OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Scalable passed her distance test with flying colors Friday and may have earned herself another season on the racetrack with a 2 1/4-length victory in Friday’s $135,000 Ladies Stakes at Aqueduct.
Meanwhile, it looks like it will be a return to one-turn races for Weigh the Risks, who failed in her attempt to be successful beyond a mile on dirt, fading to fourth, beaten 7 1/4 lengths as the 2-5 favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Ladies.
Though Scalable had twice won at 1 1/16 miles, her entry in the Ladies Stakes over the seven-furlong Interborough Stakes, also run Friday, was designed to see if the 5-year-old mare could be effective going this far. Trainer Todd Pletcher said in the lead-up to the race that owner Mike Repole might be more inclined to keep Scalable in training if she was successful in the Ladies.
Jockey Kendrick Carmouche, after guiding Scalable to victory, thinks that would be a wise decision.
“You can feel the difference,” said Carmouche, who was aboard Scalable in her well-beaten second-place finish to Weigh the Risks in the one-mile Go for Wand. “We thought she ran very good going a mile on the stretch-out, but this was even better. She put herself in the race where I could do whatever I want.”
Carmouche rode Scalable similarly to how he rode Be You to victory, also for Repole and Pletcher, in the Toboggan earlier on the card. He had Scalable sitting just behind the speed horses, though he had to settle for being in the two path rather than along the rail.
Approaching the quarter pole, Carmouche moved Scalable out into the clear, three paths wide, and she took over from the pacesetting Bernietakescharge inside the eighth pole. Bernietakescharge finished second by 2 1/4 lengths over 56-1 Low Country Magic, who rode the rail all the way around.
Scalable, a daughter of Speightstown, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.32 and returned $12.50 to win. It was Pletcher’s sixth victory in the Ladies, a race that was run for the 154th time on Friday.
Weigh the Risks, who had won five of her last six starts on dirt – all around one-turn – had no visible excuse in finishing fourth.
“I had her in a good, comfortable rhythm,” jockey Manny Franco said. “She was pulling a little bit on me, but I don’t think she had much excuse.”
Two Bits wins Ruthless
Two Bits likes to run on the inside of horses. The way the Aqueduct main track has been playing this week, that’s more than an admirable trait – it’s the path to victory.
Under Jaime Rodriguez, Two Bits shot through an opening along the rail turning for home, then outdueled Interstatelovesong and Ricardo Santana Jr. – who opened up the rail in the stretch – to win the $135,000 Ruthless Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by a neck. It was 10 lengths back to Our Golden Gator in third. Shilling, the 4-5 favorite, finished fourth.
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Two Bits, a daughter of American Pharoah owned by EGL-One Racing and trained by Amelia Green, won her maiden two starts back with a similar rail run.
“She showed a lot of heart,” Green said. “Going up the rail for a filly is a tough ask and she’s done it twice now – in a maiden and today. So, very proud of her.”
Two Bits, who broke from post 4 in a six-horse field, was last early on, but Rodriguez quickly advanced her into contention along the inside down the backstretch. Two Bits was in behind Interstatelovesong, who was dueling with Shilling through a half-mile in 46.70 seconds.
Turing for home, Interstatelovesong came off the rail and Rodriguez and Two Bits were ready to pounce. Two Bits and Interstatelovesong ran together from the three-sixteenths pole to the wire, and Two Bits was able to prevail in the seven-furlong race.
“I just let her be comfortable. I was ready once Santana opened [the rail] just a hair. I went through,” Rodriguez said. “She gave me everything. The first time I rode her, I put her on the rail. I don’t know why, [but] she loves the rail.”
Two Bits covered the seven furlongs in 1:24.11 and returned $7.54 as the second choice. Shilling was the third odds-on choice in a stakes race to finish fourth on Friday’s card.
Green said Two Bits would most likely be given a chance to prove herself going two turns, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle Stakes going 1 1/8 miles here on April 4 would likely be the spot.
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