Chelsea Durand Photo

Master Piece seeks back-to-back victories in G2 Red Smith

by Christian Abdo

Multiple graded stakes-winner Master Piece looks for a title defense in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith, an 11-furlong inner turf test for 3-year-olds and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr., the 8-year-old Mastercraftsman ridgling took last year’s edition by a neck over multiple Grade 1-placed Soldier Rising. This May, Master Piece earned his first win since the Red Smith, capturing the local nine-furlong Grade 2 Fort Marcy by a neck over next-out graded stakes-winner Ottoman Fleet.

Master Piece [post 8, Jose Lezcano] prepared to go back-to-back in the Red Smith with a half-mile breeze in 48.63 seconds on November 1 over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“He went good. He went by himself. He breezed good and we are happy with him. He kind of showed us that he is ready. This is his kind of weather, cooler,” said Dutrow, Jr. “We are going to go over there and try to defend it.”

Dutrow, Jr. said that Master Piece, who also won the Grade 2 Eddie Read in July 2022 at Del Mar, has done some of his best running over the local green.

“He’s run big twice on this grass course. We can’t wait to watch him run again,” said Dutrow, Jr. “He’s a pleasure to be around. Every barn that he’s in, just all the people really like him because he’s such a cool, funny horse to be around.”

The gray enters from a close third in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship on September 28 at Santa Anita Park, during a trip West for owners Michael Iavarone, Julia Iavarone, Nicholas Zoumas and Frank Argano.

Bred in Chile by Haras Don Alberto, Master Piece is a near millionaire with $943,577 in earnings through a 32-8-4-5 record.

Dutrow, Jr. will also saddle Michael Dubb’s Grade 1-placed Pioneering Spirit [post 3, Manny Franco], who was haltered for $62,500 out of a close second last-out going 1 3/16 miles on October 19 here. The 5-year-old American Pharoah gelding was in the barn of Linda Rice since March 2023, highlighted by a third in the 12-furlong Grade 1 Sword Dancer last August at the Spa.

Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey will saddle the pair of dual Grade 1-placed Integration [post 2, Flavien Prat] and multiple graded stakes-placed Limited Liability [post 5, Frankie Dettori]

West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing’s Integration has made one start at the Big A and it was a five-length victory last November in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Hill Prince over eventual Grade 1-placed I’m Very Busy.

The 4-year-old Quality Road bay enters from a fourth in the 1 1/2-mile Grade 2 Turf Cup on September 7 at Kentucky Downs. That performance followed a closing second in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Arlington Million on August 11 at Colonial Downs after a 6 1/2-length score in the nine-furlong Million Preview in July there.

Integration received a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for both the Million Preview and Arlington Million - which would make him a top contender in this field should he return to that form or improve. Also among Integration’s accolades are a Colonial Downs’ nine-furlong outer turf record of 1:46.41 for a win in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby last September.

Stuart S. Janney, III’s Kentucky homebred Limited Liability was a dominant 8 1/4-length gate-to-wire winner of the 2 1/16-mile Nashville Gold Cup on September 11 at Kentucky Downs. The 5-year-old Kitten’s Joy gelding earned his first stakes win, receiving a career-best 102 Beyer for the victory.

The performance avenged a second in the 12-furlong Listed Cape Henlopen in August at Delaware Park. He also placed at the graded level this year in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup; 2023 Grade 3 Sycamore and Grade 3 Louisville; 2022 Grade 3 Virginia Derby and Grade 2 Pennine Ridge; as well as the 2021 Grade 2 Pilgrim and Grade 3 With Anticipation.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles’ multiple graded stakes-winning New York-bred City Man [post 4, Joel Rosario] returns quickly from a second in the 1 1/16-mile state-bred Mohawk on October 27 here, where he was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Spirit of St Louis .

Bred by Moonstar Farm, the Christophe Clement-trained 7-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man holds an 11-for-36 record that features wins in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale and Grade 3 Forbidden Apple in 2022. City Man received Champion NYTB Turf Male honors in 2022-23.

Patricia L. Moseley’s Kentucky homebred Curbstone [post 1, John Velazquez] enters from a top effort in his 23-race career when a half-length second in the two-mile John Forbes on October 19 at Far Hills.

Trained by Tom Morley, the Street Sense bay doubled in distance from a one-turn mile optional claiming seventh in September here. Off at odds of 59-1 in the Forbes, Curbstone set the pace before being nailed by Grade 2-winning and turf marathon veteran The Grey Wizard.

Curbstone is out of the stakes-placed Arch mare Archstone and is a half-brother to multiple graded stakes-winner Proctor’s Ledge, as well as the stakes-placed Mission Driven and stakes-placed hurdler Hanno. He has banked $345,920 through a record of 23-5-5-0.

Rounding out the field is Grade 1-winner Adhamo [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] who runs as a first time gelding for four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown; stakes-placed Daunt [post 7, Javier Castellano] for trainer Robert Ribaudo; and allowance-winner Rebel Red [post 9, Jose Ortiz] for conditioner Cherie DeVaux.

The Red Smith is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card that also features the Grade 3, $200,000 Hill Prince [Race 5] and Listed $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship [Race 8]. First post is 11:40 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/.

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