Ready for Rye Headlines Bay Shore Field

Talented sprinter Ready for Rye will go in search of his second straight victory when he headlines the Grade 3, $300,000 Bay Shore for 3-year-olds on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The seven-furlong Bay Shore, part of the Grade 1, $1 million Twinspires.com Wood Memorial undercard, serves as the second leg of a $500,000 Guaranteed All-Graded Stakes Pick Four that also includes the Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle and Grade 1, $400,000 Carter Handicap along with the Wood.

Trained by Tom Albertrani for Chalk Racing, Ready for Rye is listed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the Bay Shore by virtue of a 2 ¾-length score over Daredevil - the 9-5 favorite for the Wood - in the Grade 2 Swale at Gulfstream Park. The son of City Zip encountered another Kentucky Derby hopeful in his career debut last summer at Saratoga Race Course, losing by 2 ½ lengths to Carpe Diem, who is the even-money favorite for the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland on Saturday.

After his promising debut, Ready for Rye left no doubts that he had a bright future in his second start on October 11 at Belmont Park, where he toyed with a stacked maiden field, prevailing by seven lengths over a sloppy, sealed track. For the effort, the bay gelding received a Beyer Speed Figure of 96.

Sent off at even-money in his next start, Ready for Rye disappointed in the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream, finishing second to Barbados with his Beyer regressing nine points off his maiden win. Appearing next in the Swale, the $70,000 yearling purchase reasserted himself as one of the nation's best 3-year-old sprinters, vanquishing Daredevil and earning a new Beyer top of 105 for his performance.

"He's doing very well right now," said Albertrani. "He really surprised us in the Swale. Javier Castellano had ridden him previously and hadn't given us any indication that he would want to go farther [than six furlongs], but he relaxed nicely and handled the seven-eighths well."

While the temptation off such a big effort may have been to stretch him out for one of the final Derby preps, Albertrani is content to keep Ready for Rye sprinting.

"We don't want to change anything too dramatically, considering how well he ran [in the Swale]," said the trainer. "We have a nice schedule lined up for him, with a possible start in the Woody Stephens [Grade 2, $500,000 on Belmont Stakes Day] after the Bay Shore. After that, maybe we'll try something different with him."

Ready for Rye will be ridden by Luis Saez, who was up for his Swale victory, and the duo will depart from post 3.

A narrow second choice on the morning line at 2-1, West Coast invader Lord Nelson will go out for trainer Bob Baffert and Peachtree Stable. The son of Pulpit brings an impressive resume into the Bay Shore, having beaten Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero Texas Red two starts back in the Grade 2, seven-furlong San Vicente at Santa Anita Park.

As a 2-year-old, Lord Nelson displayed an affinity for sprint distances, breaking his maiden at five furlongs and winning the six-furlong Speakeasy Stakes, despite a pedigree oriented more to stamina. The son of Pulpit is undefeated around one turn, while he has yet to hit the board in three attempts at two-turn racing.

Lord Nelson will break from the rail with Joel Rosario aboard.

Trainer Mike Hushion and John Nerud will be represented by Final Chapter, a New York-bred son of Thunder Gulch. The chestnut ridgling is coming off back-to-back victories against state-breds, most recently having beaten next-out winner Breakin the Fever by six lengths on February 26 at the Big A.

Manuel Franco will take the call on Final Chapter, 12-1 on the morning line, and the pair will leave from post 6.

Rounding out the field are Papa Upa, 6 ½-length winner of a starter allowance race in his most recent start; Easy to Say, who was favored over Florida Derby winner Materiality in his debut before breaking his maiden by 2 ¾ lengths; March, fifth in the Grade 3 Withers last out; Ackeret, who took the Jimmy Winkfield in his latest outing; and Majestic Affair, second in the Jimmy Winkfield.

The field for the Grade 3, $300,000 Bay Shore:

Source: NYRA Communications