Tricky pick six has $139K carryover

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The final week of racing at Aqueduct begins Thursday with a carryover of $139,950 in the pick six after the wager went unsolved both Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday’s sequence, which begins with race 3 (2:12 p.m. Eastern), looks tricky as well, with a maiden race for 2-year-olds on dirt sprinkled in with mostly claiming races. There are three races scheduled for turf and three for dirt.

Race 3: The pick six starts with a $50,000 maiden-claiming race on turf for New York-bred fillies and mares.

First-time starter Nina Lee, trained by Rob Atras, is by Slumber, who in January for these same connections sired Carc Brothers, a $37.60 debut winner at Fair Grounds for maiden $30,000 claiming. Earlier this meet, Slumber sired Homewood Hustle, who won his debut for Will Walden. Nina Lee, out of dirt debut-winning mare Wait Your Turf, is a full sister to turf winners Marvelous Maude and Bryant and Cooper.

Find Your Path stretches out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles for Tony Dutrow, who earlier this meet won a maiden $90,000 claimer with Mermaid ($9.02) who went from a turf sprint to a route.

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No Need to Panic was in contention to the top of the stretch at Saratoga against statebred maiden special weight company before giving way. She is now in for the tag and at Aqueduct where her mother, Kibosh, went 2 for 2 during her racing days.

Race 4: Leslie’s Humor may be the closest thing there is to a single, though she hasn’t raced since Oct. 26 when winning her second straight turf sprint allowance over this course. Trainer Chad Brown is terrific off the layoff, though just 2 for 13 the last three years in turf sprints off a layoff of longer than 180 days.

Munnings Express has won three straight on dirt but now is entered for turf while trying to take advantage of the allowance condition, according to trainer Linda Rice. Munnings Express is out of the mare Freudie Anne, a stakes winner on dirt but who was a six-time winner on turf, including a division of the New York Stallion Series. She is potentially the main speed.

Ready to Jam won the Autumn Days sprinting on this turf course last October and is dropping out of an eighth-place finish in the Grade 2 Intercontinental.

Race 5: All eyes will be on Flight Command, the first progeny of Horse of the Year Flightline to race in New York. Flightline’s two debut runners in North America have finished second and third. He has sired a first-out winner in Japan. Flight Command did pop out of the gate Sunday. However, trainer Rudy Rodriguez is 0 for 63 with first-time starting 2-year-olds the last three years, and 2 for 92 the last four years.

Jorge Delgado is 12 for 61 with just a $1.07 return on investment the last three years with debuting 2-year-olds – two of those winners have come at the Monmouth meet. He sends out Perfect Dream by first-year sire Corniche, who has sired three first-out winners from seven starters.

Jose Delgado brings Hurricane Mo back two weeks after he ran third chasing City Streaker around the Monmouth oval. Delgado adds blinkers.

Race 6: Rick Dutrow has won 12 races at four different tracks over the last month. He sends out Neon Bordeaux in this $40,000 claimer scheduled for one mile. Neon Bordeaux is 3 for 5 at Aqueduct in one-turn mile dirt races, including a victory for $30,000 claiming here in November.

Secured Landing has won his last three one-turn miles. I’m willing to throw out his non-effort in a starter going 6 1/2 furlongs last out at Saratoga.

Three Technique drops in class following a fourth for $62,500 claiming on May 31. Three of the four runners who have come back out of that race won their next starts, and the other horse came back to improve his Beyer Speed Figure 12 points in a losing effort.

Race 7: This six-furlong starter looks to be the most difficult part of the sequence. Edistrudis was second to Magic Wand, a 1-2 shot, two weeks ago and won for $20,000 claiming two back.

Despo’s Dream just missed when second in this condition going seven furlongs June 11. Proud Foot won for $30,000 claiming off a four-month layoff in April and now makes her first start in 12 weeks while cutting back a furlong.

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Mursal hasn’t run six furlongs in two years and her lone win at the distance came in 2022.

Race 8: Lupine chased a hot pace, steadied going into the turn, and was done thereafter in a New York-bred allowance at Saratoga. She won two back for maiden $50,000 claiming in front-running fashion.

Heads in Beds finally makes it to the races for her connections – including trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. – who purchased her for $42,000 out of a digital sale in December.

Rockyta is in for trainer Kent Sweezey following a fifth-place finish in a starter over Gulfstream Park’s synthetic surface.

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