Wavell Avenue looks to regain best form
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Wavell Avenue looked well spotted to record her fourth straight victory when she was sent off as the 1-5 favorite in a second-level allowance race over Aqueduct’s inner track Feb. 5.
Unfortunately for her connections and the bettors, Wavell Avenue trudged home fourth. Trainer Chad Brown thinks there is reason to believe Wavell Avenue could start a new streak Friday when she heads a six-horse field in a $75,000 second-level allowance.
Brown said Wavell Avenue scoped for mucus in her lungs following her 5 1/4-length loss Feb. 5. “Hopefully, we can blame it on that and move forward,” Brown said.
Friday’s race is carded at 6 1/2 furlongs, a distance at which Wavell Avenue won over the main track last Nov. 29, the second win of her three-race winning streak. She successfully stretched out to a mile and 70 yards around two turns when she won a first-level allowance race Jan. 1.
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Brown said he had entered Wavell Avenue in a spot similar to Friday’s race going a one-turn mile Thursday, but that race failed to fill.
The co-feature on Friday’s eight-race card is a first-level allowance for New York-bred 3-year-olds. The Chester and Mary Broman entry of Global Positioning and Damage Control figures a heavy favorite.
Race 7
Key contenders
Wavell Avenue (Last 3 Beyers:74-91-89)
◗ She was freshened and shortens up following a fourth-place finish going long at this condition Feb. 5.
◗ She won her only previous start over the main track and at this distance.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Wavell Avenue. Trainer Chad Brown is 22-12-2-2 with a $4.57 ROI over the past two years going route to sprint on dirt. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Previous (Last 3 Beyers: 85-63-88)
◗ She ships from south Florida, where she won a first-level allowance race by 2 1/4 lengths after stalking the early pace.
◗ Like Wavell Avenue, she cuts back in distance.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Previous. Trainer Bill Mott is 53-6-5-8 with a $0.92 ROI over the past two years going route to sprint on dirt. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Risque Reality (Last 3 Beyers: 76-56-82)
◗ She makes her second start off a layoff and comes out of a third-place finish behind two next-out winners, Joann’s Wildcat and Quiet Hour.
◗ She is 2 for 2 over Aqueduct’s main track, including a first-level allowance win here last April, when she upset the heavily favored Ari the Adventurer.
◗ She is reunited with Cornelio Velasquez, who was aboard for her two previous wins here.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Risque Reality. Trainer Peter Pugh is 11-3-1-0 with a $8.24 ROI over the past five years in dirt sprints at Aqueduct. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Race 3
Key contenders
Damage Control (Last 3 Beyers: 86-74-48)
◗ In his two starts this year, he finished second to Wood Memorial runner-up Tencendur in a maiden race going long in the mud over the inner track in January and won a maiden race going a two-turn mile over the main track last month.
Global Positioning (Last 3 Beyers: 71-59-61)
◗ He has a win and two seconds in New York-bred company and met monsters Khozan and Itsaknockout when facing open company twice at Gulfstream this winter.
◗ He could not catch the front-running Breakin the Fever when running second at this same condition going six furlongs March 14. Stretches out to a mile here.