Flood Zone earns 98 BSF for G3 Gotham win

• Flood Zone earns 98 BSF for G3 Gotham win
• Beckman adds Listed Busher winner Drexel Hill to trio of Oaks fillies
• Full Moon Madness earns 98 BSF for G3 Tom Fool, points to G2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets
• Bank Frenzy registers fifth-consecutive 90+ BSF in Listed Stymie score

Wathnan Racing’s Flood Zone announced his presence on the Kentucky Derby trail with a 3 1/4-length score in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Gotham awarded the top-five finishers 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Making his first start for dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox following a private purchase, the Frosted bay led narrowly under Reylu Gutierrez through an opening quarter-mile in 23.86 seconds over the fast track, before letting Normandy Coast and the favored Sand Devil take over. The splits of 47.97 and 1:13.69 tired Normandy Coast, but Flood Zone had plenty left to storm to victory over New York-bred Sand Devil in a final time of 1:39.62 – registering a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

“It was a very good performance from Flood Zone. He came back good,” said Dustin Dugas, Cox’s New York-based assistant.

Flood Zone came from the care of trainer Victor Barboza, Jr., who saddled him to graduate second-out versus fellow Florida-breds sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on January 4 at Gulfstream Park, which netted an 85 Beyer before being sold.
Lady Sheila Stable, Net Birdie and Schwing Thoroughbreds’ New York-bred and New York-sired multiple stakes-winner Sacrosanct finished eighth after stalking midpack early and weakening.

“He came back good. He was just in kind of a little deep there. Maybe we hit the reset button and go back to New York-bred races,” Dugas said.

It was the formerly 4-for-4 Honest Mischief bay’s first start since a victory in the seven-furlong NYSSS Great White Way on December 14 here. He also won the local state-bred Bertram F. Bongard and Sleepy Hollow in September and October, respectively.

Michael Dubb’s Top Gunner was a pacesetting third in the Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool, a six-furlong sprint for older horses. The 8-year-old Into Mischief gelding entered from an optional-claiming score at the same distance on January 16 which earned a career-best 104 Beyer.

“He’s good. I thought he ran his race. It seems like it was a nice little effort from him,” said Dugas. “He’s a decent little horse who always shows up. There were just some decent horses in that race yesterday. Maybe a little bounce off [his last effort], but I thought he ran good, he ran his race but definitely ran a huge one last out.”

Top Gunner was claimed for $62,500 out of a third-place effort in August at Saratoga Race Course. In six efforts for Cox, he has won the Parx Sprint and the aforementioned optional-claimer, in addition to thirds in the Tom Fool and Listed Fall Highweight on November 29 here, which he was awarded second purse money for.

Jeffrey Drown and Don Rachel’s Sharp Smile was a distant sixth in Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Busher, a one-turn mile for sophomore fillies. The Practical Joke gray just missed out of the 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks points on offer, but she did pick up six points previously for a third in the $125,000 Busanda in January here.

“She’s doing good. No excuses for her. She ran her race, just was a cut below, I guess,” said Dugas.

***
Beckman adds Listed Busher winner Drexel Hill to trio of Oaks fillies

Legion Racing’s Drexel Hill overcame a stumbled start to post a rallying score in Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Busher Invitational, a one-turn mile for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

In victory, the Whit Beckman trainee secured the maximum allotment of 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points on offer and joined stablemates Simply Joking and Her Laugh as top contenders for the Lilies for the Fillies on the first Friday in May at Churchill Downs.

Drexel Hill, with Ben Curtis up, stumbled just after the break and bumped with a rival before trailing in seventh position as She’s Fascinating and Volleyballprincess dueled through splits of 23.64 seconds and 47.68 over the fast main track. Curtis urged Drexel Hill into contention into the turn and made a four-wide move to have new leader Amarth and Volleyballprincess in their sights. Drexel Hill was asked by Curtis to drop in and split rivals as the field straightened away, closing strongly as she passed Amarth in the final strides to win by three-quarter-lengths in a final time of 1:41.46. The winning effort registered a 79 Beyer Speed Figure.

Beckman said Drexel Hill eventually handled having blinkers off, the move to one turn and a cutback in distance following a third-place finish in the one-mile and 70-yard Silverbulletday on January 18 at Fair Grounds.

“It was a little bit of a gamble on the cutback, but we got it figured out and hopefully when we get her back around two turns it won't be so gut-wrenching,” Beckman said. “The first half-mile of the race didn't go the way we were hoping between the break and her lack of enthusiasm down the backside - it wasn't real comforting going to the turn, but it took a 180 on us and things went the right way from there.

“Ben came wide around the turn and straightened out from there and those horses gave her enough room that she didn't really have to alter course, just went right through them,” Beckman added. “As far as horse racing goes, you need a little luck, and it all came together with that stretch run.”

The $50,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase launched her career at Woodbine with four starts over Tapeta for trainer Barbara Minshall, including a six-length graduation in November sprinting seven furlongs. Drexel Hill then joined the Beckman barn and tried a pair of one mile and 70-yard Oaks preps at Fair Grounds, landing fifth behind the victorious Her Laugh in the Untapable in December and third to the victorious Simply Joking in the aforementioned Silverbulletday.

Beckman added blinkers and a Haughton bit to Drexel Hill’s repertoire for the Silverbulletday.

“Early on she wanted to pull to the inside just slightly and that kind of bit gives a little more control on the steering,” Beckman explained. “In her first start for us, she put herself in a bad spot and it was tough to get her off the rail.

“We made a couple equipment adjustments in the Silverbulletday to add blinkers and a different bit,” Beckman continued. “I thought we kind of overshot the mark, she got a little too keen in the Silverbulletday and put herself really close - closer than I anticipated. In her training between this race and the Silverbulletday we pulled the blinkers off, and she was working really well, super relaxed and doing everything comfortably on her own, so we didn't think the blinkers were going to be necessary in the Busher.”

Bred in Kentucky by Tuscany Bloodstock, Drexel Hill, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Regaled, is out of the Daaher mare Ascot Walk. She has banked $180,520 through a 7-2-2-1 record and is now third on the Oaks leaderboard with 57 points.

Beckman noted that Drexel Hill exited the effort in good order and will ship back to Turfway Park on Monday. The next local option for Drexel Hill would be the nine-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle on April 5, a 100-50-25-15-10 Oaks qualifier. 

“We've got nine weeks to the Oaks and ideally, you'd like to give her another start,” Beckman said. “We'll see how she reacts when we get her back home. An extra eighth of a mile going around two turns should give her a little more time to work everything out.”

Beckman said that Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner and Berkels0813’s Simply Joking [20 points] will look to extend her record to 3-for-3 in either the Fantasy [100-50-25-15-10] on March 29 at Oaklawn or the Ashland [100-50-25-15-10] on April 4 at Keeneland; while Grantley Acres’ Kentucky homebred Her Laugh [20 points] will point to the Fair Grounds Oaks [100-50-25-15-10] on March 22.

Beckman noted that graded stakes-winner Honor Marie, who finished fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in June and was last seen finishing off-the-board in the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers in August at Saratoga Race Course, is likely to return in an allowance route next month.

Owned by Ribble Farms, Michael Eiserman, Earl I. Silver, Kenneth Fishbein and Dave Fishbein, the 4-year-old Honor Code colt has trained extensively at Fair Grounds since January, including a half-mile breeze Saturday in 49.20.

“He's doing fantastic,” Beckman said. “He's really moving well and we're really happy with his overall development and progress here as a 4-year-old. We're looking to get him back by the end of Fair Grounds or maybe an April start at Oaklawn or Keeneland. We'll look for the right distance and the right race, which is going to be an allowance. Hopefully, we'll slowly tread into deeper waters throughout the year from there.”

Honor Marie, who won the 2023 Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs, has banked $638,675 through an 8-2-2-0 ledger.

***
Full Moon Madness earns 98 BSF for G3 Tom Fool, points to G2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets

Jay Em Ess Stable’s Kentucky homebred Full Moon Madness pressed the pace, dueled with the favored Top Gunner, and turned away the bid of Surveillance to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool, a six-furlong sprint for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 1 1/4-length win was a full-circle moment for trainer Michelle Nevin, as the 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding is out of the dual Grade 1-winning Indian Charlie mare By the Moon, who captured the 2014 Frizette and 2017 Ballerina on the NYRA-circuit for the same connections.

“It is great. Any kind of win is great,” Nevin said, with a laugh. “We are very happy. We are very excited.”

Nevin confirmed Full Moon Madness exited the race in good order, adding that a potential next race is the seven-furlong Grade 2, $300,000 Carter presented by NYRA Bets on April 5 here. The performance earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

“So far, so good,” Nevin said. “That [the Carter] is definitely an option. We will nominate like everybody else and see what is happening. That is definitely a possibility.”

Nevin added that the Carter’s seven furlongs is a question mark for Full Moon Madness, but he will point to the race. He entered the Tom Fool from a third at that distance in the Listed Toboggan on February 1, where he was off a half-step slow.

“I’m not sure that seven-eighths is his favorite distance. It seems that six furlongs, he’s been very, very good at. He has run well going seven-eighths. I’m not sure if it was the distance or the fact he just wasn’t breaking any good,” Nevin explained.

Full Moon Madness, a close runner-up in the one-mile Grade 3 Nashua as a juvenile, made the grade in his second attempt, piloted by Kendrick Carmouche. He entered from the aforementioned Toboggan third and a close second in the six-furlong Listed Gravesend on December 28.

“His last two starts he really didn’t break any good. That probably cost him. Yesterday, we were lucky enough that Kendrick was able to get him out of there pretty good. I think that was the key,” said Nevin. “I just said to play the break. That was it.”

Sanford Goldfarb, Louth Racing and Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons Racing’s Soundbite was another strong local performer for Nevin on Thursday. The 4-year-old daughter of Audible dueled for the lead in a one-turn mile allowance before going clear and winning by a widening 8 3/4 lengths.

“She came out of her race good. She is doing well. She is nice and bright and happy,” said Nevin. “We will have to see where to go next with her.”

Soundbite was making her second start for Nevin since being claimed for $40,000 out of an eighth-out graduation on January 10 here. She earned a career-best 82 Beyer Thursday.

“I’d really like that,” Nevin said of a potential stakes future. “It would be great if she could climb the ladder to do something like that, but for right now, I think we will just take baby steps and see how it goes.”

 

***
Bank Frenzy registers fifth-consecutive 90+ BSF in Listed Stymie score

LSU Stables’ New York-bred Bank Frenzy picked up his first open-company stakes win with a 3 1/2-length score in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Stymie, a one-turn mile for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, the 5-year-old Central Banker gelding brushed the gate at the start and trailed in sixth-of-8 early before making an ambitious wide move through the turn under Manny Franco. Bank Frenzy opened up by four lengths at the stretch call and edged clear to a 3 1/2-length victory over a rallying Worcester.

“I was worried when he got squeezed, but he recovered very quickly,” Rodriguez said. “It only took a couple steps to get him back into his rhythm. I was very happy to see him do that. He was training very good into the race.”

Bank Frenzy, bred by Chester and Mary Broman, had previously captured a pair of one-mile state-bred stakes, taking the Evan Shipman Handicap under Flavien Prat in August over muddy going at Saratoga Race Course and the local Alex M. Robb last out on December 28 over sloppy and sealed footing.

“The time off was good for him – he put some weight on, and he ran the way we expected him to,” Rodriguez said. “It was a great effort from him and good to see. We’re lucky to have him in the barn for sure.

“He looks good this morning,” Rodriguez added. “He looks full of himself and it’s good to see him like that.”

The victory marked the fifth straight Beyer Speed Figure in the 90s for Bank Frenzy, who earned back-to-back 97s here for a runner-up effort in the Empire Classic in October and an open optional-claiming win on November 23.

“I thought he would get more than a 90 Beyer to tell you the truth,” Rodriguez said. “He was squeezed in and had to go a little wide in the turn, but it looked like he was in control from the five-eighths pole.

“To me, it was probably the best effort I’ve seen him run,” Rodriguez added. “In Saratoga when Prat rode him, he ran a great race, but yesterday I thought he did great…Manny was very pleased and said he was ready to roll from the five-eighths pole. As soon as he took him outside, he switched leads good, and Manny didn’t even have to touch him.”

A next possible option for Bank Frenzy could be the state-bred $125,000 Haynesfield traveling one-mile on April 6 here.

“We’ll enjoy this race for the next couple of days and then talk to the owners and see what it looks like,” Rodriguez said.