Chelsea Durand Photo

Tizzy in the Sky returns in G3 Go for Wand

by Christian Abdo

KimDon Racing’s Tizzy in the Sky has four career wins, all at the Big A, and returns to the historic site for Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand, a one-mile test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 5-year-old Sky Kingdom dark bay hasn’t raced since an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford on June 8 at Saratoga Race Course. There, she broke through the gate and stalked the pace before weakening in the six-horse field that featured Randomized, Idiomatic, Pretty Mischievous, Raging Sea and Soul of an Angel - all five now have at least one Grade 1 victory.

“She is doing great,” said Pletcher’s New York-assistant Stu Hampson. “She is a generously training filly, probably one where we’d love to have another work or two, but her past couple works have been very good. She is a generous horse galloping out all the time, but her gallop-outs lately have been especially good.”

Tizzy in the Sky [post 1, Flavien Prat] was previously a pacesetting nine-length winner of the nine-furlong Listed Top Flight Invitational in April here. It was her first stakes score in her fifth attempt, including a second in last year’s Grade 3 Go for Wand over muddy and sealed footing. She boasts a 7-4-2-0 record over the local main track, with two additional nine-plus lengths romps in the allowance ranks along with a 5 3/4-length maiden score.

“She seems to run well enough fresh and she likes the track. She seems to be in very good form,” said Hampson. “Nothing gets them as fit as racing itself does, but we’ve tried to get her as tight as we could in the mornings. She loves to go out there and gallop. Hopefully, she is ready to get it done.”

Alpha Delta Stables’ Occult [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] enters from a 6 1/2-length runner-up finish in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Spinster on October 6 at Keeneland. Trained by four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, the 4-year-old Into Mischief dark bay only boosted her reputation, becoming multiple Grade 1-placed in the defeat to reigning Champion Older Dirt Female Idiomatic.

“She’s coming from Keeneland and is cutting back to one turn, which will be interesting. I think she should be able to handle it, and that was quite a valiant effort chasing Idiomatic through the stretch,” said Brown. “I was very proud of her race and quite honestly, I think that was her best career race. She’s very consistent.”

Occult was third at the Grade 1 level in last year’s Cotillion at Parx Racing and the Acorn at Belmont Park. She pursues her first trip to the winner’s circle since a 10 1/4-length score in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks last July at its namesake oval.

A $625,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Occult, out of the graded stakes-winning Empire Maker mare Magical Feeling, is a half-sister to dual stakes-winner Exulting and Grade 1-placed Imagination.

Brown will also saddle Peter Brant’s Shidabhuti [post 8, Dylan Davis] off a closing two-length victory in a seven-furlong October optional-claimer at Keeneland. The 4-year-old Practical Joke bay made her prior four efforts in graded company, including a rallying win in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Distaff on April 6 here.

“She’s coming off a very sharp, smart race over at Keeneland and is training well. She’s a very honest horse and tries every time,” Brown said. “She needs a certain type of setup to see her best, but she does try hard every time and has won some nice races. Hopefully, getting out to a mile should be a good distance for her.”

Shidabhuti was subsequently a well-beaten third in the Grade 2 Ruffian at the Big A going a one-turn mile before a fourth in the Bed o’ Roses and fifth in the Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap at the Spa.

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Comparative [post 5, Manny Franco] is 2-for-3 at the Big A for dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox. The 4-year-old Street Sense bay enters from a seven-month layoff dating to a fourth to Tizzy in the Sky in the Top Flight, which followed a seventh in the Grade 2 Azeri on March 9 at Oaklawn Park.

Comparative’s pair of off-the-board results were disappointing, comparatively speaking, as she entered from a three-race win streak, including the local Ladies in January and Grade 3 Bayakoa in February at Oaklawn Park.

Out of the Bernardini mare Collective, Comparative, a full-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Shared Sense, boasts a lifetime record of 13-5-0-3 with $429,995 in earnings.

Rounding out the field are the pair for trainer Linda Rice of Grade 3-placed Ain’t Broke [post 7, Eric Cancel] and multiple stakes-placed Movie Moxy [post 4, Jose Lezcano]; Grade 2-placed Stonewall Star [post 2, John Velazquez] for conditioner Horacio De Paz; and five-time winner Rachel’s Rock [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Michelle Giangiulio.

The Go for Wand is slated as Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by TwinSpires [Race 9], the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen [Race 7] and the Grade 2, $250,0000 Demoiselle [Race 8] - the latter two award 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby and Oaks points, respectively. 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/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, 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.