Perfect trip propels Life in Shambles to Fall Highweight win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A perfect trip ended an imperfect week for Life in Shambles, who won his first career stakes Thursday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct.

On Nov. 15, Life in Shambles was entered in an optional claiming race, one that was canceled when snow forced the final three races of that day’s Aqueduct card to be scrapped.

Life in Shambles was then entered in both Wednesday night’s Fabulous Strike Handicap at Penn National and the Fall Highweight. Wavering between spots, trainer Jason Servis ultimately settled on the Fall Highweight in large part due to the gelding’s fondness for the main track. In 10 starts at Aqueduct, Life in Shambles had two wins and three seconds and last year he ran a solid third in the Fall Highweight when trained by Steve Asmussen.

“That’s what swayed us, he ran well at Aqueduct,” Servis said. “We were home, kind of made it easy.”

It turned out to be the right move as Life in Shambles, under Irad Ortiz Jr., worked out a perfect trip behind dueling leaders Heartwood and Always Sunshine and got up in the final strides to win the Fall Highweight by three-quarters of a length. Heartwood won the battle with Always Sunshine for second by three-quarters of a length. Always Sunshine finished 3 1/4 lengths ahead of Celtic Chaos. Runway Lute, the 7-5 favorite finished fifth and Win With Pride was last.

Command Post, Lewisfield, and Mesotherm were all scratched.

The win was the 10th from 41 starts for Life in Shambles, a 7-year-old gelding by Broken Vow. It was his first victory in a stakes after 12 previous tries.

Ortiz had Life in Shambles in third, about two lengths off the pace set by Always Sunshine and Heartwood, who ran a quarter in 22.69 seconds and a half-mile in 46.27.

Inside the eighth pole, Heartwood began to edge away from Always Sunshine, but Life in Shambles kept coming on the outside and surged in front late.

“He’s that kind of horse, he keeps coming,” Ortiz said. “They were coming back to me; I knew I was going to get there.”

Life in Shambles, claimed by Servis for Ara Aprahamian for $62,500 in July, covered the six furlongs in 1:12.07 and returned $14.60 to win.

Ortiz replaced Jose Lezcano on Life in Shambles after Command Post, on whom Ortiz was named by Servis, was scratched. Ortiz had just won an allowance race on Life in Shambles at Belmont.

“I have a good relationship with Jose Lezcano,” Servis said. “Jose was gracious enough to let Irad ride the horse. I got to make it up to Jose this winter.”

Servis said Life in Shambles could make his next start in the $100,000 Gravesend at Aqueduct on Dec. 23. Life in Shambles finished second in that race last year.

Matty’s Magnum by a nose in Memories of Silver

Turning for home in the off-the-turf Winter Memories Stakes, jockey Manny Franco guided Matty’s Magnum to the inside of Aqueduct’s main track.

Given that most of the winners on the card were coming on the outside, Franco knew he was at a disadvantage.

However, his biggest advantage is that Matty’s Magnum was the only member of this field who had won on dirt.

That statistic remained intact as Matty’s Magnum was able to outfinish a wide-rallying and drifting out Semper Sententiae to win the Winter Memories by a nose. It was 1 3/4 lengths back to Competitionofideas in third.

“I don’t have a choice, they were in the six path,” Franco said. “I just had to go inside. I kept riding my filly, and she was running and she never gave up and she did it.”

Matty’s Magnum, a daughter of Even the Score owned by Edward and Mary Jo Lessell and trained by David Donk, is now 3 for 3 on dirt after going 1 for 10 on turf to begin her career.

Matty’s Magnum covered the mile in 1:41.97 and returned $17.40 to win.

The 12-horse field scratched down to eight with Significant Form, who had never raced on dirt, being sent off the 9-5 favorite. Significant Form dueled with Got Stormy and those two faded, with Significant Form finishing fourth and Got Stormy fifth. Andina Del Sur, Souper Striking, and Romantic Moment completed the order of finish.

Bellerue, Kressie, Capla Temptress, and Queen of Connaught scratched.

Five Star General takes Central Park

Trainer Arnaud Delacour figured he was going to learn something about his 2-year-old Five Star General by running him in Thursday’s $100,000 Central Park Stakes. While he didn’t learn whether the son of Distorted Humor could handle the turf, he did find out that the horse can be effective on a fast dirt track.

Taking the lead soon after the start under Jose Ortiz, Five Star General led virtually every step of the way to win Thursday’s $100,000 Central Park Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over Doups Point. It was another 12 1/2 lengths back to Market Bubble in third.

The Central Park was originally scheduled for the turf at 1 1/16 miles. Due to the below-freezing temperatures, the race was moved to the dirt and run as a one-turn mile. Five Star General was coming off a 4 1/4-length maiden victory in a one-turn mile race originally scheduled for the turf but run over a sloppy, sealed main track at Laurel on Oct. 27.

“I was okay no matter what,” Delacour said. “There were some questions to be answered including a fast track. At least we know. It’s always nice to have a baseline on the ability on the dirt.”

Ortiz, who picked up his third win on the card in the Central Park, rode Five Star General in place of Javier Castellano, who took off his mounts Thursday due to an illness.

Breaking from the outside post, Five Star General was able to open up a clear advantage over Empire of War while running an opening quarter in 24.09 seconds and a half-mile in 47.89. Empire of War, favored by $971 over Five Star General chased from second.

Turning for home, Empire of War retreated as Five Star General opened up. Ortiz had to keep after Five Star General in the stretch while Doups Point was gradually gaining but ran out of ground.

Five Star General, a son of Distorted Humor owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing, covered the mile in 1:41.25 and returned $5.10 to win.

“I won the race from the three-eighths pole to the quarter pole; nobody was around me and was able to give him a breather,” Ortiz said.

Empire of War finished fourth, followed by Order and Law and Good Good. Wallace scratched.

Delacour said Five Star General would winter at Tampa Bay Downs, with the option to remain on dirt or try the turf.