New York-Loving Mind Control Tops Tom Fool Entries

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables' Mind Control, a dual grade 1 winner on the New York Racing Association circuit, leads a salty field of eight in the $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap (G3) March 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Gregg Sacco, the 4-year-old Stay Thirsty  colt bred in Kentucky by Red Oak Stable captured the Hopeful Stakes (G1) as a juvenile and the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes (G1) last year at Saratoga Race Course.

Sacco said the versatile Mind Control, who has wins from six furlongs to a mile, will look to continue his Big Apple success after Saturday's six-furlong test with a campaign that includes grade 1 stops at the seven-furlong Carter Handicap April 4 at the Big A and the one-mile Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap June 6 at Belmont Park.

"He loves New York," Sacco said. "He's like New York's adopted son, and he does his best racing here. He's really thrived here in his training, and he has an affinity for Aqueduct. He really runs well over that track. He trains super at Belmont, and we wanted to keep him close to home."

Mind Control has won three of four starts at Aqueduct, including the Jerome Stakes and Bay Shore Stakes (G3) last year and a nose win in the Jan. 18 Toboggan Stakes (G3) in his season debut. 

Sacco said he initially planned to train Mind Control up to the Carter, but the talented bay proved too sharp to keep in the barn.

"He's been bouncing over the track so well and jumping out of his skin," Sacco said. "After discussing with my brother (racing manager Rick Sacco) and the team, we thought the timing would be right a month out of the Carter. It just made sense to run in the Tom Fool."

Mind Control has made his past five starts at seven furlongs and hasn't sprinted three-quarters of a mile since his maiden win at second asking in August 2018 at Monmouth Park.

Sacco said he his confident in Mind Control's ability to cut back in distance.

"The couple times he sprinted, he's sprinted with success. I don't think the cut back will be a problem for him going three-quarters," Sacco said. "He's really coming into the race super, and we're expecting a good race out of him on Saturday."

Junior Alvarado will pick up the mount from Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, who is committed to riding at Tampa Bay Downs. They will leave from post 4.

"Johnny fits him like a glove, but Junior is a very talented rider. He's not a hard horse to ride, but he's had a tendency to wait on horses in the past," Sacco said. "Junior has watched all of his races and is going to speak to Johnny. I hope they're a good match on Saturday."

M and A Racing's Happy Farm, trained by Jason Servis, won the Dec. 8 Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct, but his four-race winning streak came to an end last out when he finished second, missing by a head, to stablemate Firenze Fire in the Gravesend Stakes.

The 6-year-old Ghostzapper  gelding was claimed for $30,000 last March at the Big A and has four wins and two seconds for his new connections in sprint events at Belmont and Aqueduct.

Jose Lezcano has the call from post 5.

Trainer Michelle Nevin will saddle a pair of top contenders in SJB Stable and Marcello Micozzi's Skyler's Scramjet and Jay Em Ess Stable's Wonderful Light.

Skyler's Scramjet, a 6-year-old son of Creative Cause , will look for his first win since the 2018 Tom Fool. The talented gray hasn't raced since an off-the-board effort in the Tale of the Cat Stakes in August at Saratoga.

Skyler's Scramjet has posted a steady string of works on the Belmont Park training track, including a Feb. 29 breeze in 1:01 4/5.

"We're happy to have him back. He's been doing everything like clockwork and hasn't missed a beat, so we're excited to see him out there," Nevin said.

Wonderful Light, a 6-year-old son of Tiz Wonderful, was a rallying second to Happy Farm in the Fall Highweight but failed to fire his best shot last out and finished fourth in the Gravesend Stakes.

Out of the multiple stakes winner By the Light, Wonderful Light is a half brother to multiple grade 1-winning mare By the Moon. With a record of 5-4-3 from 14 starts and earnings of $303,955, the Kentucky homebred is in search of his first stakes win.

"He's doing good and came out of his last race good, so it's all systems go," Nevin said. "He's been doing really well. Hopefully, he gets back on form."

Manny Franco will guide Skyler's Scramjet from post 8, and Wonderful Light will leave post 3 under Luis Saez.

Bon Raison was claimed for $80,000 by Flying P Stable last out and will make his first start for conditioner Michael Tannuzzo. The son of Raison d'Etat won six of 21 starts in 2019, including scores in the Peeping Tom Stakes at the Big A and the Tale of the Cat at the Spa.

Co-meet-leading rider Eric Cancel has the call from post 6.

Entries: Tom Fool H. (G3)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, March 07, 2020, Race 8

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:46 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mr. Dougie Fresh (KY)	Dylan Davis	116	Rob Atras	10/1
2	2Sicilia Mike (NY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	115	Gary Sciacca	15/1
3	3Wonderful Light (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Michelle Nevin	10/1
4	4Mind Control (KY)	Junior Alvarado	125	Gregory D. Sacco	7/5
5	5Happy Farm (FL)	Jose Lezcano	123	Jason Servis	5/2
6	6Bon Raison (KY)	Eric Cancel	116	Michael Tannuzzo	12/1
7	7Wentz (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	117	J. Tyler Servis	6/1
8	8Skyler's Scramjet (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Michelle Nevin	8/1

One race before the Tom Fool, multiple graded stakes winner American Anthem will face a formidable field of seven in the $125,000 Stymie Stakes, a one-turn mile for 4-year-olds and upward at the Big A.

American Anthem joined the barn of conditioner Danny Gargan in November and made his first start for his new connections in the Toboggan, where he finished fourth.

"He really had a rough trip in his first start for us in the Toboggan," Gargan said. "He was jostled around inside of there, and this time I'd like to utilize his speed. Hopefully, we'll be on the lead and can run the half in either :47 or :48, which would really make me feel great. He's coming into the race in good form, so I like our chances. Going forward, I'd eventually like to get him on the grass, where I think he'll do well, but we'll start here and look to run a good race on Saturday."

Reunited with Franco, American Anthem will leave from post 4.

Michael and Jeff Fazio's Joevia will look to improve off a disappointing 11th-place finish in the Feb. 17 Razorback Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park.

The 4-year-old Shanghai Bobby colt ran third in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) last year to finish his 2019 campaign and kicked off his season with a one-length optional claiming victory Jan. 17 at Aqueduct. Sacco said he is drawing a line through the Razorback.

"He shipped well, but he was very keyed up at Oaklawn and never really settled," Sacco said. "It was a very uncharacteristic race out of him. We went back to the barn and I expected to see a horse that was blowing hard and tired, but he cooled down in 15 minutes and wasn't drinking any water. He shipped to Darby Dan, and when I spoke to the team there, he was bright-eyed and happy, and he's been happy since coming back to Belmont."

Making a rider change from Alvarado to Chris DeCarlo for the Stymie, Sacco cited DeCarlo's early success with Joevia for the switch.

"Chris knows him well," Sacco said. "He broke his maiden and finished second on him in the Jimmy Winkfield."

Joevia will depart from post 3.

Entries: Stymie S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, March 07, 2020, Race 7

• STK
• 1m
• Dirt
• $125,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Stan the Man (KY)	Dylan Davis	122	John P. Terranova II	9/2
2	2Lone Rock (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	12/1
3	3Joevia (KY)	Christopher P. DeCarlo	122	Gregory D. Sacco	6/1
4	4American Anthem (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Danny Gargan	7/2
5	5Wicked Trick (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Linda Rice	5/2
6	6Diamond King (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	John C. Servis	3/1
7	7Backsideofthemoon (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	Robert P. Klesaris	8/1