Repo Rocks looks to run win streak to five in Carter Handicap
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – On paper, jumping from a listed stakes to a Grade 1 seems daunting. Saturday’s $300,000 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct hardly seems daunting for Repo Rocks, who puts his four-race winning streak on the line in the first Grade 1 stakes to be run on this circuit in 2023.
The Carter, which now has a field of six with the scratch of White Abarrio due to illness, does not include any upper echelon sprinters.
“For a Grade 1, it’s not the toughest race I’ve ever seen,” said Jamie Ness, who is seeking his first Grade 1 win as a trainer.
Tough is a good way to describe Repo Rocks. He was sent to Ness by owner Steve Fox following a fifth-place finish in last October’s Bold Ruler Stakes. Ness decided to train Repo Rocks on the aggressive side, and the gelding seemed to take to that program. He won two listed stakes at Parx Racing, romped by 8 1/2 lengths in the Grade 3 Toboggan with a 111 Beyer Speed Figure at Aqueduct, and then successfully stretched out to mile winning the Stymie, also at Aqueduct.
“Everything I tried to do, he took it and wanted more,” Ness said. “I pushed on him like a good horse, and he responded to that style. Some horses do, some horses don’t.”
In the Stymie, jockey Andrew Wolfsont rode a hesitant race, not sure whether to go to the lead or not. Despite getting boxed in, Repo Rocks got clear when he needed and won by 3 1/4 lengths.
“His best race is probably to sit in the pocket and make that run down the lane,” Ness said. “Last time, there wasn’t a lot of speed and the jock was like, should I go, should I not go? This time there does seem to be speed to sit in the pocket.”
Today’s Flavor, a New York-bred who has won four in a row since coming to George Weaver’s barn, looks like the speed from the rail. Three of those wins came against New York-breds, including a 3 1/2-length victory over Bold Journey, who came back to win his statebred second-level allowance condition and shows up back in the Carter.
Little Vic won the Grade 3 Tom Fool here after finishing a well-beaten second to Repo Rocks in the Toboggan. The colt’s last two races have been with blinkers on.
Doppelganger comes in off two allowance wins at Laurel for Brittany Russell. Expressman is cutting back to seven furlongs off an allowance win at 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 10 at Gulfstream for trainer Todd Pletcher.
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