in Triple Crown Articles

Good things come in small packages, they say, and the action last week at Aqueduct was on the minute scale. Only four days of racing occurred as the Sunday card was scrapped and the remainder of the Saturday program was cancelled after a bad spill in Saturday’s 5th race.

Thursday’s card was also marred when leading riders Ramon Dominguez, Jose Santos and Eddie Martin Jr. were involved in an accident. More on that fiasco later.

As far as where the winners came from all week, the activity started with velocity as usual. Speed was purely king. The first three races Wednesday went to wire-to-wire heroes, and it didn’t change much throughout the day. No horse Wednesday came from farther than two and a half lengths after the first quarter mile to win.

A few to watch from the opening card of the week included the winner of the third, A True Pussycat. This filly showed a new dimension on the front and she moves up in leaps and bounds if somebody spits on the track. Two long shots on the day must be watched back since they ran super against the speed bias.

Freedom Ridge was getting to A True Pussycat at boxcars and she is strictly an inner strip specialist. Show of Colors almost overcame a horrible start to cash but settled for a second in the 4th race at a huge price, while homebred Dream Runner may have a future with Empire-breds. He was born for speed with Phone Trick influence on the bottom side, is out of a winning dam, and has a right to be versatile as his sire won short, long and on turf.

The gods of speed hung around for the Thursday card, too. The first four winners took them flag fall to that’s all and the 8th race winner did the same thing. The other winners came pretty much from left field and included a $108.50 early Christmas present in Becky’s Flute, a Laurel shipper who was coming off a dull Maryland race.

Several on the Thursday card must be watched right back. Straightup Twelve lost all chance at the start when he was pinched back and could make amends for flop as the chalk next time. Sunset Cocktail could show in Philly soon but she is the type of runner that gets super brave with a lonely lead. Lets Get Going is sitting on the maiden diploma. He was compromised by the bad start the first time for a price tag and only needs to break with his field to get there.

If your style was off the pace and you entered Friday at Aqueduct, you were in deep trouble. Once again, you had to be on or near the lead to have any chance at cashing. Six favorites won during the parade. Still, there were a couple of performances that were noteworthy, and some maidens must be considered later on.

Highly Spoken takes breakfast at a sneaky good stable and he is bred to go long on turf, not short on the inner strip. Look for some more education and for him to cash at a price in the spring. Three Shots, formerly in the good hands of Mike Mitchell, and Wild Debutante, who goes from one good barn to the Scott Lake factory, will both be super tough next time seen in the afternoon.

By the time the weekend rolled around, the track changed a bit. Only five races were run Saturday but none were won on the front end. Every year, runners that return from Florida have an edge in New York and that trend has already begun. Jackie Gleason’s adage How Sweet It Is was super cold in the Sunshine State, yet graduated last week like a colt that can improve. And give him an extra look if the track comes up soft next time. Three of his dam’s ten wins came in the off going.

As the meet rolls on, bettors better get a price before thinking about throwing it down on any deep closers.

The emergency room was the topic among jockeys in New York last week. Alleged poor care at Jamaica Hospital, where protocol demands at the facility, prompted the riding stoppage. Jockeys want to have the say in where they get care, and you can’t blame them.

Policy may be changed but the feeling of the riders overall was expressed in the Daily News by jockey Mike Luzzi: “To me, I would like the 20-minute ride compared to the 10-minute ride. If there is a qualified paramedic in the ambulance that needs to do CPR, I’m satisfied with that. If I’m not breathing, take me to the nearest hospital -- and that’s the way we all feel.”

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