Cancel on fire; wins his first riding title

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Eric Cancel won Aqueduct’s winter meet riding title in dramatic fashion, and he hopes he can carry the momentum of a monstrous stretch into the spring.

Cancel, who trailed Kendrick Carmouche by four wins heading into Sunday’s eight-race card, won six races, beating Carmouche 78-76, to secure his first title.

“It’s very meaningful,” Cancel, 24, said. “I wake up and I just want to keep doing better and better.”

Thursday, Aqueduct’s 11-day spring meet begins, and it marks the return to New York of brothers Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ortiz. The two have combined to win the last four Eclipse Awards as North America’s outstanding jockey.

Cancel seems undeterred. “I’m on the top of my game right now. I know the guys are coming back from Florida and it’ll be a little bit tough because a lot of the mounts will go back to them, but I will just keep on grinding,” said Cancel, who is represented by agent P.J. Campo. “Nothing’s going to stop me, and I’ll just keep on doing my best.”

Over the last six cards of the winter meet, Cancel won 19 races from 45 mounts to close a 13-win deficit and beat Carmouche for the title. Cancel’s first-career six-win day tied a New York Racing Association record for most wins on a single card at Aqueduct, Belmont, or Saratoga. Factoring in winning the last two races on Saturday’s card, Cancel won eight of the last 10 races run at the meet. He finished second in Sunday’s second race and third in the eighth race.

Cancel capped his run by winning the $100,000 Haynesfield Stakes aboard My Boy Tate, who rallied from off the pace to beat odds-on favorite Bankit by a neck.

Among the other meet leaders were Rudy Rodriguez, who took the trainer’s title with 36 wins, 10 more than Linda Rice, and Mike Dubb and Mike Repole, who tied for leading owner with 10 wins each.

Nicky the Vest out of Wood

Coming off two impressive wins versus New York-breds, Nicky the Vest was going to be an intriguing player in Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

But trainer Jonathan Thomas was not happy with the colt’s last workout over the weekend and confirmed Monday that Nicky the Vest will skip the Wood.

Nicky the Vest worked a half-mile in 48.42 seconds over Belmont’s training track, but his gallop-out of 1:02.56 was “subpar” according to Thomas, who added that Nicky the Vest “left some feed” Saturday night.

“I don’t feel like we’re 100 percent right now,” Thomas said. “We’re going to let the dust settle. We have too much respect for the Wood and the horse to go over there off a work which for a normal horse was good but not good for him.”

Nicky the Vest, a son of Runhappy, had won a New York-bred maiden by 3 1/4 lengths on Dec. 18 and the Gander Stakes by 11 3/4 lengths on Feb. 14.

The defection of Nicky the Vest leaves a likely field of nine or 10 for the Wood that includes Brooklyn Strong, Candy Man Rocket, Capo Kane, Crowded Trade, Dynamic One, Market Maven, Prevalence, Risk Taking, and Weyburn. Bourbonic is possible.

Honor Way has rail in Distaff

Honor Way ended her 6-year-old season in careerbest form with stakes wins in the Pumpkin Pie and Garland of Roses.

After suffering a bruised foot while training toward the Interborough in January, trainer Charlton Baker opted to give her the winter off.

Friday, Honor Way will make her 7-year-old debut in the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap. Honor Way drew the rail in a field of five that includes Paris Lights, who is making her first start since winning the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks last July at Saratoga.

Honor Way has had a steady work tab in March with five breezes, including a sixfurlong move in 1:15.82 on March 22 followed by a fivefurlong move in 1:02.12 last Saturday.

“I think I’ve got what I wanted to run her. She’s come back along pretty good,” Baker said.

Jose Ortiz rides Honor Way from the rail.

Lady Kate, second to Monomoy Girl in last year’s Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs, was supplemented to the Distaff by trainer Eddie Kenneally and Anderson Stables. She will be making her first start since running last in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 7.

Portal Creek, second to Lake Avenue in the Heavenly Prize, and Kansas Kis, third in the Correction, complete the field.