Darley homebred CRITICISM (GB) (Machiavellian) will be an overwhelming
favorite to repeat in Sunday’s $150,000
Long
Island H. (G3) at Aqueduct, a race that provided the five-year-old with her
first victory in the United States a year ago at odds of 4-1.
Despite the fact she is side-stepping next week’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare
Turf (G1), the Tom Albertrani mare established herself as one of the leading
members of the division in the east this season with scores in the Sheepshead
Bay S. (G2), La Prevoyante H. (G2) and The Very One S. (G3), as well as placings
in the Flower Bowl Invitational (G1) last time and the Orchid S. (G3) earlier in
the year.
Criticism pressed from second through a ridiculously slow pace in the Flower
Bowl, contested on very soft ground. An overlaid 10-1 following a lackluster
attempt in the Diana S. (G1), the bay opened up in the stretch to lead by 1 1/2
lengths, but could not fend off the late charge of Breeders’ Cup
candidate Pure Clan (Pure Prize). On paper, the 1 1/2-mile Long Island should be
ripe for the taking with Javier Castellano back aboard.
QUEEN OF HEARTS (Thunder Gulch), a surprising third in the Flower Bowl at
27-1, finished 1 1/4 lengths behind Criticism at the finish. The lightly-raced
four-year-old won her stakes debut at Saratoga in early August before
consecutive thirds in the Glens Falls H. (G3) and Flower Bowl. Another Glens
Falls alumnus, runner-up LEMONETTE (Lemon Drop Kid), starts for the same
owner/trainer combo that upset last week’s Raven Run S. (G2) with Satans Quick
Chick (Sky Mesa). Winner of a minor stakes at Arlington over the summer,
Lemonette was
a non-threatening seventh in the Yellow Ribbon S. (G1) last time.
BUBBLY JANE (Brz) (Yagli), a multiple Group 1 winner in her native Brazil,
has won two of three starts in the United States, with scores in the Donor S. and
Possible Mate S. book-ending a fifth in the Glens Falls. DANCE PASS (Ire)
(Sadler’s Wells), who invades from Ireland for Dermot Weld, does not look
imposing on paper with two minor stakes-placings and eligibility for a
first-level allowance. She does, however, get Lasix for the first time and will
be ridden by New York’s leading jockey Ramon Dominguez.
Sunday’s program also features the $65,000
Poker Night S. over
seven furlongs, the comeback race for YES SHE’S A LADY (Yes It’s True), who
romped by 10 lengths when taking the May 13 Deceit S. across town at Belmont
Park. The evenly-matched group of three-year-old fillies also includes stakes
winners LADY ALEXANDER (Exchange Rate) and LOVE THAT DANCE (Not for Love), the
uncoupled Bob Baffert-trained duo of UNDERGROUND (Indian Charlie) and MOTHER
RUTH (Speightstown), as well as the promising stakes-placers NOISY FEET (Tapit)
and CUVEE UNCORKED (Cuvee).