Still a maiden, Valuation Metric may be capable of a stakes win in Awad

Valuation Metric may be the only maiden among the eight horses entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Awad Stakes at Aqueduct but he could also be the horse to beat in the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds.

Valuation Metric was beaten a head in a Sept. 14 maiden race at Aqueduct, a race in which he controlled the pace and then got embroiled in a stretch duel with Barricade before coming up on the wrong side of a head bob to that rival. Valuation Metric finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Davy Crockett, who came out of that race to win his maiden last weekend.

Speaking of his narrow defeat last out, trainer Chad Brown said Valuation Metric “had the race won until he gave it away with a late lead switch and steering issue. I treated it as a win.”

Valuation Metric, a son of Munnings, is one of two horses entered by Brown in the Awad. Aviator Gui, a son of Uncle Mo, is coming off a win in an off-the-turf maiden race on Sept. 28.

Surfside Moon ships in from Maryland for Chuck Lawrence. This son of Malibu Moon won a maiden turf race at Laurel Park in August before finishing fifth in the off-the-turf Laurel Futurity in September.

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Tiz Dashing, a son of Tiz the Law won his debut by a neck going six furlongs and is likely to handle the stretch-out to 1 1/16 miles for trainer Barclay Tagg.

Concord Green overcame trouble to win his debut on turf at Saratoga and then was a non-factor in the Grade 2 Pilgrim, finishing seventh of eight over yielding turf.

Fully Authorized, Flamingproposition, and McDiesel complete the field.

The Awad goes as race 3 on a 12-race card that begins at 12:10 p.m.

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