Adam Coglianese Photo

Scotland seeks first graded win in G3 Bold Ruler

by Christian Abdo

LNJ Foxwoods’ Kentucky homebred Scotland seeks his first graded win in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Bold Ruler, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Scotland [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] finished second to Mufasa last-out in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Vosburgh on September 28 here, which awarded a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar.

The 4-year-old Good Magic chestnut gelding entered from a seven-furlong optional-claiming win on July 26 at Saratoga Race Course. Mott said the cutback to six-furlongs is a question mark, but rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. believes he should handle it fine, having been aboard for a runner-up effort at the distance in June at Churchill Downs.

“He’s coming off of two good races. He was second in a stake and he won up here,” said Mott from his Saratoga barn. “We’ve gone back and forth with him. There was a lot of deliberation on that. If it was at seven, that would make it easier. When Irad rode him before, he felt shorter might be a little better.”

As a sophomore, Scotland competed at longer distances including a win in the nine-furlong Listed Curlin last July at the Spa ahead of off-the-board Grade 1 finishes in the Travers there and Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing.

LNJ Foxwoods, which is the parents-daughter ownership group of Larry, Nanci and Jaime Roth, captured the Listed $150,000 Glen Cove on October 18 here with homebred Ellen Jay.

Out of the Grade 1-placed Speightstown mare Gemswick Park, Scotland is a half-brother to multiple stakes-placed Tapped.

Photos Finish’s Surveillance [post 4, Jose Lezcano] will look to be on camera in a winner’s circle photograph as he switches from turf to dirt for trainer Wayne Potts.

The 7-year-old Constitution gelding returns to dirt after an off-the-board effort in the 5 1/2-furlong turf Listed Harvey Park on September 2 at Saratoga Race Course. Previously, Surveillance won the off-the-turf Grade 3 Troy sprinting the same distance there in August.

The Troy was Surveillance’s first start for Potts after being claimed for $62,500 out of a July optional-claiming turf sprint win at the Spa for trainer Mike Maker.

“I feel much better about this than I did about the grass. If we run like we did in the Troy, hopefully we get some pace to run into and we have a shot to produce,” said Potts. “The guys wanted to try him on the turf because of the $62,500 race he ran for Maker when we claimed him.”

Up until he was claimed for $80,000 by Maker out of a win in May at Churchill Downs, Surveillance competed for conditioner Keith Desormeaux, notching main track stakes wins at Fair Grounds in the 2022 Thanksgiving Classic, Richard R. Scherer Memorial and the 2023 Listed Duncan F. Kenner - recording a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure in the six-furlong Sherer.

Potts said he hopes the veteran Surveillance can round back into top form.

“He’s been training here at Belmont and has had a fantastic few weeks of training,” Potts said. “He came out of his race great. We are looking forward to next weekend.”

Surveillance, out of the Mizzen Mast mare Majorelle, boasts a lifetime record of 37-10-5-8 with $944,582 in earnings.

Michael Dubb’s graded stakes-placed Top Gunner [post 2, Flavien Prat] captured the 6 1/2-furlong Parx Sprint last-out on September 21 at its namesake oval. The 7-year-old Into Mischief gelding was making his first start for dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox after being claimed for $62,500 out of a third on August 4 at Saratoga.

The $62,500 tag marked the highest that Top Gunner had ever been claimed for, surpassing the $50,000 mark he reached in December after a long tenure with trainer John Ortiz that included a close third in the 2022 Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland.

Top Gunner, out of the winning Pioneerof the Nile mare Downton My Lady, boasts a 30-7-5-8 record with $591,979 in earnings.

Victoria’s Ranch’s Grade 3-winner Little Vic [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche] will look to get back into graded stakes winning form for trainer Juan Avila. The 5-year-old Practical Joke horse won the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap here last March going seven furlongs ahead of an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets one month later.

Little Vic has made six starts this year, winning a local 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer last-out on September 19, along with a six-furlong optional-claimer in March at Tampa Bay Downs. The veteran posted a bullet half-mile in 47.80 seconds on Saturday at Monmouth Park, fastest-of-32 workers at the distance.

Rounding out the field is 2022 Grade 3 Bold Ruler-winner Runninsonofagun [post 6, Joel Rosario] for conditioner John Toscano, Jr.; Grade 3-placed Twenty Four Mamba [post 3, Dylan Davis] for trainer Charlton Baker; and nine-time winner My Buddy B [post 5, Luis Rivera, Jr.] for conditioner Krista Hetrick.

The Bold Ruler is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 11-race program, which also features the Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose in Race 10, and the Grade 3, $250,000 Forty Niner in Race 8. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

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/.

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