Plenty of action at Aqueduct Friday

There is quite a bit going on Friday at Aqueduct. The pick six carryover on races 4-9 is $15,796, Big A favorite Rudy Rodriguez will be shooting for his 1,000th training win, and the card has some interesting races, including race 8, a New York-bred second-level optional claimer.

The card also includes a statebred first-level allowance, a $50,000 starter, and two maiden races.

Rodriguez has starters in races 7, 8, and 9, and will be favored to get his milestone win right off the bat with a stable coupling of Lucky Town and Son of Mine. If he doesn’t, he has Foreset and Mission Command in the six-horse eighth.

The horse to beat in that 6 1/2-furlong sprint, though, is Tribecca, who is trained by Gary Sciacca.

Tribecca, a 4-year-old son of Bustin Stones owned by Dan and Michael Henning, showed promise early in his career, winning 3 of his first 6 starts - a New York-bred maiden race in his 2-year-old debut, an open allowance at Parx, and a statebred optional claimer at Aqueduct.

He was sidelined from March 2017 until November and didn’t race well in his first two starts back, which led to a brief layoff. Since returning, he has run two strong races.

“When we brought him back the first time he developed a sinus problem,” Sciacca said. “We put him on antibiotics, got that cleared up, and he’s doing very well now, training good.”

On Jan. 25, Tribecca won a $50,000 claiming race and earned a 84 Beyer Speed Figure, equaling his career high. Last time out, he stalked the pace at 59-1 in the Hollie Hughes Stakes for New York-breds, tried hard in the stretch, but had to settle for third. His Beyer came back a 94.

The Hollie Hughes was won by My Boy Tate, the 3-5 favorite who has now won five races in a row. Pacesetting Eye Luv Lulu, a nine-time winner, bested Tribecca for second by 1 1/4 lengths.

Foreset ran evenly in the Hollie Hughes and finished fifth, 7 1/4 lengths behind Tribecca.

In race 7, a $50,000 starter allowance, the form of Rodriguez’s entry is obvious. Lucky Town won a conditioned $40,000 claiming race two back and then was beaten a neck for $50,000 in his most recent start. Son of Mine takes a class jump off a conditioned $16,000 win.

Sicilia Mike’s form is clouded by a poor performance as the favorite last time out. Before that he had finished second in three straight races. He’ll be a bigger price in this race.

“I just don’t have a reason why he ran like that,” said his trainer, Sciacca. “Maybe he didn’t like being down inside. All I can say is he’s doing good.”

In race 5, Dynamax Prime looks well spotted for an allowance win by trainer George Weaver

In the sixth, Lady Moyne will be a solid favorite to win a maiden race for Jimmy Jerkens but has to face some horses whose best we possibly have yet to see, including Out of Orbit, Youmakemeblush, Dancingwthdaffodls, and Wappinger.