Snow puts rare Palm Sunday card in jeopardy
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – If Mother Nature doesn’t punk the New York Racing Association, history will be made Sunday at Aqueduct.
Last year, the New York State Legislature repealed a decades-old law prohibiting parimutuel wagering in New York on Palm Sunday. Thus, there is a nine-race program on tap at the Big A. However, a Nor’easter that could bring several inches of snow to the area is in the forecast. The track, timing, and impact of the storm were still very much in flux as of Friday. Coincidentally, Aqueduct was forced to cancel the March 20 card last year.
If the storm takes a fortuitous path, the feature will be a $69,000, second-level optional $62,500 claiming event in which Fortuitous Path likely will be favored.
Fortuitous Path is coming off the best race of his career, a four-length allowance win going six furlongs here Jan. 30. That performance, for which he earned a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure, was Fortuitous Path’s first start without the anti-bleeding medication Lasix.
Trainer Rudy Rodriguez said that Fortuitous Path often would suffer from the thumps, an electrolyte imbalance, so he experimented with taking the son of Quality Road off the medication.
“We usually don’t give him too much Lasix,” said Rodriguez, who noted that he typically would give the ridgling 3 cubic centimeters of Lasix, the lowest amount permissible by rule. “He was reacting to it, so we just took him off Lasix, and it looks like it worked. He was better than what he was showing us.”
Fortuitous Path is taking on a field full of seasoned veterans, including Sam Sparkle and Joking, who have combined to win 12 races from 79 starts.
The prospect of a wet track could enhance the chances of the David Jacobson-trained Eighty Three, who has a 2-1-0 record from 3 starts on wet tracks.
Race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Fortuitous Path, by Quality Road
Last 3 Beyers: 97-81-79
◗ Overcame some jostling at the break to rally from last and win a first-level allowance race Jan. 30.
According DRF Pace Ace, his two best races have come when the pace has been super hot. That does not appear to be likely Sunday.
◗ Likely to encounter a wet track for the first time.
Eighty Three, by Harlan’s Holiday
Last 3 Beyers: 89-90-95
◗ Overcame a modest pace to win a first-level allowance over the inner track Jan. 9, then shipped to Southern California, where he finished second in his first try at the second-level allowance condition. Back at Aqueduct on Feb. 28, he got squeezed at the break and ended up finishing third behind the front-running winner Angry Moon.
◗ Reunited with Irad Ortiz Jr., who was aboard Eighty Three for a win in a $40,000 claimer over a “good” Aqueduct main track last December.
Scarly Charly, by Friends Lake
Last 3 Beyers: 69-83-93
◗ Returns from an 87-day layoff following a sixth-place finish in the Fabulous Strike Handicap at Penn National last Nov. 25. In 2012, he came off a 79-day layoff to beat Green Gratto in a similar spot as this over a sloppy inner track. Unlike that race, Scarly Charly is being offered for the $62,500 claiming price in this spot.