Thin White Duke towers over rivals in Aspirant Stakes

Coming off a stakes victory on closing weekend of the Saratoga meet, Thin White Duke looms large in the $120,438 Aspirant Stakes for 2-year-olds on Tuesday at Finger Lakes.

The Aspirant is one of two stakes for New York-bred juveniles this week at Finger Lakes – the other being the Lady Finger Stakes for fillies, which precedes it on Monday – that serve as local preps for the $100,000-added New York Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 26.

Thin White Duke, who scratched out of the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes on Friday at Belmont to head to Finger Lakes, is not only the only entrant in the field of eight for the Aspirant to have won a stakes – he is the only entrant with a win, period, and will be the heavy favorite in a field of maidens and debut starters. Thin White Duke, who will have Kevin Navarro in the irons for trainer, breeder, and co-owner Phil Gleaves, has never missed the board in five career starts. After two runner-up finishes on turf at Saratoga, Gleaves put the Dominus gelding on dirt for the Funny Cide Stakes against statebreds on Sept. 4, and he rallied to win by a half-length.

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“His siblings have all preferred the turf, but he’s by Dominus, who won graded stakes on both surfaces,” said Gleaves, who owns Thin White Duke with Steven Crist, Ken deRegt, and Bryan Hilliard. “We started him on the dirt, but then he ran two bang-up races at Saratoga on the grass. We’re keeping an open mind about it, but the New York-bred stakes in the fall are all on the dirt, so that was our reason for running in the Funny Cide.”

Of the others in the Aspirant field, It’s Gravy has come the closest to victory, finishing second by a length to Eagle Orb in an Aug. 21 statebred maiden race at Saratoga after dueling for the early lead. Eagle Orb came back to finish second in the Funny Cide.

It’s Gravy, who is trained by Kelly Breen, earned a respectable 60 Beyer Speed Figure in that maiden outing, the highest in the field after the 64 and 68 earned by Thin White Duke in his two most recent outings.

Bourbon Brown has made four starts, all in open company at Finger Lakes, with his best effort coming when third on debut Aug. 19. The maiden Our Man Mike and debut starters Blurt, Excellent Timing, Mindfreak, and Silverado Trail complete the field.