Sea Foam has more realistic spot in Robb

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Five of the seven runners left in the wake of Americanrevolution in the $300,000 Empire Classic at Belmont Park two months ago reunite in Friday’s $100,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes at Aqueduct.

The Robb, a 1 1/8-mile race restricted to New York-breds, drew a field of nine and includes the return to the races of Brooklyn Strong, whose 3-year-old season did not pan out following his victory in the Grade 2 Remsen in 2020.

While Americanrevolution obviously ran the best race in the Empire Classic – he won by 11 3/4 lengths and came back to win the Grade 1 Cigar Mile – Sea Foam’s third-place finish in the Empire Classic was more than respectable. Sea Foam, under Kendrick Carmouche, set a solid early pace, put away Mr. Buff and Captain Bombastic, and continued on before losing second in the last jump to late-running Wild Banker.

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“I didn’t think he’d hold on as well as he did to just get beat for second,” Michelle Giangiulio, the trainer of Sea Foam, said. “Obviously, Americanrevolution is a Grade 1-level horse. We’re not quite at that level but for him to run as well as he did, getting pushed on the pace like he did, I thought it was a great race.”

In his previous start against New York-breds, Sea Foam won the Evan Shipman Stakes at Saratoga by five lengths. That victory – the first of Giangiulio’s training career – came at 1 1/8 miles around two turns, the same configuration as the Robb.

“I think Aqueduct will suit him a little bit better because it’s similar to Saratoga,” said Giangiulio, who is 3 for 3 at the Aqueduct winter meet.

Sea Foam figures to be on the lead from post 4 under Carmouche. He may have to deal with some pace pressure from Chowda, who will try stretching out to 1 1/8 miles off a fourth-place finish to stablemate Lobsta in the Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Series on Dec. 5. Chowda was a front-running winner of the Gander Stakes in February 2020.

Rudy Rodriguez sends out the uncoupled duo of Danny California and Tiergan, who finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Empire Classic. Both horses came back to run in a second-level allowance with Tiergan finishing a strong third and Danny California a non-threatening seventh.

Brooklyn Strong at age 2 won a pair of New York-bred stakes as well as the Grade 2 Remsen. Illness and infirmity plagued his 3-year-old season, which included a 15th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. He has not run since a fourth behind Mandaloun in the Pegasus at Monmouth in July, a race in which trainer Danny Velazquez said Brooklyn Strong bled. Velazquez scratched Brooklyn Strong out of Tuesday’s $100,000 Kris Kringle Stakes at Parx to run here.

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“We want his [return] off the long layoff where he doesn’t have any gorillas coming after him,” Velazquez said. “We’re just trying to make his transition to racing as easy as possible.”

Captain Bombastic, fifth in the Empire Classic, Kaz’s Beach, Our Last Buck, and Wild Banker complete the field.

– additional reporting by Dan Illman