Provincial a force on carryover card

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - With a seemingly favorable pace scenario, the possibility of a desired wet track, and having defeated half of this field in her last start, Provincial is clearly the one to beat in Wednesday's $46,000 featured second-level allowance race at Aqueduct.

Wednesday's card includes a pick-six carryover of $48,740 after the wager went unhit on Sunday.

One of just four horses left in New York by trainer Shug McGaughey, Provincial comes in off a second-place finish behind Fait Accompli at this level on Dec. 15. In that race, Provincial blew a 3 1/2-length lead in the final furlong, but finished nearly three lengths clear of the rest of the field, three members of which are back in on Wednesday.

, a 5-year-old daughter of Pulpit, can be her own worst enemy at times, according to assistant trainer Buzz Tenney.

"She's a hot-blooded son of a gun," Tenney said. "The key to her is how she behaves in the paddock, how she ships over there."

Tenney shipped Provincial from Belmont to Aqueduct on Sunday for a paddock schooling session and things went well.

On Oct. 20, Provincial won an entry-level allowance race by five lengths over an off track. Rain was forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.

, who got loose on the lead in the aforementioned Dec. 15 race, figures to have company with the presence of Georgetown Gal in this field. Georgetown Gal is only 2 for 9, but both wins have come over the inner track, including an entry-level allowance score in the slop on Dec. 10. Red-hot Norberto Arroyo Jr. rides Georgetown Gal from post 2.

"She's training wonderfully," trainer Jennifer Pedersen said. "She was very brave; she was challenged quite a bit last time."

Edit It was beaten 26 1/4 lengths in that Dec. 15 race, but the race is a throw-out considering jockey Rafael Bejarano lost his irons leaving the gate and the horse was 32 lengths out of it at one point. Edit It displayed enough determination to finish ahead of one horse and could be the value of this race. Her two prior starts were very good, and Edit It is 2 for 4 on wet tracks.

Take Me There finished third in the restricted Exogenous Stakes last out and is 4 for 6 at the one-mile distance. Take Me There is winless in three starts over an off track, however.

Trainer Michael Petro is two for his last seven when adding blinkers, something he does with Helen's Startax on Wednesday.