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Carson’s Run works at Belmont Park in prep for G1 Hollywood Derby

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• Carson’s Run works at Belmont Park in prep for G1 Hollywood Derby
• Athena Beach has big chance in $125K NYSSS Staten Island
• Donegal Momentum breezes for G1 Hollywood Derby
• Light Man looks to double up on stakes in $125K NYSSS Thunder Rumble

West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey’s dual Grade 1-winner Carson’s Run posted his final work Wednesday in prep for the November 30 Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar, covering a half-mile in 50 seconds flat over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“I’m very happy with him and he’s doing great,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “There’s no need to work again, and we ship him next week. He’s sound, he looks well, and he’s a happy horse. We’ll hope for the best and he’ll get a break after this.”

Carson’s Run heads to the nine-furlong test in search of his second Grade 1 coup of the season after winning the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 11 at its namesake course and the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby Invitational last out on October 5 here. Those efforts surrounded a trip to Kentucky Downs on August 31 that yielded a deep-closing second in the Grade 3 Nashville Derby.

“I’m very happy, and he’s been a very nice horse,” Clement said of the 3-year-old son of Cupid’s sparkling campaign. “He’s training very forwardly and likes his training. He makes my life easier.”

Carson’s Run flashed his talents last year with a debut victory that July at Saratoga Race Course that was followed by a game runner-up finish in the Grade 3 With Anticipation over the same course. He then headed north to Woodbine to win his first Grade 1 in the Summer ahead of an even ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Park.

Jason Blewitt, Executive Vice President of West Point Thoroughbreds, said Carson’s Run is the kind of horse every owner dreams of campaigning.

“Every time I think of him – which is pretty often – I have a lot of gratitude for him,” Blewitt said. “He’s been amazing, and I’m hoping we can knock out another Grade 1 victory with him. A Grade 1 winner as a two-year-old, the Saratoga Derby; we all know how special Saratoga is in general, and that was pretty nuts. I’m so happy he’s ours.”

A $170,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Carson’s Run is named for Carson Jost, who was born with a rare genetic disorder called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Carson is the son of Wade Jost, a former classmate of West Point Thoroughbreds’ founder Terry Finley at the United States Military Academy.

Carson’s Run boasts over $1.5 million in earnings through a lifetime record of 9-5-2-0, which includes an additional stakes triumph in the Tale of the Cat in June at Monmouth Park.

Clement also provided an update on recent Aqueduct stakes-winners Love Appeals and Evidencias, who were last seen winning the Autumn Days on November 8 and Listed Turnback the Alarm on November 3, respectively.

“Both of them are in very good shape,” Clement said. “They both look good.”

Moyglare Stud Farm’s Kentucky homebred Love Appeals earned her second stakes conquest in the Autumn Days, notching the off-the-pace score by 1 1/4 lengths under Dylan Davis. She added to a win in Monmouth’s Incredible Revenge in August, and entered from a head defeat in the Floral Park here on October 12.

James Wigan and Denford Stud’s Brazilian-bred Evidencias notched back-to-back stakes wins with her half-length Turnback the Alarm score, which followed a 1 1/2-length triumph in the Obeah in September at Delaware Park. The daughter of Drosselmeyer boasts an 8-for-9 in-the-money record since making her first start for Clement last October.

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Athena Beach has big chance in $125K NYSSS Staten Island

Peter Kazamias’ New York homebred Athena Beach is the 3-1 morning line favorite in Saturday’s $125,000 Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible state-sired fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Dimitrios Synnefias, the 4-year-old Bank Heist chestnut made her stakes debut last out when a pacesetting fifth in the state-bred Iroquois sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on October 27 at Belmont at the Big A. She hit the board in her other five starts this year, winning a pair of local state-bred six-furlong sprints in September and April.

“This race looked good. She always tries,” said Synnefias. “I think this is the race for this filly: seven furlongs. I hope we take the lead.”

Athena Beach will exit the outermost post 7 with Jose Gomez aboard. In the Iroquois, she left the inside post and weakened after setting splits of 22.47 seconds and 45.74 on the fast dirt.

“She has a nice, good position, outside. We love outside, because it has less dirt in the face. If somebody else goes, you can sit second outside with no problem,” Synnefias said. “I think last time they just went too fast. She was on the inside and got tired at the end.

“I think seven furlongs, they will go more easy for those first three quarters, you know. Not like last time when we had the inside post position,” Synnefias continued. “I think this is better. It’s clear.”

Bred by Kazamias’ Kaz Hill Farm, Athena Beach is out of the Tapit mare Beach, making her second dam multiple stakes-winner Starfish Bay.

One race later, Synnefias will send out 30-1 longshot Kaz Sugar Bank [post 7, Yabriel Ramos] in the $125,000 Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired horses 3-years-old and up.

The 5-year-old Bank Heist chestnut won a local seven-furlong state-bred allowance in February. This year, he boasts an 8-2-0-2 record with off-the-board finishes in turf stakes routes including the local Ashley T. Cole in September and the Summer Fun in August at Penn National.

“This race is a little tough. I think the seven furlongs is good for this horse. He tried all the time at seven furlongs. He runs both ways [turf and dirt] - it is not a problem short, long, dirt, turf, sloppy, anywhere,” Synnefias explained. “It’s good, he is a runner to try.”

The NYSSS has bore fruit for Synnefias before, as he saddled Kazmike to win the 2022 Times Square at odds of 9-1. He said that he also hopes to run Kazamias’ debut-winning homebred Storm Changer in the $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible state-sired juvenile fillies on December 14.

The Name Changer dark bay graduated on November 16 here when rallying from 10th-of-11 to win a six-furlong state-bred maiden by one length.

“I won with Kazmike two years ago. I may have a filly for the $500,000 stakes for 2-year-olds next month on December 14 - Storm Changer won last week at Aqueduct,” Synnefias said. “She ran a very good race. Broke last, she didn’t break good from the gate and was last, and then went outside, inside and won the race.”

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Donegal Momentum breezes for G1 Hollywood Derby

Donegal Racing’s stakes-winner Donegal Momentum posted a sharp half-mile breeze in 47.78 seconds Wednesday at Belmont Park in preparation for the nine-furlong Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on November 30 at Del Mar.

“He’s doing great and he flies out to California on Tuesday,” trainer Tom Morley said. “He worked fantastic and I’m happy we got the work in before the bad weather. It’s all systems go for California.”

The sophomore son of Uncle Mo was last seen notching his first stakes victory in the one-mile Gio Ponti on October 3 at Belmont at the Big A, leading at every point of call under Kendrick Carmouche to score the easy two-length victory in a final time of 1:35.64 over the firm footing.

Donegal Momentum is a perfect 2-for-2 since switching to the turf two starts back in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer in August at Saratoga Race Course. There, he stalked the pace in fourth under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano and pounced to a head advantage at the top of the lane, fending off pacesetter Green Light by a nose after an exciting stretch battle.

A $375,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Donegal Momentum is out of the stakes-placed Malibu Moon mare Moon Dash. He has banked $216,250 through a lifetime record of 5-3-1-0, which includes a dominant debut victory by 8 1/4 lengths over a muddy and sealed Aqueduct main track in May.

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Light Man looks to double up on stakes in $125K NYSSS Thunder Rumble

McRich Stables' Light Man earned his third consecutive 85 Beyer Speed Figure last-out in the state-bred 6 1/2-furlong Hudson on October 27 at Belmont at the Big A. The difference that day was the winning outcome as the 4-year-old Central Banker gelding earned his first career stakes win in his second attempt.

Trained by Bruce Levine, Light Man looks for a fifth victory this year in Saturday’s $125,000 Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired horses 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“I think this is a good, logical spot. It is hard to pass up a Stallion Series race. It came up a little bit harder than I thought,” said Levine. “Doc Sullivan could've run in the Hudson or Empire Classic, General Banker ran in the Empire Classic, Rudy’s [Rodriguez] horse Antonio of Venice looks like he’s training really well.”

Levine said Light Man responded well to the addition of blinkers last-out when rallying to a three-quarter-length score over Silver Satin in the Hudson.

“I think he was more focused. He was running in spots - he’d run then hesitate and run again - and he was straighter with his run, but he got a great set up. They went 21 [seconds] and four, 44 and change, so he kind of really tripped out and you’ve got to put that into the equation a little bit,” said Levine. “It was a hot pace, so it favored the closers the way it ended up.”

Light Man is 4-for-5 at the Big A, with three straight wins here in February, May and July. The win-streak ended with a third in the six-furlong state-bred John Morrissey Handicap in August at Saratoga Race Course.

“He’s run good at Saratoga, he’s never run at Belmont because we don’t have it right now [laughs], but I don’t think the racetrack makes much difference to him,” Levine said. “He is as honest as they come.”

Light Man won on debut in July 2022 at the Spa and did not return to the starting gate until January of this year, when he was second here sprinting six-furlongs in a state-bred allowance. Levine said he will look to improve upon his 7-4-1-2 year on Saturday when Light Man exits post 5 in rein to Kendrick Carmouche, tabbed at odds of 9-2.

“Last time he didn’t break good and he [Carmouche] played the hand he was dealt. I’ll let him play the hand he is dealt again on Saturday, I’ll leave it up to the jockey, he knows him as good as anybody for sure. If he breaks running, he may allow him to go, if he doesn’t break sharply, he can sit and come running,” Levine said.

Bred by Newman Racing, Light Man, out of the stakes-winning Freud mare So N So, is a half-brother to multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Absatootly. He was a $30,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale.