Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Contact: Jon Forbes
REVOLUTIONARY PLOTTING WITHERS COUP; PRINCESS OF SYLMAR LOOKS TO CONTINUE WINNING STREAK IN BUSHER
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Revolutionary will face stakes company for the first time off a dominant maiden victory when he competes in the Grade 3, $200,000 Withers on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Withers for 3-year-olds is one of four stakes on Saturday’s card, which also includes the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan, $100,000 Busher, and $100,000 Correction.
The Withers is the first race in New York on Churchill Downs’ “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, with the winner to receive 10 points, the runner-up 4 points, the third-place finisher 2 points, and the fourth-place finisher 1 point.
WinStar Farm’s Revolutionary began his career in a pair of sprints. He was third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths, in September at Saratoga Race Course after being severely impeded at the start. He subsequently reported home second by 2 ¼ lengths in October at
After breaking sluggishly and racing evenly late to finish third by 4 ¼ lengths in a one-turn mile race in November at Aqueduct, Revolutionary put it all together on December 28 on the inner track, taking command at the quarter pole and running away to an 8 ½-length score.
“[The improved performance] was a combination of a lot of things, the stretch out the, two turns, the clean start, a good trip,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “We weren’t surprised he did something impressive, and it was the first time everything had gone smoothly. He didn’t have a bad trip when he was second at Belmont, but I thought the track that day was very speed favoring and it was hard to make up ground. A talented horse got loose and we just couldn’t run him down, and he had a horrible start in the one-turn race at Aqueduct.”
Another clean start will give Revolutionary his best chance of employing his tactical speed, Pletcher said.
“The key will be for him to break cleanly and put himself in a good stalking position, or if it were a paceless race he could possibly be on the lead,” said Pletcher. “The main thing is we want him to get away cleanly and get into a nice rhythm.”
Javier Castellano has picked up the mount aboard Revolutionary, who drew post position 3 and was installed as the 3-5 morning-line favorite.
Siete de Oros nearly upset the Grade 2 Jerome on New Year’s Day at Aqueduct, battling with Vyjack to the wire and settling for second by a head at 41-1. The Jerome was Siete de Oros’ first start in blinkers.
“He ran a really good race. Blinkers made a big change with him; he was concentrating more,” said owner/trainer Ramon Preciado. “After the race, he was even better than he came in. I’m hoping he’ll run a really good race [in the Jerome].”
Before the addition of blinkers, Siete de Oros’s accomplishments included a pair of wins and a third in the Pennsylvania Nursery, all at Parx Racing.
Maria Remedio will come in from Parx Racing to ride Siete de Oros, 8-1 on the morning line, in the Jerome. The colt drew post 6.
The Withers also attracted the third- and fourth-place finishers from the Jerome, Amerigo Vespucci and
Amerigo Vespucci, who was also second in two stakes at Laurel Park, will be ridden by Erick Rodriguez. Trained by Timothy Tullock, Jr. for Aldie Germania Farms, Amerigo Vespucci is 15-1 on the morning line.
“We’re learning more about [
Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the assignment aboard
Valid enters the Jerome off a 3 ¾-length maiden win on December 31 at
“He’s improving, so it’s good timing to see where we fit in,” said Magnuson.
Junior Alvarado will ride Valid from post 2.
The Withers field also includes impressive maiden winner Escapefromreality, maiden Champion Boy, and Damon Runyon victor Smooth Bert.
The even-money morning-line favorite for the Busher is King of Prussia Stable’s Princess of Sylmar, who is unbeaten in three route starts.
Fourth on debut in a Penn National sprint in October, Princess of Sylmar returned to that venue in November to break her maiden by 19 lengths in a one-mile race. Her two most recent starts were wins at one mile, 70 yards at Aqueduct: a 5 ¼-length optional claiming triumph on December 13 and a 7 ½-length romp in the Busanda on January 5.
“The only thing that surprised us is that she didn’t win first time out at Penn National,” said Pletcher. “I think it’s just a function of wanting two turns, so she has been very impressive since then.”
Princess of Sylmar will depart from post 2 with Javier Castellano in the irons.
In the Busher Pletcher will also send out Kimono, who will stretch out off a fifth in the six-furlong Ruthless on January 12, and Marcellina d’Oro, fifth in a
The main challenger to Pletcher’s triumvirate is Kelli Got Frosty, who has previously raced exclusively against New York-breds. She got up by a half-length in the
Let Me Entertain U completes the Busher field.
The field for the Grade 3, $200,000 Withers:
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | 116 | 7-2 | |||
| 2 | 116 | 7-2 | |||
| 3 | 116 | 3-5 | |||
| 4 | 116 | 6-1 | |||
| 5 | 116 | 15-1 | |||
| 6 | 118 | 8-1 | |||
| 7 | 116 | 30-1 | |||
| 8 | 118 | 15-1 |
The field for the $100,000 Busher:
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | 116 | 8-1 | |||
| 2 | 122 | Even | |||
| 3 | 116 | 6-1 | |||
| 4 | 116 | 15-1 | |||
| 5 | 120 | 8-5 |
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