Claiming horses get shot at stakes cash and glory

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though a little more condensed than in previous years, Aqueduct will celebrate the claiming horses Saturday with six starter-allowance races worth a combined $380,000 in purse money as part of a 10-race card.

From 2016-22 (excluding 2020), the New York Claiming Championships, as this day was previously referred, consisted of 10 starter-allowance races with purses of more than $620,000. This year, the starter races are being run primarily for horses who have participated in claiming races at the $25,000 level or cheaper in 2022-23.

If the forecast proves accurate, handicappers may want to look for horses with solid wet-track form. Here’s a look at the six races in chronological order:

Race 1: A wet track would certainly suit Melting Snow in the $55,000 Videogenic for females who have started for a tag of $12,500 or less in the last 15 months. Melting Snow is 3 for 5 over a wet track, including a 14 3/4-length score in a $16,000 claimer on Jan. 5. She has won her last two starts, both at seven furlongs, the distance of this race.

Melting Snow won for $32,000 on Jan. 27 and was claimed out of that race by Charlton Baker. Kendrick Carmouche rides the speedy mare from the rail in this sixhorse field.

Race 5: The $75,000 Stud Muffin is for older horses going 1 3/8 miles. Good Skate was claimed three back by Mike Maker out of a sevenfurlong race, but last out he was a front-running winner going 1 1/4 miles, a distance experiment.

“We figured we had nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Maker said. “It was a good performance, so we opted for this race.”

Two starts back, going 1 1/8 miles, Good Skate was beaten four lengths by Tonal Impact, who is back in this field.

Locally Owned won a stakes going 1 5/8 miles at Belmont in 2021, but is only 1 for 10 since.

Race 7: In the $50,000 Dads Caps at six furlongs, Easy Day ships in from Parx Racing off a dominant 7 1/2-length win in a similar starter race March 7. He’s run well in his two trips to Aqueduct, including a runner-up finish behind Greeley and Ben in a starter race here Nov. 10. Greeley and Ben came out of that race to win the Grade 3 Fall Highweight.

Scilly Cay finished third in that Nov. 10 race after being taken by Linda Rice out of a $10,000 claimer that he won by 11 1/2 lengths. He ran third in an allowance sprint here March 5.

All will have to catch Lohengrin Two, who won for $10,000 on the front end Jan. 22.

Zertz was claimed by Amira Chichakly for $16,000 on March 3 and was immediately gelded.

Race 8: In the $65,000 Peeping Tom, O’Trouble puts his three-race winning streak on the line for trainer David Jacobson. Overall, O’Trouble is a neck away from a five-race winning streak. O’Trouble won a $40,000 claimer by 5 3/4 lengths on Feb. 9, his last start. A claim for the horse was voided by the track veterinarian.

Other contenders include Glory Road, a recent winner for $32,000 claiming; Ragtime Blues, coming off victory in a very fast race; and Russian to Win.

Race 9: The $75,000 Sis City for females going a mile has a deep 12-horse field, and Tough Street and Know It All

Audrey look like the two top choices.

Tough Street, trained by Chad Brown, has won four of her last five, with three of those wins coming at one mile.

Know It All Audrey is coming out of two New Yorkbred stakes tries, a second in the Biogio’s Rose preceded by a fourth in the Broadway. Since being claimed for $16,000 by Oscar Barrera III last September, Know It All Audrey has three wins and three seconds from seven starts.

Mosienko has faced stronger competition than she meets here, but is suspect at the mile distance.

Race 10: In the $60,000 More to Tell, Black Belt should find this company more to his liking after facing the likes of Endorsed in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper at Gulfstream and Repo Rocks in the Stymie Stakes here in his two most recent outings.

Prior to those stakes tries, Black Belt had reeled off three consecutive wins after being claimed by Peter Walder for $16,000.

Daddy Knows, Winter Pool, and Hammerin Aamer are other contenders in this 11-horse field.