Vegas No Show Looks Strong in Discovery

George and Lori Hall's Vegas No Show will attempt to notch his third straight stakes victory when he faces seven others in the Nov. 2 Discovery Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-olds is the sixth race on the card and has an approximate post time of 3:23 p.m. EDT. The race honors the great Discovery, the 1935 United States Horse of the Year owned and raced by Alfred G. Vanderbilt II.

Vegas No Show, trained by Kelly Breen, enters the Discovery off back-to-back scores in the mile and 70-yard Ricci Tavi Stakes at Delaware Park Sept. 16 and the 1 1/16-mile Coastal Stakes at Belmont Park Oct. 9. The bay colt won the latter race by a gutsy head at outsider odds of 13-1.

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, the son of Hard Spun  —The Hess Express, by Lord Carson, was a $105,000 purchase at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale. He has a career slate of 4-2-2 from 14 starts, for earnings of $232,040.

Toting highweight of 119 pounds, Vegas No Show will gain the services of jockey Alex Cintron, who was aboard for the Ricci Tavi. The pair will break from post 4.   

Favored in the Discovery is Godolphin Racing's Romansh, (2-1), who following his victory by disqualification in the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga was fifth in the Travers Stakes (gr. I) behind winner Will Take Charge and runner-up Moreno and sixth behind those same two in the Sept. 21 Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) at Parx Racing.

 

Jose Ortiz will be in the irons for Romansh, who drew post position 7.

Another horse worthy of consideration in the Discovery is Norumbega, who is trained by Shug McGaughey for owner-breeder Stuart Janney III, the same connections that campaign Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Orb.  

"He's probably our second-best 3-year-old," said McGaughey assistant Buzz Tenney of Norumbega, who has won two of his past three starts. "He's a great big, leggy kind of horse. He's a nice colt, and he's got a good mind. He's by Tiznow  , so I think his future is ahead of him."

Norumbega was most recently a front-running winner of a nine-furlong, second-level allowance over the synthetic surface at Keeneland Oct. 16.

 

Cornelio Velasquez will ride Norumbega, 10-1 on the morning line, from post position 8.

 

Also lining up for the Discovery will be a trio from trainer Todd Pletcher: the Repole stable entry of Micromanage and Midnight Taboo along with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Battier.

$200,000 Discovery Handicap (gr. III, approximate post time 3:23 p.m. EDT), 3YOs, 1 1/8 miles (dirt)

PP. Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds

1a.  Micromanage (KY), I Ortiz, Jr., 118,  T A. Pletcher, 3-1

2.  Bad Hombre (KY), E Castro, 115,  J C. Kimmel, 15-1

3a.  Midnight Taboo (KY), C P. DeCarlo, 116,  T A. Pletcher,  3-1

4.  Vegas No Show (KY), A Cintron, 119,  K J. Breen,  8-1

5.  Mr Palmer (KY), J Alvarado, 116,  W I. Mott,  6-1

6.  Battier (FL), A Castillo, 117,  T A. Pletcher, 7-2

7.  Romansh (KY), J L. Ortiz, 117,  T Albertrani,  2-1

8.  Norumbega (KY), C H. Velasquez, 116,  C R. McGaughey III, 10-1