T Kraft looks to stay in the New York groove in Winkfield
?q=100)
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – T Kraft beat Ican by 1 1/4 lengths when they met in a first-level allowance race going 6 1/2 furlongs last month at Aqueduct. Those two 3-year-olds appear the protagonists in a six-horse field entered in Saturday’s $125,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes going six furlongs at Aqueduct.
T Kraft gave his connections, trainer Bill Mott and owner Lee Einsidler, reason for optimism when he finished second behind Chancer McPatrick in a July 27 maiden race at Saratoga. But things did not go well in three subsequent starts, which may have led to T Kraft staying in New York this winter rather than heading to South Florida.
A son of Connect, T Kraft broke through with a narrow maiden victory on Jan. 11, followed by his allowance win on Feb. 14, a race in which he sat just off the speed and outfinished Ican, who was dueling on the lead.
“Training-wise, that’s what we thought we’d see a little earlier on, but it took him a couple of races to get it,” Mott said. “We sent him down to Kentucky and he didn’t show up, but he’s always trained very well.”
T Kraft will break from the rail, a post from which he won his maiden two starts back.
Ican, a son of Preservationist trained by Rick Dutrow, won his maiden in an off-the-turf race at Horseshoe Indianapolis in October. He then came to New York, where he twice finished behind Cyclone State, second in an allowance and third in the Jerome, before his runner-up finish to T Kraft.
Dutrow likes Ican’s outside draw for Saturday and is hopeful that it could lead to a different result in the rematch.
“Things are different now. We have a very good post and maybe he [T Kraft] doesn’t,” Dutrow said. “That horse was better than us last time. He just outran us – no problem, no big deal, we were happy with our race. He drew good. He’s doing good. If things happen to go his way, I could see him winning the race.”
Paula’s a Star, a filly by Tapiture, winds up in the Winkfield after trainer Tom Morley said he couldn’t get a first-level allowance race to fill in either in New York or Virginia. Paula’s a Star is coming off a front-running maiden win going 6 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct on Feb. 8.
“I think this filly is very fast. She may get seven-eighths in time, [but] I’m not ready to try that now,” Morley said. “If anything, I’d rather cut her back in trip and she gets a very handy weight allowance.”
Paula’s a Star gets in with 113 pounds, meaning she gets 5 to 7 pounds from the field. Madison Olver is expected to make the weight or be one pound over, Morley said.
Saxton was claimed for $62,500 by Brittany Russell off a winning effort for Cal Lynch at Laurel on Feb. 14. Saxton placed in a couple of Laurel stakes last fall.
Do It for Michael won the Maryland Nursery Stakes at Laurel on the lead last October before finishing fourth in the James Lewis III Stakes, just behind Saxton.
Arcadian, a recent $50,000 claim by Gregg Sacco, completes the field. The Winkfield will go as race 4 on a 10-race card that begins at 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.