Our Last Buck finds nice spot to try open company

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The transition from facing New York-breds to open company can often be a difficult one. Then there’s Thursday’s feature at Aqueduct where Our Last Buck seems to have found a sweet spot to make that transition a smooth one.

In Thursday’s $82,000 first-level allowance, Our Last Buck, coming off a second-level allowance win versus New York-breds on Oct. 8 at Belmont, meets only five rivals, none of whom appear to be in particularly good form.

Our Last Buck, a 6-year-old gelding by Courageous Cat trained by Michelle Nevin, has raised his game since being stretched out in distance earlier this year. In five starts at a mile or further since March 20, Our Last Buck has three wins and two seconds.

“It’s not like he was running bad [sprinting], but he really started to improve once I stretched him out,” Nevin said.

In his most recent start, at 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 8, Our Last Buck prompted the pace while racing four wide throughout and outfinished Vintage Hollywood to win by a half-length. Vintage Hollywood came back to win his next start, a New York-bred second-level allowance here last Friday with a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure. Conversely, four others out of that Oct. 8 race did not run well in their next start.

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Two races back, going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga, Our Last Buck prompted pacesetting Freaky Styley through a half-mile in 46.46 seconds and was no match for Evaluator, who beat Our Last Buck by 13 lengths. That race was run over a sloppy track.

“I don’t think he was crazy about the track that day,” Nevin said.

Our Last Buck has mixed form over a wet surface, a condition that could be in play Thursday if the forecast proves accurate. He has a win and two seconds from six starts over a wet surface.

Our Last Buck will be ridden by Manny Franco from the outside post.

Dudley Square, First Line, and Mischief Afoot finished fourth, sixth, and seventh in this same condition going 1 1/16 miles around one turn Oct. 9 at Belmont.

Dudley Square, a son of Into Mischief trained by Todd Pletcher, raced up close and between horses and faded to finish 8 3/4 lengths back of good-looking winner Forza Di Oro. He will break from post 2 under John Velazquez, the Hall of Fame rider’s only mount on Thursday’s card.

First Line raced in between horses in the second flight down the backside and then steadied out of contention at the five-sixteenths pole. His lone win from six starts came going 1 1/8 miles around two turns at Saratoga in July.

Mischief Afoot did win around two turns at Monmouth in July and was second in the mud going 1 1/8 miles to Danny California in August at Saratoga. Danny California came out of that race to win the Miner’s Mark Stakes on Sept. 18 at Belmont.

V.I.P Ticket, on the board but winless in four starts over a wet track, ships up from Maryland for trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer. Fried Rice King completes the field.

First post for Thursday’s nine-race card is 12:20 p.m.