Big A: B D Saints, Soloshot lead big fields in 2-year-old stakes

Cypress Creek Equine’s New York homebred B D Saints will look to improve off a runner-up effort in stakes company last out when headlining an overflow field in Saturday’s $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong test for eligible, state-sired juveniles, at Aqueduct.

The NYSSS Great White Way is slated as race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which co-features the $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue for eligible state-sired juvenile fillies in race 8. The first post is at 11:50 a.m. EST.

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Trained by Linda Rice, the bay son of Laoban was last seen finishing a game second to his highly-regarded stablemate El Grande O in the one-mile Sleepy Hollow against fellow state-breds Oct. 29 over a muddy and sealed Big A main track. There B D Saints was jostled at the start and trailed in last 10 lengths off the lead before showing a strong turn of foot under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche to pass all but one foe down the lane and come up 1 1/4 lengths shy of victory. He was awarded a field-best 77 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.

“He loved the mud that day,” Rice said. “This race is a little short for him, but hopefully it’s the right company.”

B D Saints made his first two outings on turf for trainer Will Walden this summer before transferring to the Rice barn in August. He graduated at fourth asking in his second start for Rice, taking a state-bred maiden by 4 3/4 lengths going 1 1/16 miles on the turf in September at the Big A. He followed with an even sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Pilgrim in October before returning to dirt for his Sleepy Hollow effort.

Rice said the New York Stallion Stakes Series’ lucrative purses were incentive to bring B D Saints back to the main track to target this event.

“He won impressively on the turf, and then we tried him in the Pilgrim, and he got outrun, period,” Rice said. “We tried the New York-bred stakes, and he ran a nice second, and now with a nice purse like this, you have to take the opportunity to give it a whirl. It may not work, but we’re going to be in it.”

Out of the unraced Tapizar mare Winsanity, B D Saints is a full-brother to the Cypress Creek Equine-bred and Rice-trained Les Bon Temps, a multiple stakes-winner who captured two legs of the NYSSS in 2022-23.

B D Saints will emerge from post 9 on Saturday.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Brick Ambush in post 12 with Júnior Alvarado impressed with a second-out graduation Nov. 17 at Aqueduct, taking a one-mile state-bred maiden special weight by two lengths with a tidy stalking trip executed by Alvarado.

Trained by Danny Gargan, the bay son of Laoban bred in the Empire State by Seidman Stables, improved from a fourth-place finish on debut in October at Belmont at the Big A where he made a mild bid from 13 lengths off the pace to land 5 1/2 lengths back of the victorious Solo’s Fury, who he will face again on Saturday.

“We gave him his first race just to get a race into him, and we were hoping he’d win second time out,” Gargan said. “We’ve been aiming towards the Stallion Stake all along. He stepped up and won, and we were really impressed with that. This horse is going to get better with racing, and I think he could be grass, too.”

Gargan and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing have seen immense success in the New York Stallion Stakes Series over the past two years, taking the Spectacular Bid division in July with Ramblin’ Wreck and last year’s Spectacular Bid and Cab Calloway with Dakota Gold. Ramblin’ Wreck also finished second in last year’s running of the Great White Way.

“There’s a lot of money in it, and we keep capitalizing on it,” Gargan said. “We’ve never won the $500,000 one and finished second in it last year. We’d love to win it. Even if you run second, you get great money. It’s huge.”

Out of the winning Tale of Ekati mare Steve’s Philly, Brick Ambush is a full brother to Yo Cuz, who won three consecutive stakes in 2021-22 that included a score in the 2021 NYSSS Fifth Avenue.

Greyhound Stables and Christopher Dunn’s Solo’s Fury in post 11 with José Lezcano is one of four entrants representing top New York sire Solomini.

?Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the chestnut colt was last seen finishing a distant ninth in the Sleepy Hollow after battling for the early lead and fading under Hall of Famer John Velázquez.

“He’s been doing good. We didn’t have much excuse after the last race and weren’t sure if he just didn’t like the track, but he seems like he came out of the race in good order,” Englehart said. “The plan all along was to give him a shot in the Stallion Stakes, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Solo’s Fury, bred in the Empire State by Saratoga Glen Farm, flashed his talents at second asking with a professional, two-length score sprinting six furlongs at Aqueduct on Oct. 5, inching clear down the lane to defeat next-out winner Slammin Gold at a final time of 1:11.64.

Englehart said while a cutback to seven furlongs benefits Solo’s Fury on Saturday, a stretch-out could still be in the colt’s future.

“He’s two still, so I’m not sure that he doesn’t want to do the distance, but cutting back is always a decent thing,” Englehart said. “That Stallion Series has been beneficial for New York and for stallion owners, and it’s really helped the program a lot.”

Windylea Farm’s New York homebred Profitability in post 5 with Eric Cancel seeks a maiden-breaking triumph in his first start for conditioner George Weaver. The gelded son of Mission Impazible makes his first start away from Finger Lakes, where he finished on the board in his two outings for conditioner Jonathan Buckley, including a last-out second in a six-furlong maiden Nov. 20 with an off-the-pace trip.

Profitability has shown promise in the morning since joining Weaver and has worked in company with the stakes-winning filly Soloshot, who will contest Saturday’s NYSSS Fifth Avenue.

Blair Golen, Weaver’s Belmont Park-based assistant, said the two worked well together on Saturday when covering a half-mile in 50.69 seconds over the training track.

“I’ve had him here for a few weeks, and he’s pretty cool. I like him,” Golen said. “He ran a little green in his last race, but he shows like he has some talent.”

Conditioner Rudy Rodríguez will saddle three contenders led by Antonio of Venice in post 1 with Manny Franco. Rodríguez co-owns the horse with Michael Imperio, Robert Cotrone and Hibiscus Stables. The son of Laoban finished a close fourth in the 5 1/2-furlong Aspirant after setting the pace last out at Finger Lakes and is in search of his first win since graduating at third asking by 4 1/4 lengths against restricted company in July at Saratoga Race Course. The bay colt was bred in the Empire State by Cypress Creek Equine.

Also representing the Rodríguez stable are maiden winner King Freud, a horse he co-owns with Frank Witz and who will be in post 4 with Trevor McCarthy, and Heavyweight Champs in post 3 with Ruben Silvera with the horse making his debut for owners Big Dom Racing Stable and Big Toe Stables.

Completing the field are maiden winner Solo in Paris in post 10 with Lane Luzzi for trainer Randi Persaud; maidens The Big Torpedo in post 7 with Javier Castellano for trainer Tom Morley, Liberty Central in post 6 with José Gómez for trainer Patrick Quick and James Ferraro-trained Solo Empire in post 2 with Luis Rivera Jr.; and first-time starter Wo Hop in post 8 with Joey Martínez for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Palace Boss and Kaz’ Mega Bank have been listed as also eligible.

Soloshot leads NYSS Fifth Avenue

Bregman Family Racing, Jackpot Farm and Swinbank Stables’ Soloshot headlines a robust field of 12 in the $500,000 Fifth Avenue division of the NYSSS.

Trained by George Weaver, Soloshot, one of five Solomini progeny entered at Aqueduct, won her first two career outings in gate-to-wire fashion traveling 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track against fellow New York-breds. The speedy chestnut graduated by 7 3/4 lengths on debut in August at Saratoga ahead of a two-length score in the Lady Finger on Sept. 25 at Finger Lakes.

Soloshot bobbled at the break last out in the six-furlong, state-bred Key Cents and rushed into contention before fading to finish a distant fifth.

Blair Golen, Weaver’s New York-based assistant, said she is hopeful returning rider Manny Franco can work out a smoother trip when they exit post 11.

“She’s doing well. Hopefully, she breaks a little better to be able to get the lead. I think that helps her,” Golen said. “She’s filled out a little bit since I’ve got her, and I think she’s going to be a very useful horse. She’s training well and doing well. Her two wins were at 5 1/2 furlongs, but I think she’ll be fine at seven.”

The $290,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds-in-training-sale purchase bred in the Empire State by Rhapsody Farm, is out of the multiple stakes-placed Twirling Candy mare Sweet Queen, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes winner Queen Ofthe Catsle.

Bad Boy Racing’s New York homebred My Perfect Mistake, in post 6 with Kendrick Carmouche, graduated by 1 3/4 lengths Nov. 10 at Aqueduct as the mutuel favorite for trainer Rob Atras.

With Carmouche up from post 5 of six in the six-furlong state-bred sprint, the Freud dark bay broke inward, causing returning rival Tour Jete to steady. My Perfect Mistake raced wide up the backstretch before making a three-wide move through the turn to take command once straightened away. The dark bay stayed on strong to the wire to hold off the late charge of Tour Jete.

Atras said he used the maiden effort as a prep for Saturday’s lucrative test.

“With her being New York-sired, we’ve had this race in mind, but we wanted to get a race into her,” Atras said. “I knew she might be a little green and a little short, but she did show a little bit of ability, and I wanted to get her started. She ran a little green, but Kendrick gave her a great ride, and she won. I’m hoping she’ll move forward off that race.”

My Perfect Mistake worked a half-mile Friday in 50.95 seconds over the Belmont training track in company with Perliano, who is entered in a Friday state-bred allowance at Aqueduct.

?Out of the Super Saver mare To the Nines, My Perfect Mistake is a half-sister to the stakes-placed G Munning.

Shea D Boy’s Stable’s stakes-placed My Shea D Lady in post 2 with Javier Castellano will make her fourth straight appearance in stakes company for trainer Carlos David.

The Solomini dark bay graduated at first asking by 3 1/4-lengths out of a key five-furlong maiden special weight in July at Gulfstream Park that runner-up Fiona’s Magic and third-place Cherokee exited to graduate.

My Shea D Lady, bred in New York by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, then shipped north to contest a trio of state-bred sprints, finishing a distant third in the six-furlong Seeking the Ante in August and fourth at Aqueduct in both the seven-furlong Joseph A. Gimma in September and six-furlong Key Cents last out Nov. 18.

The $100,000 OBS spring sale of 2-year-olds-in-training purchase is out of the Teuflesberg mare Ladyberg, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Hoosick Falls and stakes-placed Manor Prospect.

Artemis Girl in post 10 with José Gómez, a Solomini chestnut bred in New York by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and Empire Equines, will make her dirt debut following a fourth-place finish in the one-mile Tepin on Nov. 17 at Aqueduct.

Trained and co-owned by David Donk with John Behrendt, Charles Marquis, Suzanne Haslup, Sean Carney, William Punk Jr. and Philip DiLeo, Artemis Girl stalked and pounced to a three-quarter-length score in her Nov. 2 debut traveling 1 1/16 miles against fellow state-breds over good Big A turf at 50-1 odds.

The $30,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga preferred New York-bred-yearling-sale purchase followed last out with an even fourth-place finish in the Tepin while racing on two weeks’ rest.

Artemis Girl, a half-sister to turf stakes-winner General Ken, is out of the Malibu Moon mare Dancing Onthemoon, who is a half-sister to Mail, a frontrunning winner of the 2013 Traskwood at Aqueduct traveling 1 1/16 miles over the old  inner-dirt course.

Wizard Stables’ maiden winner Walk With Me in post 8 with Dylan Davis made a winning debut in a six-furlong, state-bred sprint Nov. 9 for trainer David Duggan.

The Central Banker bay, bred in the Empire State by Richard Nicolai, made every call a winning one to post a narrow, head score over Call Her Bluff, who subsequently finished fourth when stretched out one furlong at the same classification. Walk With Me, a $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic eastern-fall-yearling-sale purchase, earned a 52 Beyer in her debut score.

She is out of the multiple stakes-placed Posse mare Might Be, who is a full-sister to multiple stakes winner Sheriffa and a half-sister to stakes winner Tiergan.

Adam Madkour’s maiden-claiming winner Sun and Wind in post 12 with Ruben Silvera will step up in class for three-time Fifth Avenue-winning conditioner Rudy Rodríguez.

The Freud dark bay dropped in for a $30,000 tag at the state-bred level last out Oct. 20 and made every call a winning one in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint contested over a sloppy, sealed main track.

Sun and Wind, bred by Sequel New York and Stonegate Stables, sports a ledger of 5: 1-0-2.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who won this event in 2021 with the maiden Yo Cuz, will look to repeat that feat when he sends out a pair of maidens in Book of Wisdom, in post 7 with Júnior Alvarado and who boasts a perfect, in-the-money record of 4: 0-3-1, and Miss Lao, in post 1 with Eric Cancel and who finished a distant fourth on debut.

Other maidens looking to graduate in style are Horacio De Paz-trained Tour Jete in post 5 with José Lezcano, and James Ferraro-conditioned Holder Close in post 4 with Eliseo Ruiz as well as debutantes Elite Status in post 9 with Trevor McCarthy for trainer John Terranova and E Stormy in post 3 with Romero Maragh for three-time Fifth Avenue-winning trainer Linda Rice.