A big Monday card at Finger Lakes features a pair of rich events for New York-bred juveniles, plus a solid lineup of older mainstays in the third stakes on the card. It promises to be a solid day of action – with or without Frankie Dettori.
Impressive debut winner Bostontonian and stakes-placed Soontobeking top the field for the $131,892 Aspirant Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old colts and geldings. That race and its sister event, the $98,912 Lady Finger Stakes, serve as local preps for one of the season’s biggest events at the Farmington, N.Y., track, the $200,000-added New York Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 21.
The Futurity, first run in 1963, will highlight a four-stakes card that will include the finales in the track’s various claiming series for its bread-and-butter horses.
The internationally acclaimed Dettori was named to ride his first races at Finger Lakes, with the call on Bostontonian for Wesley Ward in the Aspirant, and Mischief Lady for Eddie Barker in the Lady Finger. However, Dettori suffered a dislocated right shoulder Thursday at Aqueduct. He was off his mounts Friday, and his status is day-to-day.
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With or without Dettori, Bostontonian figures to be well-regarded in the Aspirant for prominent juvenile conditioner Ward. The colt, from the final crop of Bernardini, was a 1 1/2-length debut winner in June at Churchill Downs. He was scratched out of a stakes spot in August at Saratoga and has been working steadily.
Soontobeking, trained by George Weaver, was a second-out maiden winner at Aqueduct before finishing fifth against open company in the Grade 3 Sanford. Moving to statebred stakes company, he led late in the Funny Cide on Aug. 25 at Saratoga before being caught by a nose by Mo Plex, the Sanford winner.
Soontobeking is from the first crop of stakes winner King for a Day, an Uncle Mo horse who is a well-regarded New York freshman stallion. The sire also is represented here by King’s Leap, a fourth-out maiden winner at Finger Lakes after two thirds on the NYRA circuit. Second and third to him locally were Cast a Coin and Brink, both in this field as maidens.
Finger Lakes debut winner Mr. Sugar Daddy and debut starters Arch’s Assault, Don Luis, and Yoheda Money Maker complete the field.
The six-horse field for the Lady Finger includes local maiden winners Idyll Gossip, Triple Sweet, and Who’s Got the Tip. Idyll Gossip earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 57, tied for best in this field with one of the three maidens entered. Stone Smuggler earned that number when a well-beaten second at Saratoga; Princess Mischief was third in that race.
Stone Smuggler, Princess Mischief, and Dettori’s call, Mischief Lady, are all by New York freshman sire Honest Mischief, a fleet son of leading sire Into Mischief.
The $50,000 Leon Reed Memorial matches older statebred sprinters. Allure of Money is a three-time stakes winner locally, including the New York Derby and Reed Memorial in 2023. Not quite running up to his best form this year, he starts as a first-time gelding.
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Rotknee has won six New York-bred stakes, including the 2022 Ontario County here, and is Grade 3-placed against open company. However, he was most recently sixth in the John Morrissey Handicap at Saratoga behind victorious Looms Boldly, the 2023 Ontario County winner who also is in this field.
Lady’s Golden Guy won the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Reed Memorial and was third last year. Stablemate Jak N Burny is a stakes winner at Finger Lakes this year.
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