, there are 59 cards of racing scheduled. Racing will be conducted on mostly a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule through February and a Friday-through-Sunday-schedule in March. First post will be 12:30 p.m. daily at least to start the winter season.

Following his maiden dirt victory, trainer Jimmy Jerkens transferred Illudere to the turf where he had a win, a second, and a third from three starts. Illudere is a son of Ghostzapper out of a mare who is a half-sister to turf stakes winners Yukon Robbery and Chorwon.

“His female side had a lot of turf and Ghostzappers seem to do good on turf,” Jerkens said.

Illudere has not raced since winning a first-level allowance race at Gulfstream on Jan. 23. In subsequent training, Illudere developed a chip in a knee that needed to be removed.

He began working in September and shows 10 breezes since, including stamina-building drills at six and seven furlongs. Jerkens said what surface to pursue with Illudere going forward will likely depend on how he performs Thursday.

In his maiden victory on Oct. 5, 2018, Illudere beat Brown-trained runners Allured and Business Cycle. They were two of four next-out winners from that race. Thursday, Brown sends out Payne and Identity Politics. Payne is coming off a first-level allowance victory over Aqueduct’s main track on Nov. 2. That win came after he finished second to Performer in the same condition at Saratoga. Performer has since come back to win two more races including the Grade 3 Discovery.

Identity Politics, second to McKinzie in last year’s Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita, beat Payne by 1 1/4 lengths in May at Belmont. Identity Politics has lost twice in this condition and is making his first start since September. He will break from the outside post in this eight-horse field under Manny Franco, who figures to vie with Jose Lezcano for leading rider at the winter meet.