Saratoga Snacks, Lubash Headline Big Apple Showcase Day

Full fields abound on Memorial Day at Belmont Park for Big Apple Showcase Day, which features six stakes races worth $900,000 highlighted by hard-knocking New York-breds Saratoga Snacks and Lubash. The 10-race program, with a scheduled first post of 1:20 p.m., is comprised entirely of New York-bred races.

In the $200,000 Commentator for older horses at a mile, Saratoga Snacks is listed as the 2-1 favorite for owner/trainer Gary Sciacca. Originally trained by Sciacca before being transferred to Hall of Famer Bill Mott for the majority of his 2014 campaign, the 6-year-old son of Tale of the Cat was bought back by Sciacca at the end of last year.

Since rejoining Sciacca, Saratoga Snacks has a win and a third-place finish to his credit in two starts this year. In his career, the bay ridgling has won eight of 19 career starts, including the 2013 edition of the Empire Classic - the most prestigious race restricted to New York-breds.

Saratoga Snacks will face a talented entry from trainer Chad Brown, Readtheprospectus and Bond Vigilante, along with Sinistra, Empire Dreams, Readthebyline and Summer Place to Be.

In the $125,000 Kingston at a mile on turf for older horses, trainer Christophe Clement's Lubash will meet familiar foes King Kreesa and Kharafa, who traded wins in New York-bred grass races last year.

In his 8-year-old debut, Lubash showed no signs of slowing down. The son of Freud finished strongly to place third in the $100,000 Danger's Hour after sitting off a slow pace on April 19 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Owned by Aliyu Ben J Stables, Lubash has banked over $1 million in his career, with a record of 12-9-5 from 40 starts.

Also entered for the Kingston are Grade 1 winner Unbridled Command, Idle American, Ocala Jim, With Exultation, Front and Captain Gaughen.

Eric Fein and Christopher McKenna's Ostrolenka, who dabbled on the Triple Crown trail with starts in the Grade 2 Remsen and Grade 3 Jerome this winter at Aqueduct, will make his return to stakes company in a field of nine for the $125,000 Mike Lee Stakes for 3-year-old New York-breds going seven furlongs.

Three-for-three at Belmont Park, the Todd Pletcher trainee is coming out of a solid front-running allowance victory, winning by 4 ½ lengths at 1 1/16 miles on May 2.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the mount, and the pair will leave from post 2 as the morning-line favorite at 5-2.

Michael Henning's Wincoma is taking a step up in class for trainer Gary Sciacca. In his 2015 debut earlier this month, the Badge of Silver colt picked up a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 91 by virtue of a 3 ¼-length win in a state-bred allowance race.

Wincoma is set to break from post 7 under Javier Castellano as the 3-1 second choice on the morning line.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez will send out Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables LLC's Good Luck Gus to the Mike Lee for his 2015 debut. The Lookin at Lucky colt notched state-bred stakes victories in the New York Breeders' Futurity and the Damon Runyon during his freshman year before taking the winter off. With Luis Saez aboard, Good Luck Gus will break from the outside post 9 set at odds of 5-1.

Doubledown Stables Inc.'s Battle of Evermore will make his first New York start in the Mike Lee for the Chad Brown barn. Previously under the tutelage of West Coast-based trainer John Sadler, the sophomore son of Scat Daddy will be seeking his first win on the dirt, leaving from post position 3 at odds of 6-1 with Joel Rosario.

Possessed, Fleeting, Gypsum Johnny, Regal Minister and Papa Shot complete the field for the Mike Lee.

Marc Keller's Quezon is set to make her sophomore debut in the $125,000 Bouwerie Stakes for fillies at seven furlongs for conditioner Robert Ribaudo.

The daughter of Tiz Wonderful scored two victories against state-breds before finishing fourth in open company in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on November 29 at Aqueduct. Unbeaten in her two starts at Belmont, Quezon will look to pick up where she left off last fall as the 5-2 morning-line favorite under jockey Manny Franco, breaking from post 6 in a field of 10.

Trainer Bruce Brown will send out Lakeside Sunset for owners Anthony McCarthy and Our Sugar Bear Stable LLC as the 7-2 second-choice on the morning line. The Bellamy Road filly finished third in her last start in the Belle Harbor Stakes, 1 ¾ lengths behind recent graded stakes winner Irish Jasper.

Javier Castellano has the call and the pair will leave from post 7.

The Lewis Dinner and Dreamboat Annie will seek to improve off of their respective second- and third-place finishes in the NYSS Park Avenue on April 26 at Aqueduct, in which the pair finished a head apart, missing the fast-closing winner Take Issue by 1 ¼ lengths at the wire.

Take Issue, to be ridden again by Junior Alvarado, will leave from post 9 at morning line odds of 8-1 for trainer Steve Asmussen. Rudy Rodriguez will saddle 5-1 third choice The Lewis Dinner for Joel Rosario to break from post 2, while Dreamboat Annie is set in post 5 at 6-1 under John Velazquez.

Myfourchix, Hot City Girl, Jc's Shooting Star, In Spite of Mama and Temper Mint Patty round out the field for the Bouwerie.

In the one-mile, $125,000 Mount Vernon for fillies and mares on turf, Invading Humor will make her first start of the year following a troubled trip in the Grade 3 Long Island Handicap, in which she finished ninth. Now in the care of trainer Bruce Brown for Bloodlines Racing Partnerships, the 5-year-old daughter of Invasor will cut back to a distance of a mile, at which she is a perfect 2-for-2.

The 5-2 morning-line favorite, Invading Humor will depart from post-position 7 with Rajiv Maragh in the irons, who was aboard the last time she reached the winner's circle, when she took the John Hettinger Stakes on September 14 at Belmont.

Leading the contenders Invading Humor will face is Unbelievable Dream for trainer Barclay Tagg and Sure Thing Stables. She returns to state-bred company after saving ground to finish fourth in an optional-claiming event at Belmont on May 8, and traveling wide to finish 11^th in an allowance race at Keeneland.

The second choice on the morning line at 7-2, Unbelievable Dream will be ridden by Angel Cruz.

The 4-year-old Old Harbor will enter for trainer Russell Cash. Off since last October, when she finished a game second to Discreet Marq in the Ticonderoga Stakes, she has two wins from five starts at Belmont Park, but has yet to win at the distance in three tries.

Rounding out the field are Chrysolite, for owners William J. Punk, Jr. and Philip DiLeo; Lady Kressa, who last out won a New York-bred allowance race on April 30; Mah Jong Maddnes, for trainer John Morrison; and the Gary Gullo-trained Laura Can Disco. Lady Gracenote is entered for the main track only.

Miss Da Point and Carameaway headline a field of ten for the $200,000 Critical Eye for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at the distance of one mile. Trained by John Toscano, Jr. for Bram Jam Stable and David Clark, Miss Da Point is looking for her third consecutive win following back-to-back allowance victories at Belmont on April 29 going six furlongs and April 8 at a mile. The morning-line favorite at 7-2, the 5-year-old will leave from post-position 7 with jockey Angel Cruz in the irons.

Carameaway, who finished second to Miss Da Point in her first start of the year, will look to turn the tables from post 10 with Rajiv Maragh aboard. The 3-1 morning-line second choice, she has two wins with two second-place finishes from nine starts at the distance.

Famillar foes Sheriffa and Saythreehailmary's will each look to add a stakes win to their resume in the Critical Eye. Facing each other last out on May 1 in an allowance race, Saythreehailmary's stalked and swung three-wide in the stretch to best Sherriffa. The 4-year-old trained by John Morrison for Very Un Stable will now leave from post 2 with jockey Manuel Franco retaining the mount.

Sherrifa, a 4-year-old daughter of Posse trained by Linda Rice, will reunite with Jose Ortiz, who last rode her to victory on March 15 in her first start of the year in a New York-bred optional claimer at Aqueduct.

Rounding out the field are Piccolo Flats for trainer Danny Gargan, who last out collected an 86 Beyer Speed Figure for her impressive 7 ¼-length victory in an optional claimer on May 8 at Belmont; the Jimmy Jerkens-trained Star Grazing for Chester and Mary Broman; Easy Living for Cheyenne Stables and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin; Royal Suspicion for WellSpring Stables; Hot Stones for trainer Bruce Levine and owners Roddy Valente, Charles Casale and Darlene Bilinski; and Jcs American Dream.


Source: NYRA