Metallic Moon: A pick-six single

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Handicappers chasing the $43,205 pick-six carryover at Aqueduct on Wednesday may have found their single in the day's featured $46,000 second-level New York-bred allowance race.

, who has won two of his last three starts, clearly looks like the one to beat in the mile and 70-yard event, the eighth race on the nine-race card.

Dominic Galluscio, the trainer of Metallic Moon, is enjoying one of his finest meets, saddling 13 winners, including two on Sunday, during the inner-track meet. Galluscio took over the training of Metallic Moon in late December and the colt responded with a 2 1/2-length victory over a muddy inner track on Jan. 9.

Galluscio may have gotten overzealous by wheeling Metallic Moon back on a week's rest, and the colt tired to third after breaking from the outside post in a seven-horse field. Metallic Moon enters this race having had a full month between starts and shows a decent half-mile workout last week.

Rafael Bejarano, aboard for the Jan. 9 win but not the Jan. 16 loss, is back aboard, as his one-week careless-riding suspension is over.

"I think he ran back a little too quick,'' Galluscio said. "The horse that won it [Win With Beck] is a nice horse. I think he'll run back to his race on Jan. 9.''

Metallic Moon is versatile enough to make the pace or settle just off of it, Galluscio pointed out. The speed of the race looks to be drawn outside, in Fully Vested and Take Me Out John. opened up seven lengths in a similar spot on Feb. 2 only to lose by 13 1/2 lengths. Take Me Out John is a sprinter stretching out off an allowance win in his ninth try at the preliminary statebred condition.

Steve Stressor finished ahead of Metallic Moon on Jan. 16. He came back to run fourth while shortening up on Feb. 2. The hot-riding Stewart Elliott is aboard.

could be an interesting longshot. His one win from seven starts over the inner track came when he was stretching out to a mile and 70 yards from six furlongs, something he is doing in this spot. Trainer Frank Martin takes the blinkers off the gelding, who shows a bullet five-furlong work in 1:01.60 on Feb. 8.

Got a Beep, Salty Character and Cape Pogue complete the field.