Evenly matched 3-year-olds face off in Saturday’s Discovery at Aqueduct
Evenly matched 3-year-olds face off in Saturday’s Discovery at Aqueduct
By the NY Hot List Staff // Friday, November 27
In race 3 on the Saturday card at Aqueduct, the $100,000 Grade 3 Discovery will match-up five 3-year-olds who all won their most recent races. Three of them will return to the Big A where earlier in the year they ran in one of the official prep races for the 2020 Kentucky Derby.
The 3-2 morning line favorite is Godolphin’s Shared Sense who has a Grade 2 and a Grade 3 victory for trainer Brad Cox. The well-travelled son of Street Sense will return from a two-month freshening as he runs in New York for the first time.
“We’ve sort of chosen the path less traveled,” said Jimmy Bell, President of Godolphin’s N. American operations. “He’s done fantastic this year. He’s been a bit of an overachiever. He’s run against some tough competition here, there and yonder. We gave him a bit of a breather after the last go around. It’s the last chance to run against straight 3-year-olds and there’s always some tough knockers up there in New York, so we’re giving it a chance.”
Monday Morning Qb came to Aqueduct and ran fourth in the Withers (G3) back in February for Parx based trainer Butch Reid.
“He doesn’t switch leads well turning for home and he hasn’t come out of the gate well, which is what cost him in the Withers,” said Reid. “He’s a much improved horse since then.”
Forza Di Oro won his 2020 debut last month after being away from the races since a poor performance in the Remsen (G2) in December. Bill Mott’s New York assistant Leana Willaford has been in charge of his comeback.
“He came out of the Remsen with a little problem, so we gave him a little time,” explained Willaford. “He came back and won well. We thought he was a good horse last year and I still think he is, but we had to get him over a few little speedbumps.”
Here are the Hot List picks for the Discovery:
The $100,000 Discovery (G3), Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 3.
(2) Monday Morning Qb returned to the main track at Laurel to win the Maryland Millions Classic against older horses after a failed experiment on the grass. That victory earned him a career high speed figure as he won by more than three lengths going today’s distance of nine furlongs. Trainer Butch Reid is riding high after winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. (1) Shared Sense is the horse to beat after winning the Oklahoma Derby (G3) and the Indiana Derby (G2) for Godolophin and trainer Brad Cox. He been off for two months since that win at Remington Park. (3) Forza Di Oro returned from a December layoff to rally after a slow start to win an allowance at Belmont Park for trainer Bill Mott. He earned by far the best speed figure of his career on that day. (5) Attachment Rate won an allowance at Churchill Downs by more than six lengths on a sloppy track for Dale Romans after running 14th in the Kentucky Derby. He was third in the Gotham (G3) at the Big A back in March.
Analysis of the other New York Hot List races and the Special Saturday Pick 3 are available free of charge at this website.