Promising Touchofstarquality resumes career
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The final week of the Aqueduct meet kicks off Wednesday with a nine-race card that includes a modest pick-six carryover of $24,051 after the wager was not hit Sunday.
Among the races in the sequence is a $75,000, second-level allowance race at 1 1/8 miles, and handicappers will have to figure out what to do with Touchofstarquality, a horse who has lived up to his name a couple of times but is also returning off a 313-day layoff.
Michelle Nevin, who trains Touchofstarquality for Samantha Siegel’s Jay Em Ess Stable, said she’s just looking to get a race into Touchofstarquality. Nevin said Touchofstarquality was “jarred up” after his last race, a second-place finish to subsequent stakes winner Abraham at Belmont last June 13.
“He’s such a huge horse. He’s so heavy on himself, we’ve had to stop and give him some time,” Nevin said. “Finally, now he’s got himself together and strengthened up.”
Touchofstarquality was able to win first out going a one-turn mile at Belmont in July 2013. He returned seven months later in a first-level allowance race. He broke six lengths behind the rest of the field and tried to get back into the race but was beaten 18 1/2 lengths by Normandy Invasion, who set a track record that day. Last April, Touchofstarquality cleared the first-level allowance hurdle before his second to Abraham in June.
Among the challengers are Bemata, Went the Day Well, Coach Inge, and Don Dulce.
KEY CONTENDERS
Touchofstarquality (Last 3 Beyers: 75-84-63)
◗ Not an easy task to run 1 1/8 miles off a 313-day layoff, but Nevin is 7 for 27 with a $1.92 return on investment bringing horses back off layoffs of 180 days or more.
◗ Touchofstarquality has had some gate issues, owing to his size.
“He’s huge,” Nevin said. “He feels a little confined, and he breaks a step slow. He’s probably a horse that he needs a little bit of time to get himself together.”
◗ Jose Ortiz, who has been winning races at a 32 percent clip for Nevin, has the call.
Bemata (Last 3 Beyers: 93-78-88)
◗ He experienced a tough beat when losing a nose decision to Days Ride in the Stud Muffin Stakes but did earn a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure in the race.
◗ He looks like a horse who has responded to stretching out in distance and has worked back well for this.
◗ He has never been worse than third in four races over the main track.
Coach Inge (Last 3 Beyers: 78-93-83)
◗ He went 2 for 4 this winter over the inner track and has the speed to be a forward factor under John Velazquez.
◗ He shows a bullet half-mile work over the Belmont training track in his only move since his last race, a third to stakes winner Effinex on March 27.