Read the Footnotes wins Nashua

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Value Plus, the 4-5 favorite in the $113,100 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct on Sunday, stumbled at the start and dumped jockey John Velazquez. Read the Footnotes had no such trouble and cruised home a 2 1/4-length winner over Paddington in the Grade 3 Nashua for 2-year-old males.

It was another 6 1/2 lengths back to Who is Chris G. in third. Big Booster, Tsuzomin, Good Reward, Charismatic Rob, and Motivus completed the order of finish.

Value Plus, whom an outrider caught, did not appear to be injured. Velazquez was uninjured.

Read the Footnotes provided jockey Jerry Bailey with his 65th stakes win of 2003, which is three shy of the single-season record set by Mike Smith in 1994.

Read the Footnote set the pace in the one-mile Nashua through fractions of 23.48 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.20 for the half. Paddington, who pressed Read the Footnotes down the backstretch, took a slim lead at the top of the stretch, but Read the Footnotes inched away with a furlong remaining.

Read the Footnotes ($7.80) covered the distance in 1:36.48 over a fast track.

Richard Violette Jr. trains Read the Footnotes, a New York-bred son of Smoke Glacken, for Klaravich Stables.

Violette said he would consider the Grade 2 Remsen on Nov. 29 for Read the Footnote's next start. Read the Footnotes has won three of four starts. His only loss came in the Grade 1 Champagne when he finished sixth. Violette said he displaced his palate in the Champagne and subsequently underwent a myectomy to correct the breathing problem.

"We'll definitely have to consider [the Remsen]," Violette said. "Speed around two turns is more dangerous than it is out of that one-mile chute. We'll see how he comes out of this. We don't have to run there. I think he is going to be an awfully nice 3-year-old."