The $147,000
Red Smith H. (G3) was transferred from the turf to Aqueduct’s
main track on Saturday, shortening the affair from 1 3/8 miles to 1 1/4 miles
and triggering the usual flurry of scratches. Main track only entrant
NAUGHTY NEW YORKER (Quiet American) made the most of his opportunity, dictating
a leisurely pace on an uncontested lead en route to a 1 3/4-length victory.
Under shrewd handling by Jean-Luc Samyn, the Patrick Kelly charge set splits of
:26, :51 4/5, 1:16 2/5, 1:40 4/5 and stopped the teletimer in 2:04 2/5 on the
fast track. Because of the surface switch, the Red Smith was downgraded from
Grade 2 to Grade 3 status, pending review by the North American Graded Stakes
Committee.
Fellow main track only entrant Angliana (Giant’s Causeway) raced in second
throughout, and although the 8-5 favorite tried to challenge the front-running
winner, he was ultimately forced to settle for runner-up honors. It was another
five lengths back to Crown Point (Honor Grades) in third, trailed by Chilly
Rooster (Arch) and Request for Parole (Judge T C).
Dispatched as the nearly 2-1 second choice, the winner returned $5.90, $3.10
and $2.50 while keying the $11.60 exacta and $24.80 trifecta (14-15-4). Angliana
gave back $2.80 and $2.20, and the 4-1 Crown Point yielded $2.70 to show.
Spider Power (Ire) (Royal Applause [GB]), Kurm (Ire) (Grand Lodge), Rousing
Victory (Victory Gallop), Embossed (Ire) (Mark of Esteem [Ire]), Dreadnaught
(Lac Ouimet), Dave (Ends Well), Islero Noir (Fr) (Septieme Ciel), Grand
Couturier (GB) (Grand Lodge), Always First (GB) (Barathea [Ire]), Green Lemon
(Lemon Drop Kid) and Bee Charmer (Ire) (Anabaa) were all withdrawn in the
aftermath of the surface switch.
“With the amount of rain we had this week, there was a certain part of the
turf course on the backside that remained very soft,” said John Passero,
director of racing surfaces for the New York Racing Association. “I wasn’t happy
with it and didn’t feel it would be safe for the horses and jockeys. The course
will probably be ready sometime next week, weather permitting.”
Naughty New Yorker was racking up his sixth career stakes score, but his
first outside of New York-bred company. The Fox Ridge Farm colorbearer landed
the 2004 Damon Runyon S. as a juvenile, added the Albany S. and Mike Lee S. last
season as a sophomore, and garnered the Noble Nashua S. and General Douglas
MacArthur H. in 2006. The four-year-old bay lists eight stakes placings on his
resume, most notably third-place efforts in the 2005 Jerome H. (G2) and Gotham
S. (G3). His mark now stands at 27-7-5-5, $608,802.
Bred in the Empire State by Dr. William B. Wilmot and Dr. Joan M. Taylor,
Naughty New Yorker was purchased by his current owners for $145,000 at the 2004
OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. The winner is out of the Known Fact
mare Naughty Natisha, making him a half-brother to stakes victress and Grade
2-placed Pupil (Unbridled), an unnamed yearling colt by Lemon Drop Kid and a bay
weanling filly by Yes It’s True.