Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Danger’s Hour a tough spot for Price Talk’s return to races
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jorge Abreu planned to scratch Price Talk out of a second-level allowance he’s entered in Friday to run in Saturday’s $100,000 Danger’s Hour Stakes at Aqueduct.
The Danger’s Hour, carded at a mile, is the first turf stakes to be run this year on the New York Racing Association circuit. Price Talk is owned by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stable, which also owns Good Governance, who is entered in Friday’s allowance for trainer Chad Brown.
Price Talk was disqualified from a debut victory on opening day at last summer’s Saratoga meet. He came back to win a maiden race on closing weekend of the meet. After winning a first-level allowance at Belmont, Price Talk finished third, beaten a length, as the favorite in the Gio Ponti Stakes last Nov. 27.
“We gave him the month of December off,” Abreu said. “We started him back slowly in Florida, he grew and put on some weight, and he’s training pretty well.
For a listed $100,000 stakes, the Danger’s Hour came up a bit salty. The race will mark the 4-year-old debut of Decorated Invader, a four-time stakes winner who in his last start finished fifth in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar last Nov. 27.
Also in the field are Analyze It, a multiple graded stakes winner; Hieronymus, a multiple listed stakes winner; and Rinaldi, a multiple New York-bred stakes winner.
Also entered for turf were Delaware, Penalty, and Tiberius Mercurius. Zoomer was entered to run only if the race is transferred to dirt.
The other stakes race on Saturday’s ninerace card is the $100,000 Top Flight Invitational for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles.
Horologist, last year’s Grade 2 Beldame winner, makes her first start since finishing ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Mrs. Danvers, last year’s Grade 3 Comely winner, tries to rebound from a fifth-place finish as the favorite in the Grade 3 Royal Delta at Gulfstream. Queen Nekia, who won the Royal Delta at 29-1, seeks to add to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s success in New York. Last weekend, he won three races, including the Grade 1 Carter and Grade 3 Bay Shore.
Completing the field are Thankful, the Ladies Stakes winner; Lucky Stride, the Nellie Morse Stakes winner at Laurel; and Flashndynamite.
Sunny Ridge takes new job
When Mr. Buff went to work Tuesday morning at Belmont Park, he was accompanied by trainer John Kimmel’s new stable pony Sunny Ridge.
Sunny Ridge, a New Jersey-bred gelding by Holy Bull, won seven stakes, including a pair Grade 3s, when running for trainer Jason Servis. After Servis was indicted 13 months ago for allegedly giving horses misbranded medications, Sunny Ridge was ultimately transferred to Kimmel by owner-breeder Dennis Drazin.
Sunny Ridge showed no interest in any of his three runs for Kimmel, getting beat a combined 65 lengths in his first two starts and eased in his most recent race on March 26. Kimmel said afterward that Drazin agreed to stop on the gelding.
“He doesn’t want to try,” Kimmel said. “He’d go out and breeze fine, but when it comes to racing and he has to lay it down, he says, ‘No, I’m not going to do that.’ ”
Sunny Ridge finished with a record of 8-6-7 from 32 starts. In addition to his seven stakes wins, he finished third in both the Grade 1 Haskell in 2016 and the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in 2018.
Meanwhile, Mr. Buff, who was scratched from last Saturday’s Grade 3 Excelsior due to colic pain, worked a half-mile in 48.54 seconds, the fastest of 18 works at the distance over Belmont’s main track. He went in company with Quickflash.
“He worked great, came back great,” Kimmel said. “I want to keep him on somewhat of a schedule now that I have the Westchester in the back of my mind.”
The Grade 3 Westchester is scheduled for May 1.
Pletcher’s 3-year-olds head out
Bourbonic and Dynamic One, the one-two finishers in last Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial, will ship to Churchill Downs on Sunday to prepare for the May 1 Kentucky Derby, Todd Pletcher, who trains both 3-year-olds, said Wednesday.
Pletcher said he will have all four of his potential Derby starters at Churchill by the end of the weekend. Known Agenda, the Florida Derby winner, is expected to work at Palm Beach Downs in Florida on Friday and then ship to Kentucky.
Sainthood, runner-up in the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park, could work at Keeneland over the weekend before vanning to Louisville on Sunday along with Pletcher’s Kentucky Oaks contender Malathaat.