Thursday, December 30, 2010
Contact: Jenny Kellner
SIX SOPHOMORE FILLIES STEP INTO BIG A SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Sweet Susan goes for her third straight score Sunday afternoon as she ships in to face five other newly-minted sophomore fillies in the six-furlong, $65,000 Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Tim Tullock, Sweet Susan earned the trip to the Big A after adding a 2 ½-length allowance victory at Charles Town on December 18 to her 4 ¼-length claiming win at Laurel Park the previous month. Tullock, who saddled Full Moon Blues to win the Grade 3 Tempted in November, is hoping the chestnut daughter of Wiseman's Ferry will follow in her stablemate's footsteps as she makes her first stakes appearance.
"She's a filly who keeps going out and doing a nice job," said Tullock of Sweet Susan, who is 3-1-0 from five starts, with her only off-the-board appearance a fifth-place finish in her lone turf start. "I believe it's time to give her a chance to see if she belongs up there."
With Malcolm Franklin aboard, Sweet Susan drew the outside post and was listed at 4-1 on the morning line for the Ruthless, which will be run as race 3 on the nine-card card.
Favored on the Ruthless morning line at 5-2 is Flying Train, who most recently finished third in the Only Queens at the Big A on December 16. Claimed by David Jacobson for $25,000 out of an 11 ¾-length maiden win in September, the Empire Maker filly won at next asking, taking a starter handicap by 5 ½ lengths on November 24, before making her stakes debut in the Only Queens.
David Cohen is aboard Flying Train, who leaves from post position 5.
Breathoffreshair is the lone Ruthless starter with a stakes victory on her resume, having taken the Jersey Juvenile at
Carlos Marquez, Jr. will ride Breathoffreshair, who drew post position 4 and was listed at 3-1 on the morning line.
Status Pending graduates from the maiden ranks into stakes company for the Ruthless, having won at a mile and 70 yards over Aqueduct's inner track on December 5 in her fourth start. Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr. for IEAH Stables, the Tale of the Cat filly drew the rail at 7-2 on the morning line, and will again get the services of
Rounding out the field are two more visitors from the Mid-Atlantic – Aba Dabbler, 2-1-1 in four starts at Penn National,
The field for the $65,000 Ruthless:
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | Status Pending (KY) | R A Dominguez | 116 | R E Dutrow, Jr. | 7-2 |
| 2 | | | 116 | T L Keefe | 5-1 |
| 3 | Nashi (KY) | R Chiappe | 120 | T Iannotti, IV | 12-1 |
| 4 | Breathoffreshheir (NJ) | C H Marquez, Jr. | 118 | B W Perkins, Jr. | 3-1 |
| 5 | Flying Train (KY) | D Cohen | 118 | D Jacobson | 5-2 |
| 6 | Sweet Susan (KY) | M | 118 | T J Tullock, Jr. | 4-1 |
-30-
