Stonewall Star looks like money in Key Cents

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Back against her own gender and at the track of her lone victory, Stonewall Star looks quite formidable in Sunday’s $100,000 Key Cents Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies at Aqueduct.

The Key Cents, run at six furlongs, is one of two stakes on a 10-race card that begins at 11:50 a.m. The card also features the $135,000 Forever Together Stakes for females at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Stonewall Star has one victory from her three starts, having won a maiden race by 4 1/2 lengths going six furlongs at Aqueduct on Sept. 22. Trainer Horacio De Paz opted to send Stonewall Star to Finger Lakes to take on males in the $158,000 New York Breeders’ Futurity, and she finished third, beaten one length by Acoustic Ave, who nosed out Andiamo a Firenze.

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De Paz said he preferred running Stonewall Star the six furlongs of the New York Breeders’ Futurity to the one-mile Maid of the Mist, held at Aqueduct on Oct. 30.

“I was very happy with her effort,” De Paz said. “She had to ship, she had the one hole, she rated. She showed she’s a talented filly. Hopefully, she can move forward off that effort.”

De Paz was happy to see Stonewall Star come back with a sharp half-mile breeze in 47 seconds in the mud over the Belmont Park training track last Sunday.

“She did it well in hand and she hasn’t backed off since that breeze,” he said.

Stonewall Star, owned and bred by Barry Schwartz, is a full sister to La Fuerza, who in 2020 finished third in the New York Breeders’ Futurity and two starts later won the Notebook Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds, typically run the same day as the Key Cents.

Jose Ortiz rides Stonewall Star from post 5.

On paper, the competition, which includes two maidens, seems suspect. Security Code ran well in her first two starts but has tailed off since while going longer. Trainer Phil Serpe is putting blinkers on the daughter of Frosted, and perhaps the return to six furlongs will help.

Three Unions finished fourth, 12 1/4 lengths behind Stonewall Star in that Sept. 22 maiden race, but came back to win a maiden race on turf. Trainer Richard Schosberg, who is retiring in seven weeks, opted to give the dirt one more try with this daughter of Unified.

“Why not take a shot?” Schosberg said. “She’s got speed. She doesn’t have much of a mind so she may not even understand what [surface] she’s running on.”

Three Unions will likely try to wire the field under Eric Cancel from post 5.

Weekend Rags, second in her debut, gets blinkers for her second start. Dream On Cara, 0 for 4, and Small Pebbles, coming off two low-figure wins at Finger Lakes, complete the field.

◗ The $100,000 Notebook Stakes, for New York-bred 2-year-olds, did not draw enough entries to be carded for Sunday as scheduled. It has been brought back for Friday’s card, entries for which will be taken on Sunday.

◗ Following Sunday’s card, the next live racing program will be Friday. There is no racing or training on Thanksgiving.

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