Aqueduct: Soldier Rising leads overflow field for Red Smith

Trainer Christophe Clement is hopeful that third time will be the charm with multiple Grade 1-placed millionaire Soldier Rising as he makes his third straight start in the Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward going 11 furlongs over the inner turf at Aqueduct.

Owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey and Michael J. Caruso, Soldier Rising finished a respective third in the 2021 Red Smith and ninth in 2022. This year, the 5-year-old Frankel gelding has finished a late-rallying second in four Grade 1 turf events on the circuit, completing the exacta in the Man o’ War in May and the Manhattan in June, as well as the Sword Dancer in August at Saratoga and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont at the Big A.

Although he has yet to win a stakes since joining Clement’s stable in the summer of 2021, Soldier Rising was a two-time optional-claiming allowance winner in the NYRA circuit last year. Two starts after a win going the Red Smith distance over a yielding Widener turf course at Belmont, he came from seven lengths off the pace to win by a head going 1 3/16 miles at Saratoga.

“He’s doing great. He’s finished second in four Grade 1 races in New York this year, so it would be nice to finally win a race at some stage,” said Clement, a two-time Red Smith winning trainer. “I don’t think anyone has been more consistent this year than him in the New York turf division.”

Jose Ortiz, the pilot aboard Solider Rising in 10 of his starts, will have the mount from post 8.

Trainer Mike Maker will unleash a pair of formidable contenders in Cross Border and Red Run.

New York-bred Cross Border enters from a redeeming triumph in the 12-furlong Cape Henlopen on Sept. 16 at Delaware Park. The evergreen English Channel 9-year-old has field-high earnings of $1,333,258 through a record of 52: 13-8-7, including back-to-back victories in the Bowling Green (G2) at Saratoga in 2020 and 2021. His lone victory at the Big A took place at the Red Smith distance in a November 2019 allowance event.

Cross Border had a brief five-race stint over the jumps with the Mid-Atlantic based conditioner Keri Brion, for whom he won going 2 1/16 miles in March at Aiken.

Red Run was a last out fourth in the Sycamore after a 1 1/4-length allowance triumph in September going nine furlongs over the Churchill Downs turf. The 4-year-old Gun Runner colt has finished no worse than fourth since being claimed by Maker in March from Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, and collected stakes placings when second in the Isaac Murphy Marathon in May at Churchill Downs and third in the Brooklyn (G2) in June at Belmont.

Classic Catch, Shawdyshawdyshawdy, and Daunt were entered as also eligible. Costa Terra was entered for main track only.