Straight Arrow makes return to New York; $27K pick six carryover

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – When last seen in New York, 50 weeks ago, Straight Arrow won the $250,000 Empire Classic, a 1 1/8-mile dirt race for New York-breds.

Thursday, in his first start since a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs last November, Straight Arrow makes his return to the races in a turf sprint at Aqueduct.

The second-level allowance, with a $62,500 claiming option, is scheduled for six furlongs on the outer turf course and is the featured event on an eight-race card that begins the day with a $27,977 pick six carryover.

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Even while Straight Arrow was winning on dirt, trainer Mike Dini always felt he would be a better turf horse. Straight Arrow, a half-brother Disco Partner, a $1.4 million earner as a turf sprinter, ran once on turf, finishing fifth in a route race last September at Aqueduct.

“He dropped way back, some turf clod hit him, and he came back with his eye swollen,” Dini said. “But he came flying and just had no room at the end.”

After that race, Straight Arrow won an off-the-turf New York-bred second-level allowance before winning the Empire Classic, both run over muddy tracks at Aqueduct.

The competition in the Clark, as well as it being the final race of an eight-race campaign that started in June, may have conspired against Straight Arrow.

Straight Arrow was training at Tampa during the winter, when he chipped off a piece of his sesamoid. Dini gave the horse plenty of time off. Straight Arrow developed foot fungus in late summer and was actually entered but scratched from this same condition here Sept. 21.

Since that scratch, Straight Arrow has worked twice, including a half-mile in 47.20 seconds on Oct. 10 at Monmouth.

Dini did nominate Straight Arrow to both the $250,000 Empire Classic on dirt and the $200,000 Mohawk on turf and said he wouldn’t be adverse to wheeling the horse back in one of those spots on Oct. 27 pending his performance Thursday.

Coast Along may be the horse to catch in this allowance. A gelding by West Coast trained by Shug McGaughey, Coast Along has won two turf sprints, one at Laurel, and one at Colonial, both in front-running fashion. He breaks from the rail Thursday.

Fluid Situation and Dunedin are both listed at 15-1 on the morning line. Fluid Situation returns as a new gelding after finishing last in a similar spot as this on June 7 at Saratoga. Trainer John Terranova said he has been trying to enter Fluid Situation in allowance races at multiple tracks and the races fail to fill. Fluid Situation is 2 for 2 sprinting over Aqueduct’s turf.

Dunedin, trained by Kelsey Danner, ships in from Kentucky after pulling a 45-1 upset in a first-level allowance at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 11. In 2022, Dunedin finished fifth, beaten a half-length, in the Grade 3 Futurity here.

Gaslight Dancer finished second in that year’s Futurity and is in this spot Thursday for trainer Rick Dutrow. He is coming off a win in a starter allowance/optional claimer here Sept. 15.

Tidal Forces, Riot House, Seaver, Fore Harp, and Anaconda complete those in the body of the field. Biz Biz Buzz would be in with a chance if able to draw in from the also-eligible list. Anaconda and Biz Biz Buzz are both trained by Mike Maker.

This allowance goes as race 5 and is third leg of the pick six. While bettors will likely have to spread in this spot, they are likely to rely heavily on Runnin’ Ray (race 3), Twilight Tango (race 4), and Dancin Dean (race 7) in other races in the sequence.

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