Susie Raisher Photo

Works for Me may work out a win in $135K Carle Place

by Christian Abdo

KatieRich Stables, Christopher Connors and Lawrence Appel’s New York-homebred stakes-winner Works for Me hopes to work out a winning trip in Friday’s $135,000 Carle Place, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for sophomores, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trainer Joe Lee recently earned his first graded win with May Day Ready in the Grade 2 Jessamine on October 4 at Keeneland and he looks to continue the stakes success with Works for Me [post 2, Flavien Prat] in the Carle Place. The Daddy Long Legs chestnut has posted two works since a fifth in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Mahony on August 11 at Saratoga Race Course.

“He’s doing good, feeling good. He’s a nice horse, I just wish the preparation was a little bit different going into this,” said Lee. “He lost a shoe and kind of grabbed himself, so we had to back off a little there, but nothing major, just things that happen.”

The Mahony did not go according to plan for Works for Me, finding himself 11 lengths back in last-of-9 early and only being able to get up for fifth, defeated 1 3/4 lengths by Fandom, who bested returning foe Run Carson by a neck.

“Unfortunately, we were a little further back than we had hoped. At the three-eighths pole, I’m not sure whether he was twelve or fifteen lengths back but usually he is more forward than that,” Lee said. “He still made up a lot of ground. He was wide, actually got bumped a couple of times in the lane, and still only got beaten one length and three quarters.”

Lee won his first stakes race as a head trainer last November with Works for Me in the local six-furlong state-bred Notebook on dirt. It was a breakthrough win for the horse as well, who had previously placed against open company in the Listed Futurity and Atlantic Beach here last fall.

“He is just getting bigger and stronger,” said Lee. “I think if we had a couple more weeks until the Carle Place, we’d be in very good shape.”

Works for Me, out of the winning Soldat mare Bella’s Game, boasts a lifetime record of 11-3-2-2 with $235,255 in earnings.

Boardwalk Racing, KEM Stables, Joseph Romano, William Belford and David Fishbein’s stakes-placed Little Ni [post 1, Dylan Davis] is set for his turf debut in his sixth career start.

Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the Mohaymen gray finished off-the-board last-out in the seven-furlong Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 24 at Saratoga Race Course. He did not run back to the form of his previous nose defeat to Grade 1-winner Book’em Danno in the six-furlong Jersey Shore on July 19 at Monmouth Park, when in the care of conditioner Eddie Owens, Jr. - a performance that garnered a field-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure, albeit on dirt.

Shane Tripp, assistant trainer to Casse, said Little Ni moved well over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training turf with a half-mile breeze in 48.65 seconds on September 20.

“He had a good work up there before we came down here, a little bit after the meet ended. Since he has been back here, he has really blossomed. He is really comfortable and has put on some weight,” said Tripp. “He is training forwardly so we are excited to run him.”

Little Ni entered the Jersey Shore a perfect 3-for-3, all comfortable victories sprinting six furlongs on dirt.

“I think he is going to like the grass,” said Tripp. “I still wouldn’t count dirt out of his future, but this will be a nice spot to bring him back. When he worked on the grass, we thought he really liked it.”

Little Ni is out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Elraazy, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner J Be K.

Pura Vida Investments’ stakes-winner Smokey Smokey [post 9, Luis Rivera, Jr.] will get some class relief for trainer Mike Maker following an off-the-board finish in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 1 Franklin-Simpson on September 7 at Kentucky Downs.

The Mendelssohn bay won the six-furlong Listed Paradise Creek in May here ahead of a fifth in the 5 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Quick Call presented by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation in July at the Spa and the aforementioned Franklin-Simpson effort.

Bred in Kentucky by Sanford Robertson, Smokey Smokey is out of the War Front mare Weaponry, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Jessica Krupnick.

Cypress Creek Equine’s Barksdale [post 6, Ramon Vazquez] has competed over a variety of surfaces and distances for trainer Will Walden, but one thing is for certain: the Street Sense dark bay has some serious early speed.

Barksdale has set or attended the pace in 6-of-7 starts this year, including in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun sprinting seven furlongs on dirt in June at the Spa and the one-mile Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on turf in August there.

Barksdale is set for his turf sprinting debut, as he looks for a trip to the winner’s circle for the first time since taking a seven-furlong dirt starter allowance in April at Keeneland.

Rounding out the field are stakes-placed Run Carson [post 4, John Velazquez] for trainer Kelsey Danner and Typhoon Fury [post 7, Ruben Silvera] for conditioner John Toscano, Jr.; three-time winner One Sharp Cookie [post 3, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.; and a pair of George Weaver-trainees in four-time winner Live High Live Low [post 8, Manny Franco] and maiden-winner Twisted Filigree [post 5, Eric Cancel, blinkers ON].

The Carle Place is slated as Race 9 on Friday’s 10-race card, which also features the re-scheduled Listed $150,000 Glen Cove in Race 5. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

*

Re-scheduled Listed $150K Glen Cove headlined by Ellen Jay

Friday's card will also feature the Listed $150,000 Glen Cove, a six-furlong outer turf test for sophomore fillies.

The Glen Cove was originally scheduled for Friday, October 11 with a field of nine and one additional main-track only entrant. The re-scheduled Glen Cove features a field of eight as well as returning main-track only entrant Golden Degree.

Topping the field is the returning LNJ Foxwoods’ Kentucky homebred Ellen Jay, who will make her New York debut for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

The Constitution bay is out of the brilliant Covfefe, who captured the Spa’s Grade 1 Test as well as the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita en route to 2019 Eclipse Award honors as Champion Female Sprinter and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly.

Ellen Jay made her first two starts on dirt at Churchill Downs, including a distant third in June. She followed with a pair of winning efforts sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs over the Ellis Park turf, graduating by a nose on July 15 and following last out with a 5 3/4-length score that registered a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

Newcomers to the Glen Cove field include multiple stakes-winner Twirling Queen, who is four deep on the also-eligible list of Sunday's Grade 2 Franklin as well as in the body of next Saturday's Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland for trainer Jose Francisco D'Angelo; allowance winner Moonlit Lady for conditioner Fausto Gutierrez; and recent claiming winner Progeny for trainer George Weaver.

Among the defectors from the original field are Ms. Tart, Nice as Pie, Irish Maxima, and Jody's Pride.

Kairyu, who is entered in the main body of the Franklin, has also re-entered the Glen Cove.

The rescheduled Glen Cove field in post-position order is: Ready to Jam [post 1, Dylan Davis], Kairyu [post 2, Joel Rosario], Moonlit Lady [post 3, Ramon Vazquez], Twirling Queen [post 4, Manny Franco], Ellen Jay [post 5, Flavien Prat], Progeny [post 6, Eric Cancel], Agra [post 7, Junior Alvarado] and Time to Dazzle [post 8, John Velazquez].

Golden Degree is entered for the main track-only.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A 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 Belmont at the Big A, 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.