Parx shipper Dylan's Ruby has plenty of upside

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The lightly raced Dylan’s Ruby may have the most upside of seven 3-year-olds entered in a six-furlong $50,000 starter allowance/optional claimer scheduled as the third event on Friday’s eight-race Aqueduct card.

Based at Parx with trainer John Servis, Dylan’s Ruby was a debut winner on Feb. 7, rallying along the rail to win a maiden $50,000 claimer by 5 1/2 lengths. Evolutionary, the runner-up from that race, came back to run second for maiden $40,000 in his next start, though he improved his Beyer Speed Figure by eight points.

Dylan’s Ruby came back to run second, 6 1/4 lengths behind Buccherino in a first-level allowance on March 25. Buccherino was winning for the third time from six starts in that race.

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“He didn’t want to run into the dirt early on,” Servis said. “He finally settled in and came running and I thought he ran good. He’s getting better, he’s matured nicely. Seems to be improving every day to be honest with you.”

Dylan’s Ruby is a half-brother to four winners, including Midnight Obsession, who in April 2021 won a first-level allowance at Belmont Park at odds of 12-1.

Frankie Pennington, who rode Dylan’s Ruby in his first two starts, will be in from Parx to ride him Friday.

Trainer Jim Ryerson sends out the uncoupled pair of In a Minute and Retail Man. After four dismal starts to begin his career, In a Minute was gelded. He was unable to race in February because he was in a barn that was under quarantine due to an equine herpesvirus case, but won a maiden $25,000 claimer on March 8 and finished second to the repeating winner Collected Special in this condition on March 21.

Speaking of In a Minute’s March 8 win at seven furlongs, Ryerson said “I think that might have been farther than he wanted to go but he was still able to win. He set pretty good fractions, even though it was a bottom-level maiden-claiming race, and was able to hold on.”

Manny Franco rides In a Minute from post 4.

Retail Man, like In a Minute, missed February due to the quarantine. He came back off a two-month layoff to win a New York-bred maiden $40,000 claiming race by two lengths before finishing sixth in a first-level statebred allowance going a mile. His last two starts have come in blinkers.

“He didn’t want to go a mile, but I was encouraged by his last race,” Ryerson said. “He got beat by two or three nice horses. Blinkers have helped him and the cutback here should help him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he jumped up and ran well.”

The apprentice Eliseo Ruiz rides Retail Man from post 5.

Remember the Name returns from a three-month freshening for Linda Rice, who claimed the colt for $40,000 out of a win on Dec. 14. Rice ran Remember the Name back in a starter on Jan. 5 where he finished fourth. Rice also sends out Stormquist, who was sixth in this condition on Jan. 28.

Mad Banker, trained by Wayne Potts, finished last of four in the Damon Runyon Stakes a week after he finished third in a first-level allowance.

Heard On Thestreet comes out of a win for maiden $20,000 claiming on March 30.

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