Big crowd at Quezon’s sendoff

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The field for Saturday’s $100,000 Correction Stakes at Aqueduct came up a bit larger than trainer Robert Ribaudo expected, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Ribaudo sees “an unbelievable amount of speed” in the field of 10 fillies and mares, and believes that should only help his New York-bred Quezon’s chances in the six-furlong race.

“I didn’t expect this many horses, but it’s not a disappointment,” Ribaudo said Thursday.

Ribaudo said it’s “99.9 percent” certain Quezon will be retired after this race. The 6-year-old daughter of Tiz Wonderful is booked to be bred to 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner. While Quezon will not achieve her connections’ goal of winning a graded stakes, she has achieved a lot. Quezon is a five-time stakes winner, including a victory against open company in the Garland of Roses last December, and three times graded-stakes placed. Overall, she is 7 for 18 with earnings of $754,200.

When Quezon won the Garland of Roses, she had to lay a bit closer than she prefers due to a slow pace. But the Correction field includes frontrunning types Nisha, Sounds Delicious, Spice Lady, Summer Reading, Bluegrass Flag, and Rowd E Allie.

A lively pace would also benefit Startwithsilver, who has been visually impressive rallying from last in her two most recent starts, including a six-length victory in the Broadway Stakes for New York-breds on Feb. 18.

“She’s in good form, obviously,” trainer Linda Rice said. “We’re going from New Yorkbred stakes to open company. She certainly accomplished a lot in the last couple of months. We thought we’d give her a shot.”

Rice also entered Sounds Delicious, who has won 4 of her 5 starts, but who would be running back on just 13 days’ rest.