A field of 12 will line up in Saturday’s $100,000 Atlantic Beach at Aqueduct. (© Cheryl Quigley | Dreamstime.com
A competitive full field will line up in Saturday’s $100,000 Atlantic Beach at Aqueduct led by a trio of runners sent out by the Mark Casse barn in the six-furlong test on the outer turf course.
Casse will send out Old Chestnut (12-1), Jack and Noah (6-1) and Prince of Thieves (15-1) in the race, one of three stakes on the 10-race card.
The supporting stakes are the $100,000 Pumpkin Pie at seven furlongs on the main track and the $150,000 Artie Schiller at a mile on the inner turf.
Among the three sent out by Casse, Old Chestnut deserves a look if we see anything close to the 12-1 morning line. The colt was sixth in the Indian Summer at Keeneland in his last outing.
“He caught a very soft inside turf last time at Keeneland. Tyler [Gaffalione] rode him that day and said that he just spun his wheels,” Casse said.
Jack and Noah picks up Jose Ortiz after a fourth in the Futurity at Belmont Park over good ground. That race was won by Four Wheel Drive, who came back to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) in his next outing.
“He’s doing well. He seems like a pretty talented horse,” Casse said. “It turned out to be a pretty good race. I was surprised to see him so keen and on the lead. I was shocked to see him up front. I can imagine he’ll be off the pace this time around.”
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The Pumpkin Pie was originally scheduled last Sunday but racing was canceled. A field of seven will line up going seven furlongs on the main track.
The Artie Schiller at a mile on turf drew a field of 10 with three others designated as main track only entrants. It is a competitive field with a ton of speed signed up. The Tom Proctor trained Caribou Club is the 5-2 morning line favorite.
Let’s head out to Aqueduct for Friday’s featured race of the day:
Aqueduct Race 9 The Atlantic Beach (Post time 3:50 ET)
#2 Old Chestnut 12-1
#4 Jack and Noah 6-1
#5 Freewheeler 7-2
#10 Fly Fly Away 12-1
Old Chestnut
The colt raced near the back of the pack early while toward the inside came four wide and made a mild late bid in a sixth-place finish in the Indian Summer last out at Keeneland. The turf was labeled firm but Casse though the inside part of the turf course was deep that day. The colt made his debut in a stakes where he checked in fifth then broke his maiden in his turf debut and then wired the field to win the Ontario Racing at five furlongs at Woodbine. Willing to give this guy another look here and it appears he will be overlooked on the betting and his win two back was solid. He is by Speightstown out of the dirt stakes winner Pool Land ($529,776) who has dropped four other winners including two other turf winners. He picks up Alvarado who started off the meeting in style with six wins from his first 19 mounts.
Jack and Noah
Also a Casse trainee, this colt set a sharp early pace and ran out of gas in a fourth-place finish in the Futurity last out behind a couple of foes he faces again here. The winner Four Wheel Drive came back to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) in his next outing. This guy owns solid early and mid pace numbers but there is plenty of early zip signed up to go here.
Freewheeler
The Pletcher trainee also exits the Futurity where the colt tracked the early pace and came with a good late rally to finish in the runner up spot. The colt graduated in his debut two back going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at the Spa at 5-1. This colt was pricey, a $430,000 purchase by City Zip out of a Dehere mare that has dropped one other foal to race, also a turf winner. He reunites with Irad who was aboard for his maiden score.
Wagering
WIN: #2 to win at 6-1 or better.
EX: 2,4 / 2,4,5,10
TRI: 2,4 / 2,4,5,10 / 2,4,5,8,10
