Trainer Christophe Clement has entered a formidable trio in Lady Edith, Honey Pants, and Hit the Woah in the $150,000 Autumn Days Stakes, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for older fillies and mares Nov. 27 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Autumn Days, slated for race 8, is part of an action-packed nine-race card that includes the $150,000 Discovery Stakes in race 7 and the $120,000 Tepin Stakes in race 6.
Abbondanza Racing and Omar Aldabbagh's graded-placed Lady Edith (post 9, Joel Rosario) is likely to be the most fancied by the betting public of Clement's starters after a three-length score in the six-furlong Floral Park Stakes Oct. 16. With Joel Rosario up, the 4-year-old Street Boss chestnut stalked the early pace of stablemate Too Sexy before drawing away to a comfortable victory.
Clement said the six-furlong distance is perfect for the five-time winner.
Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's multiple stakes-placed Honey Pants (post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.) makes her first start since a closing fifth-place finish in the five-furlong Sensible Lady Turf Dash Stakes Sept. 24 over firm footing at Pimlico Race Course.
"Finally, she is going to get to run six furlongs," Clement said, noting she is at her best on firm ground.
Hoolie Racing Stable and Madaket Stables' stakes-placed Hit the Woah (post 6, Javier Castellano) closed to finish second to returning rival Athwaaq last out in a six-furlong allowance optional claimer Nov. 4.
The Clement trio faces a challenge from Perry Harrison's multiple graded stakes winner Change of Control, who returns to her best surface on turf after running ninth on synthetic in the Sept. 19 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2).
Annette Allen's graded stakes winner Stolen Holiday and Lawrence Goichman's multiple graded stakes-placed Star Devine are other contenders.
Pletcher Starts Saint Tapit, Be Better in Search of Seventh Discovery Win
In early Sunday stakes action, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle two contenders, Saint Tapit and Be Better, in hopes of securing a record-extending seventh victory in the $150,000 Discovery, a 1 1/8-mile main track test for sophomores.
Saint Tapit, a royally-bred son of Tapit out of 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, will look to improve from a last-out third-place effort in an Oct. 20 allowance optional claimer at Keeneland. There, he rallied from sixth-of-12 to finish 5 3/4 lengths back of the victorious Trademark.
Be Better, the more seasoned of the two Pletcher runners, arrives from an off-the-board finish when trying turf for the first time in the Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) Oct. 22 during the Belmont at the Big A meet. The dark bay son of Uncle Mo stalked four lengths off the pace in fifth and improved to be third at the three-quarters call, but faded to ninth at the stretch call and was defeated 4 1/2 lengths by the winning Celestial City.
Paradise Farms and David Staudacher's New York-bred Barese will test open company after finishing on the board in three consecutive outings against fellow state-breds. Trained by Mike Maker, Barese was last seen finishing a close third in the Empire Classic Stakes on Oct. 30.
The Discovery immediately follows the Tepin, where Bass Stables' Agua Dulce will look to continue an upward trajectory in the one-mile race over the Aqueduct Racetrack inner turf for Pletcher.
She takes on a deep field led by the stakes-placed Alluring Angel, fourth in the Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) in her most recent start.
Aqueduct Racetrack, Sunday, November 27, 2022, Race 8Entries: Autumn Days S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Stolen Holiday (KY) Jose Lezcano 125 Claude R. McGaughey III 6/1 2 2Change of Control (KY) Colby J. Hernandez 125 Michelle Lovell 4/1 3 3Can't Buy Love (KY) Paco Lopez 122 Michael J. Trombetta 15/1 4 4Honey Pants (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Christophe Clement 8/1 5 5Gogo Shoes (KY) Dylan Davis 120 Michael J. Maker 15/1 6 6Hit the Woah (KY) Javier Castellano 122 Christophe Clement 10/1 7 7Mail Order (ON) Junior Alvarado 122 William I. Mott 10/1 8 8Lemos Cunha (KY) Kendrick Carmouche 120 Eduardo Caramori 30/1 9 9Lady Edith (KY) Joel Rosario 125 Christophe Clement 5/2 10 10Star Devine (IRE) Jose L. Ortiz 120 Jorge R. Abreu 6/1 11 11Athwaaq (KY) Eric Cancel 120 Lolita Shivmangal 15/1 12 12Betsy Blue (NY) Jose Lezcano 122 Linda Rice 7/5 13 13Self Isolation (CA) Jose L. Ortiz 122 David Jacobson 3/1 14 14Snicket (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 David P. Duggan 6/1 15 15Itsakeyper (NY) Manuel Franco 120 Thomas Albertrani 20/1
Aqueduct Racetrack, Sunday, November 27, 2022, Race 7Entries: Discovery S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Be Better (KY) Dylan Davis 118 Todd A. Pletcher 9/2 2 2Naval Aviator (KY) Abner Adorno 118 Michael E. Jones, Jr. 4/1 3 3Barese (NY) Manuel Franco 120 Michael J. Maker 5/1 4 4Winit (KY) Kendrick Carmouche 118 John C. Kimmel 7/2 5 5Affable Monarch (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Jorge Duarte, Jr. 6/1 6 6Eloquist (KY) Paco Lopez 120 Robert E. Reid, Jr. 12/1 7 7Saint Tapit (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Todd A. Pletcher 5/2
Aqueduct Racetrack, Sunday, November 27, 2022, Race 6Entries: Tepin S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Sweetlou'sgotaces (KY) Joel Rosario 118 Raymond Handal 7/2 2 2Bulsara (KY) Kendrick Carmouche 120 Michael J. Trombetta 15/1 3 3The Classy One (NJ) Junior Alvarado 120 Kelly J. Breen 10/1 4 4Private Credit (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Chad C. Brown 9/2 5 5Lifelovenlaughter (MD) Paco Lopez 120 Michael J. Trombetta 10/1 6 6Smokie Eyes (NY) Dylan Davis 120 Christophe Clement 5/1 7 7Thirty Thou Kelvin (KY) Jose Lezcano 120 Jorge R. Abreu 12/1 8 8Agua Dulce (GB) Javier Castellano 120 Todd A. Pletcher 12/1 9 9Alluring Angel (GB) Jose L. Ortiz 120 Jorge R. Abreu 5/2 10 10Next Episode (MD) J. D. Acosta 122 Niall Saville 30/1 11 11Gambling Girl (NY) Rider TBA 122 Todd A. Pletcher 7/2 12 12La Vita Sofia (KY) Rider TBA 120 Rudy R. Rodriguez 8/1 13 13Interpolate (KY) Rider TBA 120 Chad C. Brown 2/1 14 14Shidabhuti (KY) Rider TBA 120 Chad C. Brown 3/1
