Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Salty field for final turf stakes
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – First of Spring and Fire Key finished a nose apart in the first turf sprint run over Aqueduct’s new outer turf course three weeks ago. Those two fillies will be part of a contentious 12-horse field entered for Sunday’s inaugural running of the $125,000 Autumn Days Stakes, the final turf stakes of 2017 on this circuit.
First of Spring, a 3-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Galileo making her first start for trainer Chad Brown, broke last in the field of eight and came with a strong late run under Junior Alvarado to nip Fire Key at the wire in a secondlevel allowance run over a good outer turf course. First of Spring was getting six pounds from Fire Key that day. The weight spread will be three pounds Sunday.
“There’s a little bit of shift in the weights, so that should help,” said Pat Kelly, trainer of Fire Key.
Perhaps also aiding Fire Key’s cause is the apparent lack of other early speed types in this bulky field. In the allowance race, Fire Key chased fractions of 22.50 seconds and 44.99 before taking the lead in midstretch. She could be the main speed Sunday under Paco Lopez, subbing for Rajiv Maragh who is at Del Mar.
“Her game has been speed or close to the speed pretty much right along,” Kelly said. “We’ve done a pretty good job of calming her down and getting her to relax a little bit and finish. If there’s no pace, she can take it to them. I don’t know whether that’s good or bad on that turf when it gets soft.”
Kelly also will run Eloweasal in the Autumn Days. Eloweasel was scratched from an allowance race here Thursday that was rained off the grass and run on the main track.
Brown also will start Abbreviate, a 3-year-old daughter of Harlan’s Holiday, who is cutting back to six furlongs after recording wins at seven furlongs and a mile in her last two starts at Belmont.
Stormy Victoria, trained by Christophe Clement, won a high-class allowance race running six furlongs in 1:07.04 over firm turf at Belmont in September. If able to transfer that form to less-than-firm ground, she’ll be tough to deny late under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Ultra Brat, who won the Christiecat Stakes at Belmont going six furlongs in September 2016, makes her first start of the year for trainer Graham Motion. The daughter of Uncle Mo hasn’t run since she captured the Tropical Park Oaks at Gulfstream Park last Dec. 31 at odds of 36-1.
Inalienable Rights shortens up
Inalienable Rights heads a group of five also-rans from the Sleepy Hollow Stakes last month at Belmont Park that are entered in Sunday’s $100,000 Notebook Stakes for New York-bred juvenile males at six furlongs.
Inalienable Rights, a son of Mission Impazible, finished third, beaten four lengths in the one-mile Sleepy Hollow. His better races, however, have been at shorter distances. In July, he won a six-furlong maiden race at Belmont Park before finishing a clear second to Aveenu Malcainu in the Funny Cide Stakes going 6 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga.
Trainer Mark Hennig said he wanted to shorten Inalienable Rights up in distance to see whether to focus on sprints or longer-distance races next year.
In the Notebook, “he’s going to get a little more pace to run at,” Hennig said, and that should aid his late run. Inalienable Rights breaks from the rail under Alvarado.
Analyze the Odds is another who should appreciate shortening up in distance. Two starts back, he won the New York Breeders’ Futurity going six furlongs at Finger Lakes before running sixth in the Sleepy Hollow. Trainer Todd Pletcher adds blinkers to Analyze the Odds’s equipment Sunday.
Stoney Bennett, We Should Talk, and Mr. Pete, fourth, fifth, and seventh, respectively, in the Sleepy Hollow are back in this spot. Sea Foam, a maiden winner here Nov. 3; What a Catch; and Morning Breez complete the field.