Red-hot Handal has two for Cicada Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Following a fruitless February, trainer Ray Handal is enjoying a marvelous March. It’s a trend he hopes continues when he sends out two runners in Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct.

Handal went 0 for 14 between Aqueduct and Turfway in February, and has gone 5 for 11 between those two tracks in March through Sunday.

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In Saturday’s Cicada, Handal entered both Irish Constitution and Just Read It in the six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies, which drew a field of five.

Irish Constitution will be coming back just eight days after winning a New York-bred first-level allowance by 4 1/4 lengths, earning a career-best 74 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She bounced out of the race with good energy,” said Handal, noting that when he worked for trainer Rick Dutrow, “he would run horses, specifically fillies who were in good form, back on short rest.”

Just Read It won a six-furlong maiden race by 6 1/4 lengths here Jan. 31. Handal tried her on Turfway’s synthetic surface in the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes ,where she finished a well-beaten sixth.

Handal said he ran Just Read It at Turfway because the filly had worked well at the sale over Ocala’s synthetic surface. But Turfway’s synthetic is not the same as Ocala’s, and Just Read It simply didn’t handle it, Handal said.

Handal said jockey Emanuel Esquivel told him Just Read It “wasn’t extending and stretching out” at Turfway.

“She came back and cooled out fine after the race,” Handal said.

Also entered in the Cicada were Save, Salt Plage, and Exogen.