Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Secretary At War has edge
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Secretary At War will look to make use of his tactical and homecourse advantage when he battles nine other 3-year-olds in Friday’s $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes going 1 1/16 miles over Aqueduct’s turf course.
The Gio Ponti is one of three stakes on Friday’s 10-race card, which begins at 11:50 a.m. Eastern and includes the Grade 3, $250,000 Comely for 3-year-old fillies and the $100,000 Key Cents for New York-bred 2-yearold fillies.
In April, Secretary At War won the $100,000 Woodhaven Stakes in gate-to-wire fashion going 1 1/16 miles here. He defeated the highly regarded Frostmourne that day.
Secretary At War has lost five consecutive races since, all stakes, but was beaten just a neck by Bricks and Mortar in the Manila Stakes at Belmont in May. In September, he finished second behind Master Merion in the Franklin-Simpson Stakes run over a yielding turf course at Kentucky Downs. That turned out to be the third straight of what became four consecutive wins for Master Merion. Aqueduct’s turf figures to be on the good side of firm Friday.
“He ran decent on real soft turf at Kentucky Downs, though they certainly weren’t the best horses in the world,” said Jimmy Jerkens, who trains Secretary At War for Joe Allen.
In his most recent start, Secretary At War set the pace into midstretch in the Grade 3 Hill Prince at Belmont. Secretary At War was bumped and turned slightly sideways. The inquiry sign was posted and though no action was taken.
“I thought he ran really good,” Jerkens said. “At the very end, they got by him.”
Javier Castellano replaces Junior Alvarado on Secretary At War, who breaks from post 4. Over the last two years, Castellano is 10 for 40 on Jerkenstrained runners.
Dalarna shipped up from Maryland for trainer Kelly Rubley to upset the English Channel Stakes at Belmont at 19-1. That was his third consecutive victory, a streak that began in a maiden race at Monmouth Park where the ground was less than firm.
Lunarie has troubled trips in two of his last three starts, including a runner-up finish behind Let’s Get Loud in a roughly run allowance race Sept. 2 at Saratoga. Funtastic finished ninth in that race and came back to beat Lunaire by three-quarters of a length in a Belmont allowance. Funtastic is back in this field.
Hieroglyphics and Small Bear, one-two in the Better Talk Now Stakes, will each try to bounce back from a disappointing effort in the Grade 3 Hill Prince.
Pure Silver returns to sprinting
After two failed attempts at stretching out beyond traditional sprint distances, Pure Silver cuts back to six furlongs in Friday’s $100,000 Key Cents Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies.
Pure Silver, a daughter of Mission Impazible trained by Todd Pletcher, won her first three starts, all at 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 furlongs, including the Grade 3 Adirondack by 9 1/2 lengths. After getting used up in a speed duel when finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Spinaway, Pure Silver was unable to make the lead and finished seventh in the Maid of the Mist Stakes going a mile.
“For whatever reason, she didn’t really seem to fire last time,” Pletcher said. “I don’t know if the mile was necessarily the whole reason, but it’s still good to get her back to a distance at which she’s been successful.”
Trainer Jeremiah Englehart sends out the uncoupled entry of Indy’s Lady and I Still Miss You. Indy’s Lady is 2 for 2 against New York-bred fillies, while I Still Miss You was second to Pure Silver in the Lynbrook Stakes at Belmont in July before being badly beaten in two statebred stakes.
Cause We Are Loyal, I Still Miss You, and Newport Breeze are others to consider in the Key Cents.