Kid Cruz set for comeback in Evening Attire

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Under less-than-ideal circumstances, Kid Cruz will make his return to the races in Sunday’s $100,000 Evening Attire Stakes at Aqueduct, trainer Linda Rice said Wednesday.

Kid Cruz, who won four stakes as a 3-year-old in 2014, has not raced since finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 23. He emerged from that race with a chip in a knee and underwent surgery.

Kid Cruz returned to Rice’s New York barn in December and has had to train around a terrible winter in New York. He has had six workouts, including a slow six-furlong move in 1:18.09 on Tuesday over the Belmont Park training track.

“As you can imagine, it’s difficult to train a horse in this kind of weather, wrestling around with the track condition and the weather, but at this point, we feel he’s ready enough to get started,” Rice said. “Certainly, another week, one more breeze, I would like that as well, but at this point, we’ve discussed going forward with him.”

Rice trains Kid Cruz for Steven Brandt’s and Ric Boylan’s Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds and Black Swan Stable. Black Swan bought back into Kid Cruz after losing him to Vina Del Mar for $50,000 at the claim box in November 2013.

Kid Cruz won the Grade 3 Dwyer last July at Belmont after wins in the Private Terms at Laurel, the Federico Tesio at Pimlico, and the Easy Goer at Belmont. At Saratoga, Kid Cruz finished third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy before his fourth in the Travers.

The Evening Attire, run at 1 1/16 miles, was originally scheduled for Monday, but that became the 11th full card canceled due to concerns over weather and safety.

The Evening Attire will be redrawn Thursday. Expected to run are Micromanage, the winner of the Queens County and Jazil stakes; his entrymate, Village Warrior; North Slope; Turco Bravo; and Stormin Monarcho.