Theodora B. among passel of shippers for Long Island Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The cancellation of turf racing at Churchill Downs helped in part flood the entry box for Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Long Island Stakes at Aqueduct, with 13 entered for the 1 3/8-mile event, scheduled for the inner turf course. The field will be limited to 12 starters.

Kentucky shippers English Affair, With Dignity, Delta’s Kingdom, and Siberian Iris spice up the final graded turf stakes of the year in New York.

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One shipper who was targeting this race all along is Theodora B., a 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper trained by Michael Dickinson. Theodora B., who finished second in the Forever Together at Aqueduct last year, won the Grade 2 Dance Smartly at Woodbine in August, the TVG Turf Stakes at Kentucky Downs in September, and finished fifth in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor on Oct. 18 at Woodbine.

“Theodora B. is in as good as shape as she’s ever been in,” said Dickinson, who seeks his first stakes win at Aqueduct since Tapit won the Wood Memorial in 2004. “Mentally and physically she’s stronger. By accident, we discovered she’s best on the lead.”

Theodora B.’s victory in the Dance Smartly came when she was able to secure the lead and set slow fractions.

Theodora B., who will break from post 9 under Jose Lezcano, is likely to find other pace players in the Long Island, including Beau Belle and Traipsing. The latter is one of three entered in the Long Island by trainer Christophe Clement, including potential favorite Mutamakina, who had an eventful trip when finishing third as the favorite in the Zagora Stakes on Oct. 31 at Belmont Park.

Clement also entered the New York-bred Wegetsdamunnys, who finished fourth in the Ticonderoga Stakes last time out at Belmont.

Also entered were Eliade, an allowance winner going 1 1/2 miles last out for trainer Chad Brown; Hungry Kitten, the Zagora runner-up; Pretty Point, sixth in the E.P. Taylor; and Lovely Lucky, who would need a scratch to get into the field.