Never Surprised will try to save something for the stretch in Gio Ponti Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Never Surprised ended his 2-year-old season with a stakes victory on Thanksgiving weekend at Aqueduct. He will try to end his 3-year-old campaign in a similar fashion when he heads a field of seven entered in Friday’s $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes at 1 1/16 miles over Aqueduct’s outer turf course.

Never Surprised won the Central Park Stakes at 1 1/16 miles here last Nov. 28, coming back 20 days after winning a six-furlong maiden race. Never Surprised has finished second in all three of his starts this year, the most recent effort being a neck loss to Public Sector in the Grade 2 Hill Prince at 1 1/8 miles at Belmont. He had previously lost a length decision to Public Sector in the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga.

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Never Surprised has one way of going – straight to the front. He has been a bit keen in most of his races, forcing the rider – in this case Kendrick Carmouche – to play a bit of give and take with the horse.

“You try to use his speed to his advantage and there’s kind of a fine line between slowing him down and wrestling with him, so you just got to get along with him,” said Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Never Surprised. “He seems to run well that way. I wish he would settle just a little more, but that’s just kind of him.”

The New York-bred Ocala Dream, Queens Plate winner Safe Conduct, and the lightly-raced Munition look to be the key challengers to Never Surprised

Ocala Dream, trained by Tom Morley, was a nose winner of a first-level allowance race at Belmont going 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 18. He turned back to seven furlongs in the Carle Place against open company and finished fifth, beaten two lengths.

Trainer Phil Serpe is seeking firm turf for Safe Conduct, who is coming off an eighth-place finish in the Breeders’ Stakes over yielding Woodbine turf. That race was at 1 1/2 miles, and Safe Conduct has won both his starts at the Gio Ponti distance of 1 1/16 miles.

Monition, a gelding by English Channel, makes his stakes debut after two visually impressive wins to begin his career for trainer Cherie DeVaux. In his debut, Monition took advantage of a ground-saving trip to rally from seventh and win a one-mile maiden race on the turf at Ellis Park by three-quarters of a length. Monition was a front-running winner of an allowance on the turf Oct. 9 at Keeneland, handling early pace pressure and kicking away to win by two lengths. In addition to Monition’s lack of experience, horses he beat in his maiden race are 0 for 9 since and horses he beat in his allowance went 0 for 8 in their next starts.

Forever Together Stakes

Even in defeat, Flower Point may have run the best race of her career when she finished third in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel Stakes at odds of 13-1 last month at Belmont Park.

Friday, Flower Point could very well be favored when she meets just five opponents in the $150,000 Forever Together Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf at 1 1/16 miles.

Early in the Noble Damsel, Flower Point was steadied and taken back to last by Jose Lezcano. She then appeared to be hampered a bit at times by being on the inside. When Lezcano was able to get her outside and into the clear for the stretch, she finished decently, albeit two lengths behind the front-running winner Shifty She.

“I told him to take her back and she resented it a little bit, and then she got in trouble down on the rail,” said Shug McGaughey, trainer of Flower Point. “When he got her outside she kind of came running. I’m going to let [Lezcano] ride her the way he wants to.”

In winning an allowance race prior to the Noble Damsel, Flower Point was a stalking presence, although that race was seven furlongs.

Though Flower Point has not won beyond seven furlongs, she is by Point of Entry, a marathon type.

“There’s no reason she won’t run that far,” McGaughey said. “She was finishing the other day, so I feel good about the spot.”

Speaktomeofsummer, a 4-year-old daughter of Summer Front, returns from a four-month layoff for trainer Christophe Clement. She is a two-time stakes winner, having won the Chelsey Flower at Aqueduct at 2 and the Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga at 3.

The New York-bred Giacosa won the Yaddo at Saratoga in August and then ran sixth going 1 1/16 miles in the Ticonderoga at Belmont. She may appreciate getting back to a true two-turn race.

Sailingintothewind, Platinum Paynter, and Mucha Mezquina complete the field.