Moonage Daydream holds firm, turns back Whatlovelookslike in John Hettinger

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Flavien Prat had ridden Moonage Daydream three times previously, winning two turf sprints aboard the New York-bred daughter of Candy Ride.

Naturally, he had some trepidation about how successful Moonage Daydream would be stretched out to 1 1/8 miles in Thursday’s $125,000 John Hettinger Stakes at Aqueduct. In a race where no one wanted the early lead, Prat and Moonage Daydream seized it, set pedestrian-like fractions, and held off a threat from Whatlovelookslike to win the Hettinger by a head.

It was 4 1/4 lengths back to Can’t Fool Me, who got third by a neck over favored Silver Skillet.

The victory was the fifth from 11 starts for Moonage Daydream, a 4-year-old filly owned by Chris Larsen and trained by Jorge Abreu. It was her second consecutive victory going long as Moonage Daydream won last month’s Yaddo Stakes at Saratoga going 1 1/16 miles.

The key to Moonage Daydream getting nine furlongs Thursday was pace. There was none. Moonage Daydream floated to the lead and set fractions of 25.06 seconds for the opening quarter and 51.58 for the half with stablemates Scoring Chance and Busy Morning following her.

Around the far turn, Dylan Davis moved Whatlovelookslike into second and though she made a run at Moonage Daydream in the stretch, she could not get by.

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“Flavien said she was just galloping on the lead,” Abreu said. “When she turned for home and I saw her ears up, I knew she was going to be tough to go by.”

Moonage Daydream covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:52.01 over firm turf and returned $11.80 to win.

“That was not the game plan to make the lead, but she jumped well and it felt like we were all in the same boat where no one really wanted to go,” said Prat, who won three races on Thursday’s card. “It felt natural for her to be there and I thought she was happy there so I just left her alone.”

Prat admitted to being uncertain about the distance, especially when Whatlovelookslike came to him.

“At the eighth pole I didn’t know, but she was brave enough and found another gear to hold on,” Prat said.

Davis said a slight stumble at the break and the slow pace might have cost Whatlovelookslike some early position.

“Flavien was able to dominate up front,” Davis said. “That’s why I moved outside to try and get a better position, attack him a little earlier. I thought we had it, but that horse was pretty game. Both fought real hard to the wire.”

It is likely the top two finishers could be rematched in the $200,000 Ticonderoga Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the Oct. 27 New York Showcase Day card.

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