Inherit The Gold Headlines NY Stallion Series

Graded stakes winner Inherit the Gold will headline Sunday's New York Stallion Series (NYSS) when he takes on nine foes in the seven-furlong, $75,000 Thunder Rumble Division. One of four NYSS races to be contested at Aqueduct Racetrack on Sunday, the Thunder Rumble will be run as race 7 with an approximate post time of 3:17 p.m.

The Thunder Rumble will be Inherit the Gold's second start off a five-month layoff and trainer Jim Hooper believes the 5-year-old son of Gold Token is poised to improve upon a seventh-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile McMahon Adena Empire Classic at Belmont Park on October 22.

"I think it's obvious he wasn't quite ready for that race last time," said Jim Hooper, who trains the gelding for Glas-Tipp Stable and his wife, Susanne. "I knew he was good and sound and we were sort of hoping for a miracle. He's done it before, so we threw our hat in the ring."

With a race under his belt, Inherit the Gold will now turn back in distance and return to Aqueduct, where he has scored six of his seven career wins, most over the inner track. The gelding put together a five-race win streak at the Big A beginning in December 2010 that included two inner track stakes in January and March and the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Excelsior on the main oval in April. On Monday, Inherit the Gold worked four furlongs in 50.10 over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course in preparation for the Thunder Rumble, which will be his first start at less than a mile since finishing third in a six-furlong state-bred allowance race at Belmont in May 2010.

"He's doing great," said Hooper. "He worked well the other day - we were trying to put a little speed into him because seven-eighths is a little short for him and we're hoping there's some pace that he can run at."

Inherit the Gold, tabbed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite, drew position 6 for Sunday's race and will carry 124 pounds including jockey John Velazquez.

Co-highweight in the Thunder Rumble is Pretty Boy Freud, most recently ninth in the Posse Hudson Stakes on New York Showcase Day. Prior to the Hudson, Pretty Boy Freud was an easy 6 ½-length winner of the Corma Ray overnight stakes at Belmont, for which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 99.

Jose Lezcano will ride Pretty Boy Freud, who leaves from post 3 and will be coupled in the wagering with Uncle T Seven as the 3-1 morning-line second choice.

In Race 8, 12 juveniles will square off in the six-furlong, $100,000 Great White Way Division, in which trainer Gary Contessa will send out two impressive last-out maiden winners in Think I'm Hooked and the filly House of Leaves.

"It's unusual, but not ridiculous," Contessa said of the decision to enter House of Leaves against colts rather than put her in the NYSS Fifth Avenue earlier on the card. "I believe that Think I'm Hooked is the best of the colts, from a numbers standpoint, and House of Leaves is very close to him, so we'll just try them both in there."

Think I'm Hooked was a seven-length winner in a state-bred maiden race on October 23 at Belmont and earned a 67 Beyer for his fourth start. Fourth in his debut at Saratoga in August, the son of Hook and Ladder next went to the Aspirant Stakes at Finger Lakes and was fifth over a sloppy track, then was third in a seven-furlong maiden race at Belmont on September 28.

"He really didn't run a bad race at Finger Lakes," Contessa said. "He broke sharp and then just fell back, he was really struggling with the track at first, but then by the end he was really running."

House of Leaves broke her maiden by three lengths upon debut in an off-the-turf maiden race at Belmont on October 2 and earned a Beyer of 61.

"She's got this big flat foot and she's out of a Freud mare, Freud is turf, and her sire, Read the Footnotes was not a bum on the turf either," Contessa said. "I don't know what she would have done on the turf, but it worked out well. One thing I do have a strong feeling about is that she's not a distance horse, so once we won first time out on the dirt, we decided we're pointing for this."

Think I'm Hooked will leave from post 5 under Corey Nakatani as the 3-1 morning line favorite, while House of Leaves, who drew post 10, was made the 5-1 third choice and gets the services of Rajiv Maragh.

Six juvenile fillies will compete in the six-furlong, $100,000 NYSS Fifth Avenue Division (race 2, 12:52 p.m.), which is topped by stakes winner The Funky Express, making her first start for new connections.

The Funky Express, a daughter of Freud, was campaigned by Funky Munky Stable and trainer Gary Gullo for the first three starts of her career including a 6 ½-length maiden victory on August 19 at Saratoga and a score in the Small Wonder Stakes on October 15 at Delaware Park. On Sunday, she will make her first start for Brooklyn Boyz Stable and trainer Dominick Schettino. Ryan Curatolo will ride the 4-5 morning-line favorite from post position 6.

Lady On the Run, two-length winner of a state-bred optional claimer at Belmont on October 13 heads the field for the seven-furlong, $75,000 NYSS Staten Island Division (race 3, 1:21 p.m.). A 3-year-old daughter of Ten Most Wanted, Lady On the Run has competed successfully on both turf and dirt, winning the NYSS Park Avenue on the main track at Belmont in May and following that victory with a runner-up finish in the NYSS Cupecoy's Joy division over the Belmont turf a month later. Never worse than fourth in 11 career starts, Lady On the Run will have the services of Mike Luzzi on Sunday as she leaves from post 1, the 6-5 morning line favorite.

The field for the NYSS Fifth Avenue Division:

The field for the NYSS Staten Island Division:

The field for the NYSS Thunder Rumble Division:

The field for the NYSS Great White Way Division: