Kimmel has high hopes for G Munning
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – For the last few years, trainer John Kimmel’s winter success at Aqueduct has been largely predicated on the dominance of Mr. Buff. With that millionaire gelding – winner of seven Aqueduct winter stakes – now retired, Kimmel is looking for someone to fill the void.
Perhaps G Munning can do that. Coming off a debut victory here Nov. 19, in which he earned a 79 Beyer Speed Figure, G Munning will make his second start in Sunday’s $100,000 Rego Park Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs.
A son of Munnings who brought $275,000 at the Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old sale in March, G Munning was a one-length winner of a six-furlong maiden race. Bold Journey, runner-up from that race, came back to win his next start by 6 3/4 lengths earning an 83 Beyer Speed Figure.
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“I liked him very much the first time he ran,” Kimmel said of G Munning. “I think he was a little bit green. He made the lead and waited on another horse to come up. When he did get there, I think you could see he gave another gear.”
Though G Munning won that race on the lead, Kimmel said the colt’s recent works have been done behind horses.
“He’s breezed real well,” Kimmel said. “I’ve been putting him behind a lot of horses, getting him used to not being on the lead. When Jose Ortiz got off this horse first time, he said this horse has plenty of stamina. He should move forward off his first race. If he does that, I think he’ll be tough.”
Ortiz will be back aboard G Munning from post 2.
Agility, a son of Practical Joke, was a second-out winner, beating 11 rivals going 6 1/2 furlongs here Dec. 5. The third-, fourth-, and eighth-place finishers from that race – led by Impressionist’s 8 1/2-length win and 82 Beyer – came back to run 1-2-3 in a Jan. 1 maiden race here. Bossmakinbossmoves, fifth to Agility, came back to win a Dec. 31 maiden race by 9 3/4 lengths, earning a 77 Beyer.
Agility, trained by Jorge Abreu, breaks from post 8 under Kendrick Carmouche in the nine-horse field.
Barese, a son of Laoban trained by Mike Maker, was a debut winner at Belmont Park in May, but has not raced since. He had two well-spaced workouts soon after his debut before disappearing from the work tab for four months. He’s had nine works since, including a couple of bullets over the deep Belmont Park training track.
Two of the horses Barese beat on debut came back to win their next starts, including Bali’s Shade, who comes into this race off a fourth-place finish in the Notebook Stakes here Nov. 21.
Unique Unions finished third as the favorite in the $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series on Dec. 18. The horse needed a shoe repair in the paddock prior to the race. He set the pace until midstretch before giving way and finishing 2 1/4 lengths behind Geno.
Always Charming, Cut the Cord, Daufuskie Island, and Doin’ittherightway complete the field.