Sunday, April 18, 2010
Contact: Jenny Kellner
(718) 659-2351
MR. FANTASY HOPES TO MAKE IT SNAPPY VS. STATE-BREDS
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A graded stakes winner on the comeback trail, a son of Freud who closed out his 2009 campaign with a good-looking victory in the New York Stallion Series (NYSS), and a homebred gelding looking for his fourth straight win are all part of a wide-ranging field of 10 New York-breds assembled for Wednesday’s $60,000 Billy Redcoat Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.
A winner of his first two starts by a combined margin of 19 lengths, Mr. Fantasy got some serious Triple Crown hype last year after finishing third to I Want Revenge in the Grade 3 Gotham and then bouncing back with a sharp victory in the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct. The Withers, however, in which Mr. Fantasy earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 102, was his final start of the year as the son of E Dubai eventually was found to have an ankle chip, undergoing surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation before returning to training in January at Palm Meadows.
In his first start after the 11-month layoff, Mr. Fantasy finished third as the prohibitive favorite in a six-furlong optional claimer at
“Ramon seemed to have made the trip to
“Obviously, the race in
Uncle T Seven, who closed out his 3-year-old campaign with an eye-catching 4 ¾-length victory in the NYSS Thunder Rumble Division at the Big A last November, spent the winter in
“He’s really come back well,” said Kimmel from
Uncle T Seven, 4-2-4 from 14 starts, will have new jockey Rajiv Maragh in the irons as he breaks from Post Position 7 at 8-1 on the morning line.
Groomedforvictory, one of two horses in the race saddled by Barclay Tagg, won three straight, all at a mile, at the conclusion of his 4-year-old campaign including a pair over this track in the Study Hard Stakes for state-breds on November 22 and a win in open company in an optional claimer on October 31. Owned and bred by Sure Thing Stables, the son of Victory Gallop drew Post Position 4 at 9-2 on the morning line and will be ridden by Channing Hill.
Tagg will also saddle Tall Poppi, who breaks from Post Position 8 at 15-1 with Cornelio Velasquez up.
As well, Dr. W brings a winning streak into the race, coming in off a front-running victory in a $100,000 claiming race at the Billy Redcoat distance on April 2 and another $100,000 claimer going six furlongs over the inner track on March 11. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the 5-year-old son of Cat Thief was third in his 2010 debut, beaten a neck going a mile after setting the pace.
“It’s a tough race,” said Asmussen’s assistant trainer, Toby Sheets. “There’s a lot of speed in it. But our horse has been training well, and we are hoping he runs a good race.”
David Cohen rides Dr. W, 5-1 on the morning line, from Post Position 2.
Seeking his first victory of 2010 is Mor Chances, no worse than third in nine starts since being claimed by Rick Dutrow. The 6-year-old son of American Chance won four straight for his new connections against fellow New York-breds beginning with the 2008 Thunder Rumble, finished third to Bribon in the Grade 3 Westchester last April and was third in both starts this year coming off an eight-month layoff.
Aboard Mor Chances, 6-1 from Post Position 3, is John Velazquez.
Completing the field are Love Abroad,
The field for the $60,000 Billy Redcoat:
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | Love Abroad (NY) | J Samyn | 118 | J O Hertler | 30-1 |
| 2 | Dr. W (NY) | D Cohen | 120 | S M Asmussen | 5-1 |
| 3 | Mor Chances (NY) | J R Velazquez | 120 | R E Dutrow, Jr. | 6-1 |
| 4 | Groomedforvictory (NY) | C Hill | 123 | B Tagg | 9-2 |
| 5 | Uncle T Seven (NY) | R Maragh | 123 | J C Kimmel | 8-1 |
| 6 | Mr. Fantasy (NY) | R A Dominguez | 120 | M | 8-5 |
| 7 | Monte Carlo (NY) | J F Chavez | 118 | A | 12-1 |
| 8 | Tall Poppi (NY) | C H Velasquez | 118 | B Tagg | 15-1 |
| 9 | Six Flings (NY) | V | 118 | B Callejas | 30-1 |
| 10 | Good Card (NY) | J L Espinoza | 120 | P J Kelly | 15-1 |
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