Shine Upon goes for six straight at Aqueduct

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Shine Upon, whose love affair with Queens continued when she won at Aqueduct for the fifth time in as many starts four weeks ago, breaks from the rail and is the one to beat under leading rider Ramon Dominguez in Thursday’s $60,000 Leecoo overnight stakes.

Shine Upon, a handy two-move winner of last month’s Jena Jena, will take on nine other New York-bred fillies and mares in the one-mile Leecoo, among them my Dinah, Fivefifteen, and Ouchy Night, who finished second, third, and fourth behind her last time.

Shine Upon, who has shuttled between the barns of Jimmy Jerkens and Mike Hushion throughout her career, is back with the latter and shares top weight of 122 pounds under the allowance conditions along with Big Brownie, Bob’s Dylan, My Dinah, R Betty Graybull, and Weathered.

Big Brownie, an impressive winner of the seven-furlong Staten Island in her first start for Leah Gyarmati at the fall meet, was scratched from the Jena Jena after spiking a fever. She has since breezed twice at five furlongs.

Bob’s Dylan, who notched her 14th career victory in her final start of 2010, stretches out after forcing the pace in the Interborough on New Year’s Day.

My Dinah, who overtook Fivefifteen in her first start back from a short freshening, breezed a bullet five furlongs last Wednesday for Katie Feron.

R Betty Graybull closed out 2010 with a pair of victories and a runner-up finish in the Iroquois Stakes. Last time out, in her first start beyond seven furlongs and first at two turns, she posted a last-to-first win over open allowance milers at Parx Racing for Linda White.

Weathered, a four-time winner on the inner track including an overnight stakes 364 days ago, makes her 6-year-old debut for Karl Grusmark.

Along with Fivefifteen, Eager Emma, Laylaben, and Ouchy Night are in with 118 pounds.

Laylaben, a maiden winner on the inner track last winter, was disqualified at Saratoga on a close call but returned in the fall to win both of her New York-bred allowance conditions for Richard Schosberg.

“We decided that we would give this a try as she is in the best form of her career,” said Schosberg, who was on a 4-for-10 streak heading into the week. “She has won [twice] over the inner track, so we figured, why not?”