Brunetti Hopes to Celebrate Father's Day in January

When horsemen pick a race for their Thoroughbred, the purse and distance are usually deciding factors in those decisions.

Yet what will bring Mind Control to Aqueduct Racetrack for the $150,000 Toboggan Stakes (G3) is the race date: Jan. 18. For owner Steve Brunetti of Red Oak Stable, Jan. 18 will always have a special meaning as the birthday of his late father, longtime Hialeah Park owner John Brunetti Sr.

So when an opportunity presented itself to run his multiple grade 1 winner on that day, his emotions kicked in and Brunetti could not resist the urge to seize that moment.

"The reason we picked the Toboggan was that it was on Jan. 18, which is my father's birthday. When we saw a 7-furlong stakes on Jan. 18 we felt it was meant to be. It gave Mind Control extra time for a race on a track we know he likes. It was a no-brainer," Brunetti said.

Owned by Red Oak and Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables, the 4-year-old Mind Control has not raced since Aug. 24 when the son of Stay Thirsty  captured the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Original plans called for Mind Control to head west for the Dec. 28 Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, but uncertain weather and the prospect of shipping from one end of the country to the other to face a heavy favorite in Omaha Beach  convinced the owners and trainer Gregg Sacco to search for another spot.

When they checked the stakes calendar and saw the Toboggan scheduled Jan. 18, Brunetti's bond with his father led to a snap decision.

"Sometimes these uncanny situations happen and you have to go with your instincts about them," said Brunetti, whose father passed away in 2018 and would have turned 89 Saturday. "You have to look at the signs and believe special things can happen."

Video: H. Allen Jerkens S. (G1)

In particular, Father's Day 2019 was especially memorable for the Brunetti family. Red Oak won the second race that day at Monmouth Park with Bal Bay Drive, a horse named for the block that their father called home for decades. Later that afternoon at the Jersey Shore, Red Oak's King for a Day won the featured TVG.com Pegasus Stakes, beating Maximum Security.

"We've had great success before on days I associate with my father and we're hoping for more on Saturday," Brunetti said.

Bred by Red Oak, Mind Control has been working smartly for his first start in nearly five months. His most recent work was a quick, four-furlong breeze in :48.01 from the starting gate at the Belmont Park training track Jan. 11, and Brunetti is confident that Mind Control is poised for a strong effort against eight rivals in the Toboggan.

"Greg was as patient as he could be with Mind Control and now the horse is doing as well as he could be. After that gate workout, Greg says Mind Control is on fire. He couldn't come into the race any better. We're really excited and expect a huge race from him," said Brunetti, whose colt has won two of three starts at the Big A.

Down the road, Brunetti envisions a relatively light campaign for a colt out of the Lightnin N Thunder mare Feel That Fire with the April 4 Carter Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct and the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park as the main goals in the spring.

"The Carter is seven furlongs and a grade 1. It has to be the main objective for the spring and then maybe we'll try for the Met Mile," Brunetti said. "After that, it's anybody's guess. We could try two turns but he's been consistent at seven furlongs and we can't ignore grade 1s at that distance."

Winner of the seven-furlong Hopeful Stakes (G1) at 2, Mind Control has won five of 10 starts with earnings of $805,000. He will break from post eight Saturday under jockey John Velazquez.

The field also includes Dennis Drazin's Sunny Ridge, a 7-year-old gelding with earnings of more than $1.4 million. The New Jersey-bred son of Holy Bull won the Salvatore Mile (G3) for trainer Jason Servis during a 2019 campaign that also featured a victory in the Richard W. Small Stakes Nov. 30 at Laurel Park in his most recent start.

The Noda Brothers' T Loves a Fight was entered after finishing second Jan. 11 in the Say Florida Sandy Stakes for New York State-breds. The Girolamo gelding trained by Orlando Noda was third in his previous start, the Dec. 22 Gravesend Stakes.

Everything's Cricket and Lawrence Goichman's Nicodemus was a well-beaten ninth in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) off a five-month layoff but the 5-year-old son of Candy Ride  captured the Westchester Stakes (G3) for trainer Linda Rice at a mile last spring.

Multiple grade 2 winner American Anthem will make his first start for owner Don Tiger and trainer Danny Gargan in the seven-furlong stakes. A 6-year-old son of Bodemeister, he was third in the Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) last summer at Del Mar but has not raced since finishing a close fourth in an Oct. 12 allowance optional claimer at Keeneland.

The Toboggan will be the eighth of ninth races Saturday with a post time of 3:55 p.m. ET. First race post is 12:30 p.m.

Entries: Toboggan S. (G3)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, January 18, 2020, Race 8

• Grade III
• 7f
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 3:55 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Sunny Ridge (NJ)	Jose Lezcano	124	Jason Servis	-
2	American Anthem (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Danny Gargan	-
3	Arch Cat (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	Daniel Velazquez	-
4	Nicodemus (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	124	Linda Rice	-
5	T Loves a Fight (NY)	Luis A. Rodriguez Castro	118	Orlando Noda	-
6	Bon Raison (KY)	Reylu Gutierrez	122	Peter Tournas	-
7	Still Having Fun (MD)	Junior Alvarado	118	Timothy L. Keefe	-
8	Mind Control (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Gregory D. Sacco	-
9	The Sicarii (KY)	Samuel Camacho, Jr.	118	Edward J. DeLauro	-