Pick five carryover won’t be easy to solve

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A $189,194 carryover in the late pick five at Aqueduct adds some luster to a pedestrian Thursday card.

The carryover was created when Prince of Joy ($66) capped a string of four consecutive double-digit priced winners in the Sunday sequence. With eight races Thursday, the late pick five, a 50-cent minimum wager, will start with race 4 (2:16 p.m. Eastern).

Here’s a look at the tricky sequence:

Race 4: Ten runners, most displaying awful form, are set to line up in this open maiden $20,000 claimer going one mile.

Basic Truth, trained by Pat Reynolds, was beaten 13 1/4 lengths when debuting last month for $30,000. He took a hard bump out of the gate, got into the race, but seemed to resent the kickback, dropping farther out of contention on turn. He gets a rider switch from a journeyman who has had ridden just twice in 14 years to solid apprentice Jose Gomez.

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Dromoland brought $300,000 as a yearling at Saratoga, but was very green and rank when he debuted last Oct. 7 in statebred special-weight company for Barclay Tagg and was just allowed to gallop for the last half-mile. Gets a makeover as he’s now gelded, adds Lasix, drops in price, and is with Bruce Levine. Second and Reed drops in from maiden-$75,000 and gets Lasix for first time.

Race 5: Tonal Impact, a popular commodity at the claim box, won his fourth straight race for a third different trainer when he galloped to victory here in starter allowance on Dec. 18 for Linda Rice. While he meets somewhat tougher here, he demonstrated the ability in his last to handle this 1 3/16-mile assignment as he was wide throughout.

If you’re not willing to stand alone with Tonal Impact, Bold Victory and Gasoline are worthy of inclusion.

Race 6: Simply looks best on paper, having finished well clear of three of these same rivals going a mile here on Dec. 9. That day, Simply fell three-quarters of a length shy of entrymate Full Moon Fever. Thursday, he is coupled with Ouster, a maiden winner on turf.

Mason Mania, seven lengths back of Simply on Dec. 9, may appreciate the stretch-out around two turns as he did win twice going long at Penn National. Ria’s Angel looks outclassed on paper but is being sent out by Linda Rice, whose runners are hard to dismiss.

Race 7: This featured third-level allowance/optional $80,000 claimer is expected to lose Fouette, as Rice said Sunday she doesn’t plan to wheel the mare back six days after running third in the Willa On the Move Stakes at Laurel. Rice still sends out Piece of My Heart, who has lost 17 straight since winning the Gardenia Stakes in May 2020 at Ellis Park.

Secret Love, a New York-bred, won an open second-level allowance here on Dec. 2. She would definitely move up over an off track. Easy to Bless would be another to consider if the track is wet.

Corey drops out of a fifth-place finish in the Pumpkin Pie Stakes and did run her best race going seven furlongs winning in April at Gulfstream.

Thistlefield is somewhat intriguing as a speed play. While trainer Scott Lake said the filly has gotten better with racing – and she is 2 for 2 since getting Lasix – he’s a little concerned about the seven furlongs of this race.

Race 8: The sequence ends as it began, with a cheap maiden-claimer, this one for statebreds at the $25,000 level where creative handicapping is a must.

Try It Again returns off a 466-day layoff for Mike Maker. Last winter, Maker won the Rego Park Stakes here with Barese coming off a 233-day layoff and an allowance with Rotknee coming off a 194-day layoff. In 2020, he brought Much Trouble back here off a 566-day layoff to miss by three-quarters of a length in a starter handicap. Against this group? Why not Try It Again?

Bonana Fanna Foe and Chiara are untrustworthy at short prices, but do you want to get beat by them?

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