Resurgent Green Light Go poised for second career stakes win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It has been 30 months since Green Light Go won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, creating dreams for his connections that unfortunately never panned out. Now 5, Green Light Go seems to have regained his juvenile form and looks poised to achieve his second career stakes victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Stymie at Aqueduct.

There have been myriad stops and starts for Green Light Go, but the one consistent has been his best races have come for trainer Jimmy Jerkens. He won his first two races at 2 for Jerkens and after an injury early in his 3-year-old season, Green Light Go went to the farm and then to other trainers.

Back in Jerkens’s care since last fall, Green Light Go ran a strong second in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight last November before winning an allowance/optional-claiming race by nine lengths Jan. 13. He ran a mile in 1:35.19 – the fastest of 94 one-mile races at the winter meet – though Jerkens suspects the track that day played a role in the performance.

“He just grabbed the rider right away and took off on his own,” Jerkens said. “Whereas when he ran in the Fall Highweight, even though it was six furlongs, there was a big difference [in the track] and it took him a while to get on track. Like most horses, I’m sure he’d like it faster as opposed to slower.”

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The Belmont Park training track has been pretty slow in the mornings, yet Green Light Go has fired three bullet works over it in a 19-day period.

“He’s held his flesh good, his works have been solid,” Jerkens said. “The tracks have been really slow, but he’s seemed to work decently anyway.”

Green Light Go drew the rail in a one-mile race without much confirmed speed and figures to be prominent early under Dylan Davis.

Waxman, never worse than second in five career starts, makes his stakes debut after a maiden win going a mile here Dec. 2 and a first-level allowance win going 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 9. Two horses he beat on Jan. 9 – Southern District and King Kumbalay – came back to win their next starts with career-high Beyer Speed Figures. Both of Waxman’s wins have come since trainer Todd Pletcher added blinkers to the colt’s equipment.

Jose Lezcano rides Waxman from post 2.

The wild card of the Stymie is Milton the Monster, who comes up from Parx Racing following a 12 3/4-length victory in a second-level allowance going seven furlongs in the slop. He earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the performance. Trainer John Servis isn’t sure how much that last race was the horse improving and how much was a product of the wet track.

“He’s definitely getting better, but I don’t know,” Servis said. “I’m thinking the slop definitely helped. Both times I’ve run him in the slop, he’s run huge. He’s probably going to end up on the turf somewhere along his career, but we got to give him a try and see where we’re at.”

Frankie Pennington is in from Parx for the ride.

Hanalei’s Houdini, Doubly Blessed, Pirate’s Punch, and Our Last Buck complete the field.