RACE 4: PRAIRIE FIRE (#3)
Winston C loves Saratoga. For a jumper that is a brilliant attribute.
Winston C was unbeaten in two starts at Saratoga during the summer, sweeping the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial Hurdle in July and the Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Cup in August, putting the gelding among the finalists for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding steeplechaser of 2019.
In 2019, Winston C essentially had two campaigns – a winter and early spring season in Britain and a late spring and summer season in the United States.
Aqueduct | Race 2 | Post Time 12:58 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up
Happy New Year! So, we liked Devil Made Me Doit last week as one of our two Pix and hoped he’d get a good trip. Turns out he could have run through a brick wall with the way he ran off from his field after being bet down to 3-to-2.
Early steps are being taken toward the Triple Crown in Florida and California on this first Saturday of 2020, with the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park and the two-turn mile Sham at Santa Anita. Both races drew short fields, but given a general dearth of stakes opportunities and the presence of some talented horses in each race, they made it into this edition of Weekend GamePlan. Only eight entered for turf in the Kitten’s Joy, also at Gulfstream, and we’ll take a swing there, too.
Aqueduct | Race 4 | Post Time 2:25 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up
Aqueduct | Race 5 | Post Time 2:28 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up
Honor Up (#1) looked like he might be turning into one of the best New York-breds in the country last winter after gamely winning a couple of stakes and finishing third in the Grade 1 Carter. However, he failed to show up with a top effort in the Commentator in May and now hasn’t been seen in seven months. If he returns in top form, he’s going to be difficult for this field to handle, but you have to be a little concerned about taking him at a short price.