Ny Traffic seeks long overdue stakes win in Hudson Handicap
ELMONT, N.Y. – Ny Traffic began his 4-year-old campaign in May with a dominant win against New York-breds sprinting at Belmont Park. After three straight losses in graded stakes, Ny Traffic is back with New York-breds on Saturday hoping for his first career stakes victory in the $150,000 Hudson Handicap at Belmont.
Ny Traffic has been a steady performer in stakes but is winless in 11 tries in such races, including a nose defeat to Authentic in the Grade 1 Haskell and a one-length loss to Maxfield in the Grade 3 Matt Winn, both in 2020.
After being rested following a ninth-place finish in the October Preakness of 2020, Ny Traffic earned a career-best 103 Beyer when beating statebreds going seven furlongs here May 2.
Following that, he finished second in the Salvator Mile, fourth in the Monmouth Cup, and sixth in the Charles Town Classic.
“In the Monmouth Cup he acted up a lot before he walked over and in Charles Town we just couldn’t get him back into the form we needed to,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “I feel like he’s rounding back into really good form right now.”
Joseph expressed some concern about running Ny Traffic on a wet track – a likely circumstance Saturday – and briefly considered entering back in Sunday’s Grade 3 Bold Ruler but opted against.
Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Ny Traffic from post 8 in the nine-horse field.
Chestertown, who has made 14 of his 15 career starts in races at a mile or farther, will cut back to 6 1/2 furlongs for the Hudson. He finished third in his lone start sprinting, that being his career debut in 2019.
“Just trying to do something different with him and hopefully it works,” said Toby Sheets, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen. “He’s been breezing really well and training well.”
Judge N Jury has won his three starts versus New York-breds. He earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure when he won an allowance at Saratoga in July, which led his connections to overreach and run him in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens, where he was beaten 35 1/4 lengths by Jackie’s Warrior and Life Is Good.
Our Last Buck makes his third start off a layoff for trainer Michelle Nevin. He comes out of a runner-up finish in a salty third-level allowance to Aloha West. That horse came back to run second, beaten a neck, in the Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland.
Foolish Ghost, Amundson, Jemography, Bronx Bomber, and Kaz’s Beach complete the field.
Iroquois Stakes
Miss Jimmy and The Important One bring two-race winning streaks and similar running styles into the $150,000 Iroquois Stakes for female sprinters, which drew only a field of six.
Miss Jimmy, a 5-year-old daughter of Colonel John trained by Bruce Anderson, has finished first or second in 19 of 22 career starts. Following a six-month spring/summer break after a busy winter campaign, Miss Jimmy won an allowance at Saratoga and the Arctic Queen Stakes at Finger Lakes, both over off tracks. She has a 7-3-0 record over wet surfaces.
“She had a long campaign last year,” Anderson said. “The break helped her.”
Miss Jimmy won her last two starts in front-running fashion, but has run well from off the pace on this circuit, including a last-to-first victory in a first-level allowance in the slop at Belmont last November.
“She can come from behind or lay up close,” Anderson said. “I think she just runs. She likes a wet track, some of the other ones don’t like it.”
Miss Jimmy breaks from the rail under Dylan Davis.
The Important One, who won the same optional claiming/allowance race twice, is 1 for 1 over a wet track. Her last two victories have come in front-running fashion on dirt after losing five straight races on turf.
In addition to the return to dirt, The Important One’s improvement can be attributed to a better attitude.
“She used to be a little nervous and finicky,” Sheets said. “She’s settled down a lot.”
Sheets also believes that The Important One doesn’t have to have the early lead to be successful.
“She’ll be close I’m sure, but she does not have to be on the lead,” Sheets said.
Fight On Lucy comes off a 15-1 upset in a second-level allowance. Letmetakethiscall and Espresso Shot complete the field.