Mr. Papagiorgio should have it his way up front cutting back on dry track

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mr. Papagiorgio could be the controlling speed when he cuts back to a one-turn mile in Friday’s second-level allowance/optional $75,000 claiming feature on Aqueduct’s nine-race card.

On June 20, the last time he competed at a one-turn mile on a fast track, Mr. Papagiorgio prompted the pace under Joel Rosario, made the lead in midstretch, and held his Rick Dutrow-trained stablemate Houlton at bay to win a starter allowance by three-quarters of a length. Houlton did come back to win his next start.

Mr. Papagiorgio also came back to win his next start, a first-level allowance race going a mile and 70 yards around two turns on July 19 at Monmouth Park.

Off a near 10-week freshening, Mr. Papagiorgio returned in a second-level allowance going 1 1/8 miles around two turns at Aqueduct. He chased a legitimate pace before backing up to finish third, beaten six lengths in a race run over a muddy track.

The turnback to a mile and the expectation of a fast track on Friday should play in Mr. Papagiorgio’s favor. In addition to his allowance win, Mr. Papagiorgio won a maiden $50,000 claiming race going a mile at Aqueduct on June 24, the race from which Dutrow claimed him.

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“I like the mile at Aqueduct for him, and he continues to train good,” Dutrow said. “He’s been showing up in his recent races, and we see no reason why that will change. He’s happy and we’re happy with him.”

Ricardo Santana Jr. rides Mr. Papagiorgio.

Wynstock and Noted finished second and fourth in the same 1 1/8-mile race in which Mr. Papagiorgio finished third on Sept. 25.

Wynstock was the beneficiary of a strong pace when he rallied from last in that race and may not get that pace on Friday. Noted was sitting a stalking third, but didn’t punch in the lane.

“We thought he was going to run better than what he did, he just ran okay,” trainer Gustavo Rodriguez said of Noted. “When we work him, we would like to see more from him.”

Top Gun Rocket put together a three-race winning streak that began on April 19 at Keeneland and included a win over Mr. Papagiorgio going a mile at Aqueduct in May. Top Gun Rocket, trained by Panagiotis Synnefias, did earn a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure when third in this condition at Saratoga on July 12 before finishing last in the same spot on Aug. 31 at Saratoga.

Sheriff Bianco, who won the Say Florida Sandy Stakes at Aqueduct in April, has been off form since. He does come into this off a two-month freshening for Linda Rice.

Trainer Shug McGaughey is removing blinkers from Pentathlon’s equipment following a fifth-place finish in a turf race at Kentucky Downs.

The New York-bred Donegal Surges, trained by Todd Pletcher, is coming off a 10-month layoff. He finished a well-beaten fourth in this condition last December going two turns.

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