Parker Boone steps up in $500K NYSSS Great White Way 

Cash is King and LC Racing’s Parker Boone makes his stakes debut in Saturday’s $500,0000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., Parker Boone earned a field-best 77 Beyer Speed Figure for his sparkling gate-to-wire score in an open maiden special weight on November 4 at Parx. There, the New York-bred Solomini chestnut zipped through splits of 22.36 seconds and 46.29 under returning rider Mychel Sanchez en route to a 12 1/4-length victory in a final time of 1:12.36.

Reid, Jr. said he had high hopes for Parker Boone on debut.

“He's a big, strong horse and trained very well against some good ones we have around here, so we had a pretty good idea that he was going to give a good account of himself,” Reid, Jr. said. “The best thing about him is he has a good head on his shoulders - we knew none of it would be too big for him and he acted great in the paddock and pre-race. He passed all those tests with flying colors and he's ready to move on to the next step.”

Parker Boone [post 2, Mychel Sanchez], bred by Spruce Lane Farm, America’s Pastime Stable, and J. Gardella et. Al., Parker Boone, was a $100,000 purchase by Chuck Zacney’s Cash is King Racing at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

“Chuck Zacney and his advisors found the horse. It's obvious when you see him why they liked him at the sale,” Reid, Jr. said. “He's a big, powerfully built horse - deep through the chest with big hind parts on him. He's an impressive looking horse to say the least.”

Reid, Jr. said they took their time with Parker Boone with one eye on the lucrative Great White Way – having nearly captured the event’s sister race, the $500,000 Fifth Avenue, in 2021 with the Cash is King co-owned Morning Matcha, who ran second to Yo Cuz.

“By July we were already talking about this race coming up. We tried not to rush him and line it up and get a good race under his belt before this New York stallion race comes up,” Reid, Jr. said. “We almost won the filly version of this race a couple years ago with Morning Matcha. It's a weekend I've had circled on my calendar every year and it's nice to get one there.”

Parker Boone worked a solo half-mile Saturday in 51.23 seconds over the Parx dirt, following up on a sharp half-mile in company in 48.82 on November 23.

“He went nice and easy. He went the half in 49 and change and under restraint,” Reid, Jr. said. “It was a good little leg stretcher to set him up for next week. He had his more serious work last week in company.”

Reid, Jr. said Parker Boone, who is named after the grandson of a friend of Chuck Zacney, should appreciate the added distance.

“He trains just as far as we want to here and has handled everything we've thrown at him very well. His exercise rider thinks the further the better for him. We shall see,” Reid, Jr. said.

Parker Boone is a half-brother to multiple stakes-placed No Sabe Nada. He is out of the winning More Than Ready mare Christmas Cove, a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Coal Play. His graded stakes-winning third dam Tara Roma produced dual graded stakes-winners Cappuchino and Sierra Lake.

Trainer Anthony Ferraro will send out a strong pair in undefeated stakes-winner Muscle Shoals [post 8, Jaime Rodriguez] and maiden winner Hey Pal [post 11, Keiber Coa].

Ferraro is fresh off a successful title defense at his Finger Lakes base where he led all trainers with 68 wins to secure his fourth overall title.

“It was a fantastic season,” Ferraro said. “I'm blessed to have a very good crew. My assistant, Jesus Merced, has done a terrific job. All the people that work for our team is the reason everything works so well.”

Stonegate Racing Stables’ New York-homebred Muscle Shoals, by Redesdale, is perfect in two starts under jockey Luis Perez, beginning with a gate-to-wire two-length maiden score sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs over fast and sealed footing on November 3 at Finger Lakes.

“He's done everything right since the day I got him and he just seems to get better and better,” Ferraro said.

The bay gelding returned one week later to post a stalking 5 1/2-length score in the six-furlong Tin Cup Chalice over sloppy and sealed going.

“It was an easy race for him. We wanted to see how he could settle and get behind horses and he did everything we asked of him. When he did ask him, he just exploded, and Luis Perez just sat on him the last 70 yards,” Ferraro said.

Muscle Shoals is out of the winning Maclean’s Music mare Chevy to the Levy [45-8-7-4, $188,211], while his second dam is Grade 1-placed Secret Scheme.

Hey Pal, a New York-homebred for Ferraro, has made four starts at Finger Lakes, beginning with a trio of sprint efforts that included a runner-up debut on September 1 against open company ahead of fourth-place finishes in state-bred stakes in the Aspirant on September 22 and the New York Breeders’ Futurity on October 13.

The Bustin Stones chestnut stretched out to one-mile last out against open company and showed the way in an impressive 12 1/4-length maiden over a muddy and sealed main track that earned a 63 Beyer.

“As we kept learning about him, we knew the further he went the better he was going to be, hence the reason we took him out to a mile to break his maiden,” Ferraro said. “The timing of that race was perfect for this race and also for him to get his confidence up going seven-eighths, which he should like a lot.”

Muscle Shoals, Hey Pal and the filly Lifeisbutadream, who is entered in Saturday’s $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue, worked a half-mile in company in 48.30 seconds November 25 at Finger Lakes. They are scheduled to work together again on Monday at Belmont Park.

“I worked all three together. I like them to work in hand, and all stay together - the ones that can go on with it, we let them gallop out strong, and all three of them galloped out strong together. It was an extremely good work for all of them,” Ferraro said.

Ferraro said he is hopeful he can continue to develop horses that fit the lucrative New York-sired program.

“I think the New York program is the best in the country and with me being the breeder of Hey Pal, it is very exciting. I have two mares and I'm looking to add one or two more so I can breed in New York and hopefully continue to race in these type of races,” Ferraro said.

Hey Pal, a half-brother to stakes-placed Eros’s Girl, is out of the stakes-placed Freud mare Aspree. His third dam is Grade 2-winner Thirst for Peace.

Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Winners Win and Mark Parkinson’s Spirit of New York [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] will make his dirt debut for trainer Adam Rice.

The Honest Mischief gelding had made four starts on turf, scoring first out on July 16 at Saratoga Race Course in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint versus fellow New York-breds. He followed with a 4 3/4-length third as the mutuel favorite versus open company in the Skidmore one month later at the Spa.

Spirit of New York broke through at stakes level here in September, stalking and pouncing to a half-length win in the six-furlong Bertram F. Bongard against fellow state-breds. He will make his dirt debut following a 1 1/4-length fourth in the one-mile state-bred Notebook on November 14 at the Big A.

Spirit of New York, bred by Magic Oaks Farm, is out of the Candy Ride mare Unbroken Spirit. His fourth dam is Reine-de-Course mare Weekend Surprise, who produced the pair of multiple graded stakes-winning influential stallions A.P. Indy - a Hall of Famer - and Summer Squall.

An impressive overflow field includes dual stakes-placed Diamond Child [post 4, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Melanie Giddings; maiden winners Chummers [post 1, Flavien Prat] for trainer Ray Handal and Froutien [post 3, John Velazquez, blinkers ON] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; and maidens Pure Mischief [post AE15 , Jose Gomez] for conditioner Adrianne DeVaux, True Legend [post 5, Manny Franco] for trainer George Weaver, Sunday Boy [post 9, Chris Elliott] for conditioner Jim Ryerson, Takahama [post 12, Joel Cruz, blinkers ON] for trainer Jose Armando Rohena, Combat Mission [post 13, Kendrick Carmouche, blinkers ON] for trainer John Kimmel, Hurricane Kaz [post 14, Silvestre Gonzalez] for trainer Dimitrios Synnefias, the John Terranova-trained Dinghy Bar [post 10, Katie Davis] as well as the pair of Sicilian Dancer [post 6, Luis Rivera, Jr.] and Take a Stance [post AE15, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Michelle Nevin.

The NYSSS Great White Way is slated as Race 11 on Saturday’s lucrative 11-race program, which also features its sister race, the $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue for eligible state-sired juvenile fillies, in Race 8. The stakes-laden card is headlined by the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile in Race 10 and also offers the Grade 3, $250,000 Elite Power [Race 5], as well as pair of Grade 2, $250,000 stakes for 2-year-olds in the Demoiselle [Race 3], for fillies offering 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-five finishers and the Remsen [Race 9], a 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifier. First post is 11:20 a.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.