The third race on the Big A card on Wednesday is the $100,000 Staten Island for three-year-old fillies and mares going seven furlongs on the main track that drew a compact field of five led by Sunny Desert, who is the 3-5 morning line favorite.
The John Parisella trainee comes into the race riding a four race win streak, last out winning the state bred Judy Soda by a six lengths in gate to wire fashion as the 4-5 favorite. The daughter of Wild Desert’s highest payoff in her last four starts was $6.50 when she broke her maiden back in March over the Big A main track.
In her first start against winners she won the New York Stallion Series Park Avenue by a hard fought nose, and then beat state bred Alw-2 optional claimers at Saratoga off a 2 ½ month break.
The meet’s leading rider Ramon Dominguez has the return call on the filly, who will break from the two post.
Her main rival in the race is going to be Lady On the Run (2-1), the lone other stakes winner in the field. The John Morrison trainee won the state bred Arctic Queen at Finger Lakes back in July.
In her two starts since that win she regressed in a sixth place finish in the New York bred Fleet Indian at Saratoga, and last out improved in a decent third place finish in the Iroquois, missing the runner up spot in a photo while no match for the winner Willet, who drew clear to win by 9 ¼ lengths.
Haldane (8-1) drew the rail and is back facing her own after taking on the boys in the Empire Classic last out where she faded to finish a well beaten seventh.
Completing the field are Mah Jong Madness (20-1) who was fourth against restricted $20,000 claimers in her last outing, and Jitney (10-1), who checked in fourth last out against state bred Alw-2 optional claimers over a yielding turf.
The fifth race on the card is the $100,000 Thunder Rumble for three-year-olds and upward, with the Rudy Rodriguez trained Sportswriter the heavy favorite at 1-4 in a field of seven.
The gelding won a New York Stallion Series race three back at Saratoga on the turf going a mile, but is winless in two starts since that trip to the winner’s circle.
Two back he stepped outside of the restricted ranks and was sixth in the Groovy, and last out over a wet main track at Belmont Park he checked in fourth in the state bred Hudson.
Javier Castellano has the return call on the gelding, who has won 4 of his 15 career starts.
The five-year-old gelding Game Token (8-1) is the leading money earner in the field, but has won just one of his 11 starts in 2012, a victory against $7,500 starter allowance company on the inner track at the Big A.
The runner with the most upside appears to be Maggie’s Hadder (10-1), who is coming off a victory last out against $20,000 non-winners of two in just his third career start.
Frisky Warrior (6-1) has won four in a row and 6 of 11 in his career, but his last four wins all came upstate at Finger Lakes. The gelding has a win over the Big A surface, taking a first level allowance race against state breds back in March.
Completing the field are Anaphylaxis (20-1), a seven time loser against state bred Alw-1 foes coming into the race, recent maiden winner Dave’s Shadow (30-1), and longshot Keltic Fighter (50-1), who has won just once in 37 career starts.
Aqueduct Race 3 The $100,000 New York Stallion Series Staten Island
1. Haldane 8-1
2. Sunny Desert 3-5
3. Mah Jong Maddnes 20-1
4. Jitney 10-1
5. Lady On the Run 2-1
Aqueduct Race 5 The $100,000 New York Stallion Series Thunder Rumble
1. Game Token 8-1
2. Sportswriter 1-4
3. Anaphylaxis 20-1
4. Dave’s Shadow 30-1
5. Frisky Warrior 6-1
6. Keltic Fighter 50-1
7. Maggie’s Hadder 10-1
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