NYRA press release
Wilson Family Stables’ Day One Starter looms in Saturday’s listed $150,000 Nashua, a youth one-turn mile, in Belmont at the Big A.
The Nashua is scheduled as Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in Race 9. The first post is at 12:05 PM Eastern.
The Big A will be open to the public on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. for racing fans to watch and bet on Del Mar’s simulcast of the Breeders’ Cup. Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup program is headlined by the Grade 1, $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Day One Starter graduated gate-to-wire here on September 13 as the second question in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight sprint. There, the $160,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase left post 3 of 6 under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, marking the opening quarter-mile in 22.34 seconds on the fast main track.
The favorite Schoolyard superman tried to slide over the rail in the turn but couldn’t get through and then fell after falling close behind Day One Starter, who maintained his lead through half a mile in 45.55. Day One Starter built on his lead on the track, driving to the wire for a score 4 1/2 lengths over Credit History in a final time of 1:16.72. Schoolyard superman returned and finished second here during a Sunday virgin.
“I think we were still the best horse that day,” McGaughey said. “This will only be his third start. He got a little bit out of his first start and I thought he ran well again the other day.”
The winning effort earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 83, a significant improvement over the 56 he earned for his off-the-board debut in a similar maiden sprint on July 19 at Saratoga Race Course.
McGaughey said the Upstart Bay has been training forward from his first score, including a half-mile breeze in 48 seconds flat on Oct. 18 and a follow-up work in 48.62 Saturday – both over Belmont Park’s dirt training track.
“I’m really happy with the way he’s doing,” McGaughey said. “Our plan would be pretty much the same: he showed speed recently and I hope he will do that again.”
Day One Starter, a half-brother to the ranked duo of Beautiful Princess and Summer to Remember, is out of the Distorted Humor mare Psychadelacized – a half-sister to the double-rated stakes winner Classic Elegance.
Ricardo Santana, Jr. is called from outer post 5.
Paul Fowler, Jr. probably dreaming [post 2, Carlos Lopez] brings a perfect 3-for-3 record into his New York debut for coach Gary Capuano.
The Kentucky-bred Improbable Chestnut graduated from the first ask in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden sprint June 14 at Laurel Park, overcoming a limping start to score by 3 1/2 lengths.
“He showed some talent and finished early. He was good and fit. He didn’t break well, but he circled the field and came up and pulled away pretty well,” Capuano said.
He scratched out of the six-furlong Dover at Delaware Park on August 14, but has won two starts there since, including the limited six-furlong First State Dash on September 14 and the Rocky Run contested on a two-turn mile on October 11.
“We entered him in a few races before his second start, but they failed, and I put him in the stakes [Dover] in Delaware where I scratched him out because he had a little bruise on his foot,” Capuano said. “We skipped that race and it turned out to be just as well because when he came back he was really ready and won his next two starts.”
Likely a prominent winner of the First State Dash, Dreaming marked the half-mile in 46.51 en route to a 2 1/4-length score in a final time of 1:11.30 to earn a career-best 71 Beyer.
He followed with a more patient trip in the Rocky Run under regular pilot Carlos Lopez, settling into sixth place on the outside of a tightly packed group in the first turn and on the backstretch. Lopez gave the signal in the final turn and Probably Dreaming surged ahead to open a three-length lead at the stretch call en route to a 4 1/2-length victory in a final time of 1:40.22 at odds of 1-9.
“We prepared him for that race and got him good and fit. On paper it didn’t look like too tough a field, but he won in the way he needed to,” Capuano said.
Capuano indicated that Probably Dreaming has been versatile so far.
“We’ll see when we test some deeper water,” Capuano said. “In his second start he broke faster than I expected, but he usually doesn’t get out of there very quickly. It usually takes him a few steps to get his feet under him and get into a decent position.”
Capuano selected the talented chestnut for $37,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
“He was a big, strong, handsome horse who looked to me like he would walk a piece of land. So far he’s been great,” Capuano said.
Presumably, Dreaming, out of the winning New York-bred Broken Vow mare Dreaming as Always, worked solo five-eighths back in 1:01.40 on Oct. 25 at Delaware Park.
“Really nice work. The track is pretty deep in Delaware right now, so the times aren’t really fast,” Capuano said.
Robert V. LaPenta and My World from Madaket Stables [post 3, Jaime Rodriguez] will look to build on a second-out diploma here on Oct. 4 for double Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.
The Essential Quality colt finished fourth on his debut at Spa in August in a race won by Big Dom, who went on to run sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity. The runner-up on My World’s debut journey, Dr. Kapur, returned to impressively phone a Keeneland girl and earn an 87 Beyer.
Finally, My World left the outer post 7 under Manny Franco and followed the seminal Dark Assault from the second position. My World moved beyond the leader at the top of the track and needed every bit of the stretch to take a neck victory in a finishing time of 1:10.27 over six furlongs.
My World, from the Class 3-placed Into Mischief Bay Quebec, was a $350,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase.
A talented field also includes Empire of Glory [post 4, Kendrick Carmouche]who placed third in the Rocky Run for trainer James Lawrence, II; and recent optional claiming winner Tough Guy Tony [post 1, Eliseo Ruiz] for trainer Butch Reid, Jr.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meeting on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
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