Litfin's preview: Track conditions in flux for Saturday card

The main track was fast Wednesday, sloppy Thursday, and muddy Friday, yet outside paths produced the vast majority of winners on all three days – a trend that also was apparent to some extent during opening week, particularly Oct. 31.

As the surface continues to dry out and with the mercury expected to dip into the 30s overnight, it’s anyone’s guess whether the outside flow will remain in place Saturday.

There also are four races scheduled for the turf course, which due to persistent rain, has not been in use through four of the last five racing days, beginning with last weekend’s rainout.

In all likelihood, the Grade 3 Long Island Handicap (race 7) will remain on the turf, which almost certainly will be no better than yielding.

Also scheduled for the grass are a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds (race 2); a preliminary allowance for 3-year-old fillies (race 5); and a $40,000 maiden claimer for New York-bred fillies and mares (race 9) that anchors a $200,000 guaranteed late pick four.

Clement has trio in Long Island

Christophe Clement, whose two previous wins in the Long Island Handicap came with Trampoli (1993) and Coretta (1998), takes aim at the circuit’s last graded filly and mare turf stakes for the season with Aigue Marine, Maximova, and Tabreed.

Aigue Marine was a close third on soft turf in the 2012 Long Island, which was her U.S. debut, and she finished off the board in last year’s renewal as the 8-5 favorite.

Aigue Marine captured the Robert G. Dick Memorial earlier this year and is thus the only North American graded stakes winner in the overflow field of 14, including two also-eligibles.

Maximova won her first three career starts, beginning with a debut maiden tally on yielding Aqueduct turf in April 2013. The stretch-running filly rallied from next to last to win her third-level allowance condition on good turf at Saratoga two starts ago.

Tabreed closed out her 2013 campaign finishing second in the Long Island. She has been a beaten favorite twice most recently, including a third in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon.

As might be expected in a long-distance grass race, Aigue Marine and Tabreed are among a large contingent of foreign-breds in the lineup, along with Danza Cavallo, Hellenistic, Meri Shika, Auld Alliance, Angegreen, Bohemian Dance, and the likely pacesetter Viva Rafaela.

Horse to watch

SEAN AND MATT
Trainer: Dominick Schettino
Last race: Nov. 6, 7th
Finish: 4th by 2 1/4
Beyer: 77

Coming off a front-running maiden win, he was slammed from both sides at the break, trailed early, and put in a sustained run to whittle nearly 10 lengths off the deficit.