Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Laobanonaprayer won’t be a short horse for the Busher
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Having missed a key workout, trainer Danny Velazquez said he brought a short horse to Aqueduct for the Franklin Square Stakes in January and it showed, as Laobanonaprayer finished second as the 3-5 favorite in the 6 1/2-furlong stakes for New York-breds.
In addition to the loss, Velazquez got some friendly, albeit stern, advice from his friend, jockey Kendrick Carmouche.
“He said, ‘Danny, don’t ever come up to New York short again,’ ” said Velazquez, who is based at Parx. “I said, ‘It won’t happen again.’ ”
Velazquez is bringing Laobanonaprayer back to New York for Saturday’s $250,000 Busher Invitational for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct. Following one three-furlong work and two five-eighths moves at Parx, Velazquez said, “We’re ready.”
With fitness not an issue, the question is whether Laobanonaprayer is good enough to defeat open company. The filly won the Maid of the Mist Stakes and the Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series against restricted company last fall.
“We’re going to see if she improves on Saturday,” Velazquez said. “That’s a question I don’t have the answer to.”
Velazquez said he likes the one-mile configuration of the Busher for Laobanonaprayer because “she’s big.”
“She can sit back and make one run,” he said.
Fellow New York-bred Make Mischief is coming off two solid wins in restricted company, including an up-the-rail score in the Maddie May Stakes on Feb. 20. Last year, Make Mischief finished second in graded stakes to Day out of the office and Thoughtfully.
Make Mischief will break from the outside post in this six-horse field under Dylan Davis.
In back-to-back races on Feb. 8, Miss Brazil won the seven-furlong Ruthless Stakes, beating two horses, while Mo Desserts won a one-mile maiden race by 15 1/2 lengths, beating four opponents.
While Mo Desserts proved her prowess at a mile, Miss Brazil will be attempting that distance for the first time. She will likely try to wire the field from the rail under Eric Cancel.
“She’s fast away from there,” said Tony Dutrow, who trains Miss Brazil. “If things go well, she’s going to be in front and we’ll see who challenges her and if she can get the extra eighth.”
Trainer Chad Brown has the uncoupled duo of The Grass Is Blue and Search Results in the Busher. The Grass Is Blue will be turning back to a one-turn mile following a one-length victory in the Busanda Stakes at 1 1/8 miles. Brown had equipped The Grass Is Blue with blinkers for that race. Brown did not want to wait until the April 3 Comely to run her back.
Search Results won a six-furlong maiden race by four lengths on Jan. 3 at Gulfstream. Horses out of that race are 1 for 8 since then, with the win coming in a $25,000 claimer.
The Busher, which awards qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks to its top four finishers (50-20-10-5), goes as race 6 and is the first of four consecutive stakes on the 10-race program.
Heavenly Prize
After an unproductive 3-year-old season, Lake Avenue began her 4-year-old campaign with an encouraging performance, winning a second-level allowance at Gulfstream on Feb. 3.
The royally bred Lake Avenue will look to build on that effort when she heads a field of eight fillies and mares in Saturday’s $125,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational at Aqueduct.
Though Lake Avenue did win the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old, even her Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott believes seven furlongs to a mile is better for his filly, who is by Tapit out of Seventh Street. Her victory at Gulfstream was at seven furlongs. The Heavenly Prize is run at a mile.
“Her last race was good,” Mott said. “She got left and came from off the pace.”
The only horse to have run back out of Lake Avenue’s allowance win was sixthplace finisher Sonar, who won an allowance at Gulfstream in her next start.
Lake Avenue will break from the outside post in this eight-horse field under Manny Franco.
Thankful won the Ladies Handicap going 1 1/8 miles around two turns here on Jan. 17, and she also won a one-turn mile allowance at Belmont last September, beating Mrs. Danvers, who came back to win the Grade 3 Comely.
Thankful breaks from post 2 under Kendrick Carmouche.
Thankful could be part of the pace along with Gone Glimmering, who breaks from the rail.
Landing Zone, second in the Nellie Morse at Laurel, and Needs Supervision, second in the Interborough here two starts back, are also contenders in this field.
Halo City makes her stakes debut after winning three straight. Flashndynamite won an allowance here two starts back. Portal Creek was beaten a neck here in the Grade 3 Go for Wand.