Wild News launches comeback on favorite surface

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – John Parisella plans to take three months off at the beginning of 2011. Before he goes, however, the trainer hopes to start a few more horses, beginning with Wild News in Friday’s featured second-level optional $50,000 claiming race at Aqueduct.

Parisella has always been high on Wild News, a daughter of Forest Wildcat who won 2 of 6 races and was a close third in the Dearly Precious Stakes last February over the inner track. After winning a first-level allowance race over the main track in April, Wild News was found to have a chip in a knee that required arthroscopic surgery.

Parisella said Wild News resumed training in August, and has been ready to run for a month, but he opted to wait to run her until the inner track opened.

“I thought it was safer for her and I think she loves the inner track,” said Parisella, who plans to turn Wild News over to Bruce Levine when he takes his three-month hiatus in Florida.

In two starts over the inner track, Wild News was fourth in the Ruthless Stakes and third, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Dearly Precious. In the Ruthless, Parisella instructed jockey Ramon Dominguez to keep Wild News off the pace, which proved to be a mistake. In the Dearly Precious, Wild News did make the lead and had a two-length advantage at the eighth pole before yielding late to Fuzzy Britches and Judge Sonya.

“I feel she wants to be into the race,” said Parisella, who again has Dominguez to ride.

Wild News might have to work to get the lead Friday with Malibu Legacy and Fleeting Humor in the field.

That could set things up for Proud Zoe or Purrfect Bluff, both of whom are offered for the claiming price of $50,000.

Proud Zoe, trained by Todd Pletcher, won four consecutive races from Aug. 10, 2009 through July 16, 2010, including the NATC Futurity at Monmouth Park last fall. Her streak came to an end when, after chasing the pace from post 12 and making the lead in midstretch, Proud Zoe was beaten two lengths by Judge Sonya in a $40,000 claimer from which four horses have emerged to win. Two starts back, Proud Zoe won a $50,000 claimer by eight lengths.

Purrfect Bluff makes her first start off the claim for trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. She has won her last three starts, including a pair of turf sprints at Belmont. She has won twice over the inner track.