Rice may send Sand Devil to Withers off recent romp

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York-bred 3-year-old Sand Devil may have earned himself a shot in a Kentucky Derby qualifying points race after winning a first-level statebred allowance race by 12 1/2 lengths Thursday at Aqueduct.

Trainer Linda Rice said she would consider a race like the $250,000 Withers Stakes, going 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 1, for Sand Devil, a son of Violence out of the Mineshaft mare Mineralogist, a three-time New York-bred stakes winner.

“To go from a mile to a mile and an eighth that fast, it’s a lot, but I’ve taken a few chances here and there,” Rice said.

Rice said if she felt the Withers is coming up too tough, she could always cut Sand Devil back to seven furlongs and run him against New York-breds in the Damon Runyon Stakes on Feb. 8 and get another race into him before trying an open-company stakes going a distance of ground.

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Sand Devil is owned and bred by Chester Broman, who has expressed a desire to return to the Kentucky Derby. Broman and his late wife, Mary, ran Friends Lake (15th) in the 2004 Kentucky Derby. In 2023, Broman and Rice had Arctic Arrogance on the Derby trail, but the horse got hurt after finishing fourth in the Wood Memorial.

Sand Devil won his debut going six furlongs by four lengths on Dec. 8. Rice had Sand Devil nominated to Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes, a one-turn mile that offers Derby qualifying points.

“I nominated him to the Jerome because I think he’s a nice horse. I opted to take baby steps instead and see if I could get him stretched out,” Rice said.

While it was impressive enough that Sand Devil won by 12 1/2 lengths, jockey Jose Lezcano needed help from the outrider to get the horse pulled up, which he did by the three-quarter pole.

“He was pretty excited,” Rice said of Lezcano. ”I said, ‘Well, it looks like distance won’t be a problem.’ He said, ‘Mile and an eighth, fine.’ He said he was strong.”

Sand Devil earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure for the performance.

Sand Devil was one of four winners from five starters Rice sent out on Thursday’s eight-race Aqueduct card.

Another was St. Benedict’s Prep, who won a third-level allowance/optional $45,000 claiming race by 4 1/4 lengths, the 5-year-old mare’s sixth win from 18 starts. Rice said a race like the $150,000 Interborough on Jan. 25 could be a possible next start for St. Benedict’s Prep, who earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure for her effort.

“She likes seven-eighths,” Rice said.

Rice said plans for St. Benedict’s Prep could hinge on what happens with Ain’t Broke, who won a high-caliber allowance race for fillies and mares by one length on Dec. 29. Ain’t Broke is cataloged to be sold in January, but if she fails to meet her reserve she could wind up in the Interborough.

Rice’s other two winners came in maiden-claiming races with Rockible and Burn Runner. Her lone defeat from five starters came when Malu got beat a neck in a New York-bred allowance race.

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