Turf racing in sight as Aqueduct moves to main track

The opening of the main track at Aqueduct is always a welcome sign of spring. It ends the seemingly endless parade of six-furlong sprints over the inner track and means turf racing and the return of tanned trainers from Florida can’t be far off.

On Friday, when the main-track season begins, there will not be a six-furlong race in sight. The card comprises four 6 1/2-furlong sprints, a seven-furlong dash, and four one-turn miles. While the day starts off a bit slowly, there are 36 horses – 35 betting interests – in the late pick four, a welcome average of nine horses per race.

Martin Panza, the senior vice president of racing operations for the New York Racing Association, certainly appreciates the return to the 1 1/8-mile main oval.

“The main track gives us more flexibility writing races,” Panza said. “There are hoses who have difficulty getting up at six furlongs over the winter and are better suited going 6 1/2 or seven furlongs.”

Turf racing is not far off. The first grass race of the year is scheduled for Wood Memorial Day, April 8. If Mother Nature cooperates, it could come earlier.

“If the weather allows, we could write some extra races sooner,” Panza said. “We really just need the temperatures to warm up. We need a warm stretch.”

Aqueduct will race Friday through Sunday this week before returning to a five-days-a-week schedule next Wednesday. The added dates likely will tax the local horse population, even as horsemen start to trickle back in from Florida. The Belmont Park backstretch likely won’t be at full fighting strength until its meet begins and Keeneland closes April 28.

“We’ll probably struggle at times when we go back to five days a week,” Panza said. “But getting back on the main track is the first step, and then turf is the next. We’re kind of in transition.”

The spring meet begins with New York Claiming Championship Day this Saturday, when 10 starter-allowance races worth a combined $695,000 are planned.

The following Saturday is Wood Memorial Day. Although the 1 1/8-mile Wood has been downgraded this year to a Grade 2 and its purse has been trimmed from $1 million to $750,000, the program remains the highlight of the 5 1/2-month Aqueduct season.

Horses pointing to the Wood include either One Liner, the winner of the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, or Battalion Runner from the barn of Todd Pletcher; Jerome and Withers stakes winner El Areeb, who races for Cal Lynch; the Graham Motion-trained Irish War Cry, the winner of the Holy Bull; Remsen winner Mo Town, conditioned by Tony Dutrow; and Cloud Computing, Stretch’s Stone, and True Timber.

The Wood card includes the Grade 1 Carter, Grade 2 Gazelle, and three Grade 3 races – the Bay Shore, Distaff Handicap, and Excelsior.

Tashreeh should get good setup

The Friday feature at Aqueduct is a wide-open second-level optional-claiming race at 6 1/2 furlongs that has a field of nine, including a David Jacobson-trained stable coupling.

There are three last-out winners in the field. Tashreeh and Top Brass each are coming off a first-level allowance win, and Hey Jabber Jaw is back in for a $62,500 claiming tag after scoring a 27-1 upset in a second-level optional claimer. All three have had a short freshening since their last race.

The field also includes Gypsum Johnny, who finished eighth in Hey Jabber Jaw’s February win at 4-1 after stumbling at the start and never getting involved in the race. He has since finished a clear second in a reasonably tough second-level optional-claiming race at Laurel Park.

Gypsum Johnny should keep Hey Jabber Jaw honest on the lead Friday, which could set the table for Tashreeh, who has steadily improved since being claimed for $25,000 by Rudy Rodriguez at Saratoga, or Top Brass, who took a step forward at Parx in his lone start since being transferred to Jason Servis.

Of the pair, Tashreeh is more battle-hardened and looks ready for this step up in conditions.