OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Todd Pletcher has enjoyed a strong start to the Aqueduct spring meet, sending out seven winners from 13 starters, with five of those wins coming with the last six horses he has started.
The Hall of Fame conditioner hopes to keep things rolling when he brings the multiple stakes winner Miss Justify back to the races for her 4-year-old debut in a multi-conditoned allowance on Friday’s eight-race card.
Miss Justify, a daughter of Triple Crown winner Justify, won 3 of 5 starts as a 3-year-old, a season in which she won the Wilton Stakes at Saratoga and the Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Miss Justify hasn’t been out since her Seneca win last Sept. 21, but appears to be training extremely well for her Friday return.
Pletcher expressed some concern about the 6 1/2-furlong distance but said this race was more attractive than bringing her back in a stakes such as the Doubledogdare at Keeneland or the La Troienne at Churchill.
“I think it’s okay,” Pletcher said. “She’s better going a mile . . . but there were limited opportunities, this allowance race came up like a potentially good spot.”
Miss Justify will break from post 2 under Dylan Davis.
Though he doesn’t plan to open up a New York string until Saratoga, trainer Jose D’Angelo has sent up several horses to run this week at Aqueduct. One of them is Vincey Girl, a 4-year-old daughter of Race Day who came off a six-month layoff to win a second-level allowance race going 6 1/2 furlongs at Gulfstream Park on March 12. In that race, she was last of six for the first half of the race before rallying strongly in the stretch to win by 3 1/2 lengths.
Sing a Little Song and Miss Enchanted, fourth and fifth in that race, came back to run second and third, respectively, in a second-level allowance at Keeneland on Sunday.
D’Angelo had Vincey Girl entered in the Heavenly Cause Stakes last week at Laurel Park but said bad weather prevented him from shipping when he would have liked.
“The weather wasn’t the best and we didn’t have enough time to travel,” D’Angelo said. “We got this spot in New York and I think she’s going to love the long stretch there.”
D’Angelo said he was pleased with the way Vincey Girl ran last time, adding, “I’m sure she’s better now than she was the last race.”
Manny Franco rides Vincey Girl from post 5.
Morning Matcha, like Miss Justify, makes her first start since Sept. 21. That day, Morning Matcha finished fourth as the 1-5 favorite in the Plum Pretty Stakes for Pennsylvania-breds at Parx. She has one win from seven starts at Aqueduct, the victory coming in a New York Stallion Series race as she is a daughter of the New York-based stallion Central Banker.
Javier Castellano rides Morning Matcha from post 3.
Everybodyloveslinda, Early Edition, and Rachel’s Risk complete the field.
Santana to N.Y.; Castellano has new agent
Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. will be moving his tack to New York for the spring/summer and has retained the services of P.J. Campo to be his agent. The Belmont at Aqueduct spring meet begins May 1.
“He wants to make the jump to New York. He’s had some people express interest in him to come to New York,” Campo said. “He wants to make his circuit New York and Oaklawn.”
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Campo, who also works for Jose Lezcano, became available when he split with Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano last week. Castellano has hired Cory Moran to be his agent. Moran previously represented Paco Lopez.
Santana typically rides the Churchill spring meet and bases in New York only for Saratoga, where in 2021 he won 35 races, including five Grade 1 stakes. Last year, Santana won 19 races at Saratoga.
Santana wintered at Oaklawn Park, where, entering this week, his 31 wins tied him for sixth in the standings.
Castellano wintered at Gulfstream, where he finished 14th in wins with 25. At the Aqueduct spring meet, Castellano has 3 wins and 13 seconds from 28 mounts.
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