Statebred title up for grabs

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It may be hard to imagine a race run at Aqueduct on Dec. 30 having championship implications, but Sunday's $75,000 Alex M. Robb Handicap could go a long way in determining the New York-bred champion older male for 2007.

Naughty New Yorker, Who What Win, and Shuffling Maddnes have each won two statebred stakes this year, and if one of that trio is able to take the Robb, he could earn the divisional title.

A field of 10 was entered for the Robb, the last stakes race of the calendar year. After a dark day Monday, racing is expected to resume at Aqueduct on Tuesday, New Year's Day.

Naughty New Yorker is the defending Robb champion, having defeated Who What Win, Accountforthegold, and two others in this race last year. Sunday, Naughty New Yorker will carry high weight of 121 pounds while breaking from the extreme outside post under Jean-Luc Samyn.

In addition to his two statebred stakes victories, Naughty New Yorker has placed in three graded stakes, including a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile over Aqueduct's main track on Nov. 24. The Robb will be run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns over the inner track.

"We just took a little shot there,'' Kelly said of the Cigar. "He's always run well over the inner, he just doesn't do any good in the mud anymore. We'll see what happens, he's got 121 to carry.''

Who What Win has won his last three starts over the inner track and has a record of 4-6-0 from 10 lifetime starts over the winterized surface. On Dec. 1, he came through an opening along the fence in the stretch under John Velazquez to register a 2o1/2-length victory in the Mellow Roll Stakes.

"He didn't have to use too much last time - he was just cruising right into the stretch,'' trainer John Terranova said. "Johnny was waiting for a spot to open up; he ended up having to come up the rail. He had plenty of horse. He came back out of it fine and worked great last week.''

Shuffling Maddnes won the Champagneforashley Stakes in February and the Evan Shipman in July, both off losses in his previous start. Shuffling Maddnes comes into the Robb off a nonthreatening fifth in the Mellow Roll.