Solid Wager set to try luck in New York in Toboggan
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Less than three weeks after beginning his 8-year-old season in Southern California, Solid Wager was one of five sprinters entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Toboggan Stakes at Aqueduct.
Solid Wager, a California-bred gelding by Birdonthewire, made his first 48 starts for trainer Peter Miller. Perhaps sensing that the Southern California circuit might now be too difficult for him, part-owner Gary Barber shipped Solid Wager East to trainer Chris Englehart. This is the first horse Englehart has had for Barber, who owns Solid Wager in partnership with Stanford Stable.
“They wanted to take advantage of the winter racing and the purses,” said Englehart, who hasn’t had the horse in his barn very long.
Solid Wager is a four-time stakes winner, having taken three runnings of the Cary Grant Stakes for California-breds at Del Mar. His biggest victory came in the Grade 3 Midnight Lute Stakes at Santa Anita, a race in which he dead-heated for win with St. Joe Bay on Dec. 31, 2016.
One tangible working in Solid Wager’s favor is he is 5 for 10 at the Toboggan distance of seven furlongs.
Jose Lezcano will ride Solid Wager.
Skyler’s Scramjet is the likely Toboggan favorite, coming off his head loss to Recruiting Ready in the Gravesend Stakes going six furlongs on Dec. 23, his first start off a six-month layoff. Bal Harbour, third in the Queens County Stakes going 1 1/8 miles last out, is cutting back to seven furlongs for trainer Todd Pletcher.
The racing office needed some help getting the Toboggan to fill. Gold for the King, who finished third as the favorite in last Saturday’s $100,000 Say Florida Sandy Stakes for New York-breds, was entered, and Colonel Sharp, winner of the Dave’s Friend Stakes at Laurel on Dec. 29, was supplemented to the race.
