Trailing Twelve tries to make another leap

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trailing Twelve surprised his trainer, Rick Violette, by winning a two-turn maiden race off one sprint start with 50 days in between.

Saturday, Trailing Twelve will try to make another favorable impression when he jumps from the maiden ranks to stakes company in the $65,000 Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct. The Count Fleet, at a mile and 70 yards, is the first step on the road to the April 8 Wood Memorial.

The Count Fleet drew 10 3-year-olds, four of whom were supplemented for $650 after not having been originally nominated. The supplemental nominees did not include Mike'sgoodandtough, an impressive maiden winner at Laurel Park who had been expected to run. Trainer Randy Allen changed his mind when the field swelled.

is a son of Five Star Day out of the Gate Dancer mare Native Gate Dancer. Violette believes the Gate Dancer side came out in Trailing Twelve's maiden win over this course on Dec. 10. In that 1 1/16-mile race, Trailing Twelve stalked the early pace, took over in upper stretch, and just held off Harborage for the neck victory.

Greeley's Legacy and Achilles of Troy, third and fourth in that race, came back to win maiden special weight races next out.

"His race around two turns was just phenomenal," Violette said. "It was fast-paced pressure - the internal fractions were faster than the stakes that day. I thought he was short for the race and I kept waiting for him to blow up at the eighth pole, but he found more and more."

Eibar Coa will ride Trailing Twelve, who breaks from the rail.

wheels back nine days after winning his maiden by 4 1/2 lengths going six furlongs. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 96 for that effort. Trainer Jennifer Pedersen fears Achilles of Troy may be better suited to one-turn races.

is 2 for 2 since trainer Joe Lostritto put him on Lasix. That included an upset victory in the Damon Runyon Stakes, a race in which Platinum Couple rallied from off the pace. Lostritto said he would try to change tactics and have jockey Jose Espinoza send his horse to the front on Saturday. Lostritto believes Platinum Couple may be better suited to the route than some of the others in this field.

Trainer Kelly Breen fears the mile and 70 yards may be too short for Fagan's Legacy, who won the nine-furlong Pilgrim at Belmont in October. Breen feels his horse was compromised by lack of pace when fifth behind Bluegrass Cat in the Remsen last November.