Potrisunrise learns to like six furlongs

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Considering it is a winter weekday, Aqueduct's Friday card is solid, containing three allowance races for open company.

The most accomplished runners are in the fifth, a third-level $47,000 allowance sprint with an optional claiming price of $75,000 that drew seven older males, including the Scott Lake-trained entry of Tonic Nights and Curb.

The elder statesman is , an 8-year-old gelding who will be favored despite being the least experienced runner at six furlongs.

Soon after being claimed at Del Mar last summer and given to trainer Bruce Levine, Potrisunrise won twice at Belmont by lopsided margins, beginning with his first career victory at six furlongs. After being doubled in price and winning just as impressively, Potrisunrise ran in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile and finished a respectable fifth at 40-1 despite early trouble.

Potrisunrise was freshened, and returned three weeks ago at Laurel to run a close second. He breaks from post 4, and gets a switch back to Richard Migliore, aboard for both wins last fall.

The field also includes , a nine-time winner shipping from Philadelphia Park; and D C's Thunder.

Contrition and Slam Bammy, a pair of undefeated runners, will have their mettle tested as they stretch out and step up in class in the third and eighth races, respectively.

In the third, the 3-year-old filly Contrition attempts a mile and 70 yards and meets four entry-level allowance rivals. She romped to a lengthy debut maiden score for trainer Alan Goldberg.

Contrition must contend with Quite a Ruckus, a newcomer to the local scene who scratched out of Monday's Dearly Precious Stakes; Go Hailey Go, the lone dirt route winner in the field; Stormy Grand Banks; and Velvet Hope.

In the eighth, an allowance for nonwinners of three, Slam Bammy stretches out and breaks from the rail after winning two sprints on the front-end for trainer Joe Orseno.

Slam Bammy, a 4-year-old gelding by Grand Slam, should have the early lead, but he will be pressured by Caromon, a Penn National shipper who dead-heated for an allowance win here two starts back, and who is also stretching out. Caromon drew the outside post in the field of nine.

Also going sprint to route is the Lake-trained Our Bobby V., whose only previous start at 1 1/16 miles was a runner-up finish in the 2003 Santa Catalina Stakes.