I'm Ready to Go enters off key, foggy race
?q=100)
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The fog may have obscured proper viewing of the ninth race on March 7 at Aqueduct. But the perusal of the chart and DRF Formulator give a clearer picture of the how good a first-level allowance race it turned out to be.
The race was won by Porosity, who was one of four horses to come back and win their next starts. The runner-up was I’m Ready to Go, who will seek to become the fifth next-out winner from that seemingly key race in Sunday’s featured first-level allowance for males 3-years-old and up going a mile at Aqueduct.
The fog was so thick on March 7 that the New York Racing Association used ground cameras to attempt to show the race. I’m Ready to Go was four wide throughout, did made the lead in midstretch but was overtaken by Porosity, who was winning the second of what would become three straight victories when he captured a second-level allowance on April 4 with a 96 Beyer Figure.
Incentive Pay, third on March 7, Sea Vista (sixth) and Derbyness (seventh) each came back to win. For good measure, Griffins Wharf, who in fairness is a turf horse, came back to run second in his next start, which was a turf race.
I’m Ready to Go, a son of Liam’s Map trained by Chad Brown, was good enough to win his debut a year earlier, going a mile. That he ran so well off a year layoff demonstrated his quality.
“He had some interruptions. We hope to get him going here,” Brown said.
Bold Strength, trained by Brad Cox, finished second to Incentive Pay in that April 4 allowance going seven furlongs. He did record his one career win going a one-turn mile here in December.
The 8-year-old Brazenly is only 4 for 43 in his career, but he has finished second or third a combined 21 times.
Sansone, Fort Nelson, Jimmy’s Dailys, and Fiddling Felix complete the field.
Integration eyes Arlington Million
Integration, a multiple graded stakes winner and earner of more than $1.8 million, returned to the winner’s circle Thursday, taking a conditioned allowance race by a half-length over Risk Tolerance.
The win was the first for Integration since he captured the Grade 2 Red Smith over Aqueduct’s turf in November 2024.
“I thought he ran a good race. I don’t think he’s there yet,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “The horse that ran second, he’s okay.”
Integration has run well at Colonial Downs, a track that this year will host the Grade 1 Arlington Million on Aug. 1.
“I’d like to have him right for the Arlington Million because he’s never won a Grade 1 and he needs to,” McGaughey said.
McGaughey isn’t sure where he would run Integration before the Arlington Million. He said he would prefer not to run him in the Grade 1 Manhattan at Saratoga on June 6, a race in which he is pointing Battle of Normandy. That horse ran second to Deterministic in the Fort Marcy on May 2.
“I thought he ran really well, a mile and a quarter ain’t going to hurt him and it’s a million dollars,” McGaughey said.
‘Napoleon’ not going solo to Laurel
Trainer Chad Summers won’t just be sending Napoleon Solo to run Preakness weekend at Laurel Park.
Summers is aiming other horses to Friday stakes at Laurel, including Lights Out Leni for the Grade 3 Miss Preakness for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs and I Love Giraffes for the Hilltop, for 3-year-old fillies on turf. Those two horses worked Friday at Belmont Park with Lights Out Leni working five furlongs in 59.60 seconds in company. She won her debut by 2 1/2 lengths at Aqueduct on April 3.
“She’s a nice horse. She worked with Napoleon before her first race,” Summers said. “Obviously, it’s a step up off of the maiden score and a little cutback in distance back to three-quarters but the boss” – owner Al Gold – “is excited. She’s named after his granddaughter, so we’ll try to make her proud.”
I Love Giraffes won her debut and then finished seventh in the Melody of Colors at Gulfstream on March 22. Summers said he has no idea why I Love Giraffes ran so poorly in that race. The Hilltop means stretching her out to a mile from two sprint races.
“She broke a step slow and was just never involved,” Summers said. “She came out of it good. I couldn’t find anything wrong with her. I think she’ll be good with more distance.”
On Friday, I Love Giraffes worked a half-mile in 47 seconds, the second fastest of 117 works at the distance over the Belmont training track.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.