Racing shifts to inner track Wednesday for all-dirt cards

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The move to Aqueduct’s inner track Wednesday ushers in the start of winter around here, and at first glance, it could be a harsh one for the New York Racing Association.

Without the benefit of turf racing, officials have the daunting task of trying to fill nine dirt races a day. That objective was not met with the first three inner-track cards, which consisted of eight races each. The Wednesday through Friday programs drew total entries of 67, 60, and 58.

Martin Panza, senior director of racing operations for NYRA, said the goal is to fill nine races daily, but he added, “If we can’t fill nine, we’ll run eight.”

Filling nine a day could become somewhat easier starting in January, when racing will be conducted four days a week (Thursday through Sunday). Following two five-day weeks to begin the meet, there will be a 10-day holiday break Dec. 19-28.

Racing will resume Dec. 29 with a five-day week that includes live racing on Jan. 2, a card that will include the Jerome Stakes, the first of four races to be run at Aqueduct that offer 3-year-olds qualifying points to the May 6 Kentucky Derby. NYRA has not released its 2017 stakes schedule yet, but following the Jerome, the other 3-year-old races are the Withers (Feb. 4), the Gotham (March 4), and the Wood Memorial, the latter to be run on the main track April 8.

Jose Ortiz and his brother Irad Ortiz Jr., combined last winter to win 172 races over the inner track. They both will be based at Aqueduct this winter but figure to be out of town on many weekends. That could create opportunities for riders like Kendrick Carmouche and Manny Franco, who were third and fourth in the jockey standings last winter.

Rudy Rodriguez was the leading trainer last winter and, coming off a fall training title, is likely to lead the winter standings as well. Linda Rice, David Jacobson, and Chris Englehart are among Rodriguez’s chief rivals.

Wednesday’s eight-race card does have a two-program pick-six carryover of $69,370 after the wager was not hit over the weekend. The pick six will begin with race 3 (1:18 p.m. Eastern) and include two New York-bred allowance races for fillies and mares, one short and one long, that serve as the co-features. There is a forecast for rain Wednesday, so the possibility of an off track exists.

In the fifth race, a New York-bred allowance at six furlongs, Victoria’s Fire ships in from Finger Lakes, where she has won her last five starts, including two over off tracks. She projects to be the primary speed under Oscar Gomez.

Her chief rival could be Urbanity, who returned from a six-month layoff to win a statebred maiden sprint at Belmont by 1 3/4 lengths. She has since followed up with a steady work tab. Dylan Davis, who rode three winners last week at an average win mutuel of $41.60, has the call for Mike Hushion.

In race 7, for fillies and mares going a mile, Andesine and Cahirciveen need to be on any multirace tickets.

Andesine, trained by David Donk, won at first asking by 8 3/4 lengths in an off-the-turf race Oct. 10. She came back 16 days later and finished second to Big Mara going a one-turn mile in this condition.

Speaking of her debut, Donk said Andesine “didn’t beat much, but she did it the right way. I think she’ll appreciate the two turns.”

Cahirciveen, trained by Christophe Clement, won an off-the-turf maiden race by 10 1/2 lengths at Saratoga going 1 1/8 miles, though she only defeated three horses that day. Cahirciveen finished fifth in the same race in which Andesine finished second.

“The filly was not doing well enough then; she’s doing well here at the moment,” said Christophe Lorieul, assistant to Clement. “Manny [Franco] knows her, he’s been riding her, and he worked her the last two times.”

Tapa Liath and Storm Cell, an uncoupled entry from the barn of Carlos Martin, both own wins over the inner track.