The pace, or relative lack of it, could be key to the outcome of the $125,000 Ashley T. Cole Stakes, which will be decided at six furlongs on turf as the third event on an 11-race program Saturday at Aqueduct.
The Cole is restricted to New York-breds and lured a very evenly matched field of five turf sprint specialists, plus four main-track-only entrants. The 48-hour weather forecast calls for a 65 percent chance of rain on Saturday.
The Cole will rematch three of the top five finishers, Bold Journey (second), Twenty Six Black (fourth), and Senbei (fifth), from the Elusive Quality on May 3. The trio finished noses apart for second behind race winner My Boy Prince. The race was flattered when My Boy Prince and third-place Alogon came back to finish second and third, respectively, in the Grade 1 Jaipur.
Twenty Six Black and Senbei figure to improve off their performances in the Elusive Quality as both were returning from extended vacations and making their 2025 debuts in the race. Twenty Six Black rallied five wide to join the leaders into the stretch before flattening out a bit at the end. Senbei lagged farther back, then rallied belatedly after swinging even wider into the stretch.
“I thought he probably needed the race coming off the layoff and felt it was an encouraging run on his part,” trainer Horacio De Paz said of Twenty Six Black, who will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. “He’s always been a consistent horse for us. He had a bit of a troubled trip and didn’t get beat by much against a very solid field.
“This is a very competitive group on Saturday with not a lot of speed and he can be up there if you wanted him to be. I’ll just leave it in Ricardo’s hands and see how it shakes out.”
Miguel Clement echoed his colleague’s sentiments when talking about Senbei’s chances.
“He was a touch short off the layoff last time and he’s definitely a tighter horse, a better horse now than he was then, and I do anticipate a better performance this time without a doubt,” said Clement. “It’s a small field with not much pace and he’s drawn outside. Manny [Franco] is very familiar with the horse and how to ride that turf course. I’ll just leave it up to him.”
Bold Journey rallied from last and widest of all to fall just a length shy of catching My Boy Prince in the Elusive Quality but could not repeat that effort in the Jaipur, finishing a distant ninth while lagging at the rear of the field throughout. A switch to the main track due to weather conditions would likely benefit the late-running veteran, who was a two-time stakes winner on dirt at Aqueduct during the tail end of his 2023 campaign.
Run Curtis Run will also return to statebred competition after finishing third against open company on the grass in his last two starts. Acoustic Ave, currently riding a modest two-race win streak, and Antonio of Venice top the list of main-track-only entries.
◗ Sandman, idle since finishing third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Journalism, in the Preakness, breezed an easy four furlongs in 47.51 seconds over the main track early Thursday morning at Saratoga. He punctuated the drill with a very impressive gallop-out, completing five panels in 59.83 before easing up after three-quarters in 1:13.07 over the fast track.
As was the case in his previous work 18 days earlier, Sandman was equipped with blinkers, which he has not worn in any of his 10 lifetime starts.
Sandman is pointing for the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on July 26 at Saratoga and a likely rematch with Sovereignty. Sandman finished 12 1/2 lengths behind Sovereignty following an eventful trip in the Kentucky Derby.
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