Ness sends out Sassafrassness with milestone on horizon
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – When Shadow Surge won Tuesday’s fourth race at Parx, it was the 4,900th career winner trained by Jamie Ness.
Ness, who led all North American trainers in wins in 2025 with 353, will continue the march to 5,000 on Friday at Aqueduct when he sends out Sassafrassness in a starter allowance that serves as the feature on a pedestrian eight-race card.
Ness claimed Sassafrassness for $35,000 off Brittany Russell in August. Ness, who had Sassafrassness for the first four starts of her career before losing her at the claim box, promptly won two races at Delaware Park with the 4-year-old filly. Sent off the 8-5 favorite in an entry-level allowance at Laurel Park on Nov. 15, Sassfrassness acted up prior to the race, sped off to the lead when the gates opened and was done by the five-sixteenths pole. She faded to last while not being persevered with in the stretch.
Sent to New York for this same starter-allowance condition on Dec. 26, Sassafrassness, racing wide throughout, made the lead turning for home but was nailed in deep stretch by Sailaway, beaten a half-length.
Sassafrassness has speed and figures to be a forward presence from the rail under Jaime Rodriguez, who won six races over three racing days here last week.
Heavenly Light, a 4-year-old daughter of City of Light trained by Brad Cox, was a beaten favorite in this condition in three straight races last winter. She has not raced since March 15. Over the last three years, Cox is 15 for 30 with a $1.26 ROI with horses returning from a layoff of between 260 and 320 days. He is 2 for 9 under those circumstances at Aqueduct.
Trainer Linda Rice sends out both Big Air and Brunch with Amy. Rice claimed Big Air off Ness here in November and she finished second in a $50,000 claimer going seven furlongs on Dec. 27. Brunch with Amy makes her first start after being claimed for $50,000 at Churchill Downs out of a fourth-place finish in the slop.
Sassy Princess and Baby Sassicaia finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the same Dec. 26 race in which Sassafrassness was second.
Gittens trying New York
It is hoped that several Woodbine-based trainers will come to New York next winter when the New York Racing Association hosts its first all-Tapeta surface race meeting.
Trainer Devon Gittens has opted to come a year early with horses for owner Bruno Schickedanz. Gittens, who came here from Canada with 13 horses, said he’s up to 19 head at Belmont Park.
“We always wanted to be a part of New York and felt that now is the time,” Gittens, 40, said. “Last year we were thinking about it, but I think we had things a little bit better set up this year.”
Gittens has started nine horses at the Aqueduct winter meet with a second and three third-place finishes so far. Most of his starters are coming off races run on Tapeta or turf.
“Obviously, there are a lot of questions, we got to see how it unfolds,” Gittens said. “A lot of times a horse will train good [on dirt] in the morning and on race day it’s a whole different thing. After every race, I got to make some adjustments.”
On Thursday, Gittens had Purr Factor, trying dirt for the first time. On Friday, Gittens has four horses entered in three races. In race 3, a $20,000 claimer for horses who have never won two races, Gittens has Auroralinna and Gretna Green. Auroralinna has raced exclusively on dirt, and is making her first start for Gittens, who purchased the horse from trainer Carlos Figueroa Jr. after a third for $17,500.
“She seemed to be running okay on the dirt, I hope I got her figured out,” Gittens said.
Gretna Green, 1 for 10, is making her dirt debut after finishing second and third in her last two starts over Woodbine’s synthetic surface.
In race 7, Happy Valentine finished fifth in her first start on dirt for Gittens, now takes a slight drop to the $17,500 level.
“This track, sometimes it takes one trip, sometimes it takes two, nevertheless we’ll keep learning, keep going forward,” Gittens said. “It’s all about trying to fit in and understand the surface a bit more. Most of the time it is complicated.”
In race 8, Gittens will start Maldini in a $20,000 claimer for horses who have never won two races. Maldini has one start on dirt, at Assiniboia Downs, where he finished third in a stakes but was elevated to second.
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