Rescheduled Ruthless draws two newcomers

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The field underwent some changes, but the horse to beat remains the same in Sunday's $65,000 Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct.

Funny Feeling, a good-looking debut winner at Churchill Downs in November, takes on winners for the first time in the six-furlong Ruthless, a race postponed by one week when the Jan. 3 card was canceled due to extreme cold.

A five-horse field when originally drawn, the Ruthless went Sunday with a field of six, including supplemental nominee E Z Passer and Maryland shipper Argent Affair, neither of whom were entered last week. Age of Humor, originally entered in the Ruthless, opted to go in Saturday's Busanda Stakes instead.

Funny Feeling, a half-sister to the Grade 1 winner Pussycat Doll, won her debut Nov. 19 at Churchill. Funny Feeling raced with the pace while four wide through a sharp half-mile, poked a head in front around the far turn, then drew off with two taps of jockey Julien Leparoux's whip. Funny Feeling covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.54 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 78.

"She was one that was no secret," trainer Mike Maker said. "She showed a great deal of class from the first day that we had her all the way up to her first race."

After drawing post 4 last week, Funny Feeling will break from post 2 under Gabriel Saez on Sunday.

John Parisella, the trainer of second-out winner Wild News, said he likes the extra week because he was worried that his filly worked too fast on Dec. 30. Though she worked only a fifth of a second slower on Wednesday, Parisella felt she did it the right way. Wild News, who breaks from post 3 under Ramon Dominguez, could get a nice stalking trip behind Funny Feeling and/or Milc Kids, who won a maiden $7,500 at Finger Lakes before winning an allowance race going six furlongs in the Finger Lakes slop Dec. 3.

After running second to Wild News on Nov. 27, E Z Passer won a maiden race on Dec. 27, coming from off the pace and holding off a late challenge from Does It Every Time. Trainer Mike Miceli said the extra week was the impetus for putting E Z Passer in the field.

* Jockey Mike Luzzi will take off his mounts Sunday after undergoing surgery on his nose.