OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The last time Outlaw Kid ran six furlongs over Aqueduct’s turf course, he set a course record of 1:06.73 in winning an allowance race by a neck over Big Invasion.
The next time Outlaw Kid runs six furlongs over Aqueduct’s outer turf course will be in Saturday’s $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship. A repeat of his July effort, or something close, should make him a major player in this full field.
Speaking of major players, Grooms All Bizness, who would have been one in this spot, will scratch due to a cough, according to his trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. That would open a spot in the gate for Works for Me to draw in from the also-eligible list, should his connections decide to run.
Since his allowance win here in July, Outlaw Kid has finished second in the off-the-turf Troy Stakes at Saratoga and won the Vice Regent Stakes, restricted to Ontario-breds on Aug. 25. Outlaw Kid was entered in the Belmont Turf Sprint Championship on Oct. 5, but was scratched to make a return trip to Woodbine, where he finished fourth in the Grade 2 Nearctic on the same day.
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“I thought the race in Canada was a little easier. He didn’t get the right trip,” said George Weaver, the trainer of Outlaw Kid. “He’s not the type of horse that wants to bust open and draw away at the eighth pole. He likes to stalk and pounce.”
Weaver added that the Nearctic was an oddly run race in that Outlaw Kid was down on the rail “when the rest of the competition was out in the middle of the track. He got lost a little bit.”
The win on July 4 at Aqueduct was the second from three starts over Aqueduct’s turf for Outlaw Kid. Flavien Prat, aboard for that victory, is back aboard on Saturday.
Senbei is 2 for 2 over Aqueduct’s turf course, including a 1 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Championship for which he earned a career-high 98 Beyer Speed Figure. His connections had the option to run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint but owner Dean Reeves and trainer Christophe Clement opted to send Big Invasion there instead.
“It was foolish to run both horses in the same race,” Clement said. “I’m very happy with Senbei. He’s got a bad draw [post 8]. Manny [Franco] has work to work out the trip and we’ll go from there.”
Alogon, third in the Belmont Turf Sprint, finished third in this race last year for trainer Ned Allard. Prior to this year’s Belmont Turf Sprint, Alogon won the Parx Dash at five furlongs.
Twenty Six Black is 3 for 3 over Aqueduct’s turf course and is 4 for 4 at six furlongs. The only time he finished worse than third was when he tried a mile in a New York Stallion Stakes race in the summer of 2023.
Son of a Birch was third beaten only 1 1/2 lengths when Outlaw Kid set the course record here in July. In his lone start since, he was fourth in the Belmont Turf Sprint.
Thin White Duke, Implementation, and Shefflin complete the field.
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