Weigh the Risks romps in Listed $150K Go for Wand

Mary Eddy

At Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, Klaravich Stables’ Weigh the Risks thrashed four opponents, drawing away by nine and three-quarter lengths to capture the Go for Wand, a Listed event carrying one hundred fifty thousand dollars in purses. Run around one bend at a mile for fillies and mares three and older, this thoroughbred contest often rewards pace control; for example, a leader can settle early and quicken late.

With five-time Eclipse Award honoree Chad Brown overseeing the filly, the Mendelssohn-sired 4-year-old added a second local stakes to her résumé, building on her November 8 Pumpkin Pie triumph at seven furlongs and pushing her win streak to three. She began her career with six turf tries in her first seven starts, yet since moving to dirt she has taken five of the next six—illustrating how a surface switch can unlock improvement (for instance, some runners show sharper acceleration on a sandy track). Leaving from stall 2 in a quintet and reunited with Manny Franco, Weigh the Risks went on with purpose alongside Stonewall Star drawn to her outside, then edged a half-length clear to dictate the first quarter in 23.82 seconds over a fast surface. “Plan A was straightforward—let her roll to the front and have the others track,” Franco said, adding that her ears were pricked and she traveled so comfortably that confidence came easy. The pack stayed tight down the backstretch until Stonewall Star was urged to advance through a half in 47.88, inching closer while Franco, ice-cool on the pacesetter, waited for the turn. Fully asked around the bend, Stonewall Star could not gain as Weigh the Risks stretched the margin, hitting three-quarters in 1:12.33. Scalable, guided by Kendrick Carmouche and last at the half-mile call, tried a rail run and made a mild move; however, the winner was long gone, coasting under wraps to stop the clock at 1:37.64. Scalable saved second by two lengths over Just Katherine, with Zadorsky and Stonewall Star following; Tipple was scratched.

The win moved Manny Franco to 199 victories this year on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. Soon after, he guided Collect the Data to a Race 8 score at the Big A for the same connections, reaching an even 200 and extending his edge in the season standings to twenty-eight over Kendrick Carmouche; for example, milestones like that reflect steady bookings and execution. “Consistency keeps you on live mounts day after day,” Franco noted, crediting hard work and his agent, John Panagot, for the results. Carmouche, sitting on 172 NYRA wins for the season, said Scalable—trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher—gave her all against a standout. “She ran well—just second best. That’s really it. The winner is a monster,” Carmouche said. Bred in Kentucky by Porta Pia Stables, Weigh the Risks was purchased for two hundred five thousand dollars at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. She banked eighty-two thousand five hundred dollars, improved her ledger to 13: 6-2-0, and returned $3.34 as the three-to-five favorite at post time. Live racing returns Sunday at the Big A with an eight-race program, and first post is 12:40 p.m. ET; as a simple example, fans often plan arrivals around the opener.

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