Ninetyprcentmaddie hopes to end streak of seconds in John A. Nerud

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Ninetyprcentmaddie hopes to end a severe case of seconditis when he makes a third straight trip to New York for Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 John A. Nerud Stakes at Aqueduct.

Based at Parx with trainer Butch Reid, Ninetyprcentmaddie has finished second in four consecutive stakes, including a neck loss to Joey Freshwater in the Grade 3 Runhappy here in May and a six-length defeat to Baby Yoda in the Grade 2 True North at Saratoga last month.

Ninetyprcentmaddie dropped back to next-to-last on the turn in the True North, then came with a stretch run under Jose Lezcano, who was riding the 4-year-old gelding for the first time.

:: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports

“He was on the inside and he got him mixed up and he was real late switching leads and when he finally did he finished up nicely,” Reid said. “Jose thinks he’s got an idea for him so I’m going to give him an opportunity to see how it works.”

Ninetyprcentmaddie is cross-entered in Saturday’s Alapocas Run Stakes at Delaware Park, but Reid said he likes the idea of running at Aqueduct, where the horse won the off-the-turf Carle Place Stakes last year as well as his solid effort in the Runhappy.

“He can be a little picky about his surfaces,” Reid said. “We know he likes that Aqueduct surface.”

Everso Mischievous has also run well at Aqueduct, winning the Grade 2 Forty Niner here last October. He did finish 11th as the favorite in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile, though that race was run over a sloppy track. Everso Mischievous came off the bench with a professional 1 1/2-legnth allowance win at Churchill Downs on May 31.

“I thought it was really good, he got a really good [speed] figure,” trainer Brad Cox said. “He really dug in at the eighth pole when he had to fend off some challenges. I think he got a lot out of it and he’s obviously a graded winner at Aqueduct.”

Tyler Gaffalione rides Everso Mischievous from the rail.

Prevalence is in good form coming into the Nerud off an allowance win at Keeneland and a runner-up finish to loose leader Super Chow in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint at Pimlico. Those two races were at six furlongs. Trainer Brendan Walsh thinks he might be better at seven, the distance of the Nerud.

“That’s a plus,” Walsh said. “We’re getting in a nice run with him where he’s been putting in some nice efforts. He needed all the time he’s gotten from Godolphin. On his day, he’s a very good horse.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Prevalence from post 3.

Coastal Mission, also cross-entered in the Alapocas Run at Delaware, is going to run here, according to trainer Jeff Runco. He is coming off a runner-up finish to Bright Future in the Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park. Before that, he was fourth in the Maryland Sprint. Seven of his 12 career wins have come at seven furlongs.

Mullikin, trained by Rodolphe Brisset, is coming in off two nice allowance scores at Keeneland in April and Churchill in May.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.