Win With Beck looks like a fresh option

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Many of the familiar, over-the-hill older horses on the grounds have gathered for Wednesday's $58,000 featured classified allowance race run at 1 1/8 miles over Aqueduct's inner track.

For bettors who have had their fill of Colita, Sinister G, and Aggadan, a better alternative may exist in .

Win With Beck, a 5-year-old New York-bred son of Personal Flag, has not raced since Nov. 30, when he finished a troubled fifth behind Carminooch in the Gander Stakes, restricted to statebreds. In that race, he broke awkwardly, was steadied along early, and was forced to steady on the check on the second turn. While Carminooch romped to a seven-length victory, Win With Beck was beaten less than two lengths for second.

Since Win With Beck had raced 19 times since July 2004, trainer Jimmy Jerkens decided to give him a freshening. Win With Beck has been working purposefully for his return and shows a solid seven-eighths move in 1:28 last week over Belmont Park's training track. It was a work done in company.

"His last couple of works have been super," said Steve Moyer, assistant to Jerkens.

Also working in Win With Beck's favor is that he is 3 for 4 over Aqueduct's inner track and is versatile enough to be effective from on or off the pace.

"He does go either way, but to me and Jimmy he's conveyed the same thing: His best races when it's two turns have been when he's right up off the pace when it's a decent pace not a fast pace," Moyer said. "He's done well off the freshening, and we expect him to be okay in that spot."

Perhaps the only negative is that Win With Beck, at 122 pounds, has to concede four to nine pounds to his five rivals.

is winless in his last 11 starts, but he has finished second seven times during that span. That includes a runner-up finish behind Your Bluffing in the Native Dancer Stakes last month at Laurel. He is coupled with Bailero, who will be making his first try at nine furlongs, and who could be the speed of the race.

Colita is dropping back into allowance company after a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Aqueduct Handicap. Before that, he won a similarly conditioned allowance race to this by 1 1/4 lengths earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 104. That was his first race since undergoing throat surgery.

Sinister G, a stakes winner in bad form, and Dr. Rockett, 4 for 59 lifetime, complete the field.