Christian Abdo

At Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, the Grade 2 Remsen worth two hundred fifty thousand dollars will be run at one and one‑eighth miles for 2‑year‑olds. Chasing a third triumph from the last four editions, trainer Danny Gargan dispatches the Grade 1–placed Talkin, for example, in a classic prep‑style route.

Aiming at the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in May, the Remsen assigns qualifying points of 10–5–3–2–1 to the top five finishers, for instance.

In 2022 and again in 2023, Gargan lifted the Remsen with Dubyuhnell and then Dornoch—each by Good Magic, the same sire as Talkin—illustrating, for example, the barn’s knack with long‑winded juveniles. After clawing back to nose out Sierra Leone, Dornoch proceeded to capture the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell, and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, a sequence many fans cite as a model campaign.

Good Magic impressed me as a runner, Gargan explained, so backing him as a stallion was a calculated gamble. We shop for dirt horses built to route—we want Classics, we’ve already been fortunate with one—and this colt arrives with a deep pedigree and family, as an example.

Talkin, a bay by Good Magic owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Pine Racing Stables, Legendary Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, and R. A. Hill Stable, has raced twice to date. He broke his maiden at Saratoga Race Course on August 30 over seven panels by a neck, defeating Stradale, an approximately 1.3‑million‑dollar 2‑year‑old purchase, along with Further Ado, who later won a maiden by roughly twenty lengths and then the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, a telling benchmark for handicappers.

That maiden came up tough, Gargan said, and the team has been itching to try two turns. A forward showing while stretching out now should tee him up for next year, for instance.

From post 11 with Kendrick Carmouche, Talkin next tackled the Grade 1 Champagne here on October 4 at a flat mile around one bend. Sitting about four lengths off the tempo in seventh early under the returning rider, he rallied to finish second—roughly six and one‑half lengths behind the runaway pace‑setter Napoleon Solo—picking up five Kentucky Derby points, and he now faces his first start around two turns, as an example.

Gargan recapped that the Champagne trip turned tricky after a good early spot. He slipped to the rail, got a horse in front, then had to angle out again; by the time Carmouche said the colt was in full stride, the leaders were gone, but a Grade 1 silver medal and five Derby points made the outcome acceptable, for instance.

Bred in Kentucky by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, Talkin brought six‑hundred thousand dollars at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the winning Tiznow mare Rote, a half‑sister to Grade 1‑winner Magnificent Song, dual group/graded‑placed Great Barrier Reef and Galileo’s Song, while his second dam Song to Remember is a half‑sister to dual graded‑winner Lech and Grade 3‑winner Savina, a catalogue page stacked with black type, for example.

Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, Brook T. Smith and breeder Summer Wind Equine’s Paladin [post 2, Flavien Prat] was promoted to first over the returning Renegade after his one‑turn‑mile debut here on October 17, a common scenario when interference occurs, for instance.

Conditioned by five‑time Eclipse Award‑winner Chad Brown, the Gun Runner chestnut tracked in a close fourth, struck first, then Renegade darted up the inside to finish a head in front but was taken down following a stewards’ inquiry into the final sixteenth, an outcome viewers often debate.

I felt he ran extremely well, Brown said, noting the late herding and expressing satisfaction with the elevation. Once he felt that horse, straightened, and galloped out strongly, I’ve believed extra distance won’t hinder him and he has thrived since, as an example.

Paladin, a just‑under two‑million‑dollar buy at the 2024 Fasig‑Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, is out of the Tapit mare Secret Sigh, a half‑sister to dual Group 1‑winner Mozu Ascot and stakes‑winner Kareena. His second dam is India, a dual graded‑winner, illustrating a potent cross, for instance.

Brown added that two turns always seemed his calling. A pricey yearling who was a picture then has grown into himself and looks magnificent now, suggesting a bright future path, as an example.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has entered the aforementioned Renegade [post 9, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], the well‑related Courting [post 6, John Velazquez], and the maiden Grittiness [post 4, Jaime Rodriguez, blinkers ON] while aiming to match the record with a fourth Remsen victory, most recently scoring with future Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal in 2021, a reminder of his depth.

Renegade, campaigned by Repole Stable and his breeders Robert Low and Lawana Low, remains a maiden after the second‑out disqualification. The Into Mischief bay had earlier been a distant third to the dominant It’s Our Time in a six‑and‑a‑half‑furlong debut on August 16 at Saratoga, for example.

A $975,000 acquisition at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Renegade is produced by the Grade 3‑winning Curlin mare Spice Is Nice. His second dam is Grade 1‑winner Dame Dorothy, a half‑sister to Group 1‑winner Mrs. Lindsay, underscoring class in the female line, as an example.

Whisper Hill Farm, breeder Stonestreet Stables and Windancer Farm paid five million dollars for Courting at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. This Curlin chestnut is a full‑brother to multiple Grade 1‑winner Clairiere out of multiple Grade 1‑winning Bernardini mare Cavorting, with the second dam Promenade Girl twice Grade 1‑placed, a pedigree angle bettors often note.

Locally, Courting has run twice at a one‑turn mile: he set the pace and broke through in start two by two and one‑half lengths over Grittiness on November 9, after a September 27 unveiling where he finished fourth by two and one‑quarter lengths to the returning Igniter, for example.

Repole Stable’s Grittiness, making start number three last time, finished second to Courting after being bumped leaving the gate. He had posted two sixth‑place efforts in Saratoga maiden special weight sprints during the summer; bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, he brought $575,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the Grade 2‑winning Oxbow mare Coach Rocks, a useful note for form study.

Rounding out the field are stakes‑winners Balboa [post 10, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Brittany Russell and Probably Dreaming [post 12, Carlos Lopez] for conditioner Gary Capuano; stakes‑placed Day One Starter [post 1, Junior Alvarado] for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey; as well as maiden‑winners Igniter [post 7, Manny Franco] for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., I Did I Did [post 3, Joel Rosario] for trainer Mike Maker, Concarneau [post 8, Mychel Sanchez] for trainer Marya Montoya and Chambersville [post 5, Chris Elliott] for trainer Ken McPeek, for instance.

The Remsen appears as Race 9 on Saturday’s 11‑race card that also features the Grade 2 Cigar Mile [Race 10], the Grade 2 Demoiselle [Race 3]—which awards 10–5–3–2–1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the first five—and the Grade 3 Elite Power [Race 5]. Also included are the half‑million‑dollar NYSSS Great White Way [Race 11] and the half‑million‑dollar NYSSS Fifth Avenue [Race 8]; first post goes at 11:20 a.m. Eastern, a handy note for planning and handicapping.

America’s Day at the Races will air live coverage plus commentary of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on FOX Sports networks. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/, for example.

NYRA Bets serves as the official bet‑taking platform for Aqueduct Racetrack and offers the preferred way to bet every race of the fall meet for pari‑mutuel players nationwide. Available nationwide, the NYRA Bets app can be downloaded today on iOS and Android at , supporting mobile betting.