Sophomores Compete in Ruthless, Jimmy Winkfield

Fledgling ownership group Orpen Horses will be represented by 3-year-old filly Jet Force  Feb. 6 in the $100,000 Ruthless Stakes for sophomore fillies sprinting seven furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

The race is one of two stakes at Aqueduct on Sunday, the other being the $100,000 JImmy Wakefield for 3-year-old males, also at seven furlongs.

Orpen Horses got off to a memorable start in 2020 by finishing third with their first starter, the Jeremiah O'Dwyer-trained Take Profit , in the Central Park Stakes on the Aqueduct turf. 

Orpen Horses went on to earn another stakes placing in 2021 with Trust Daddy  in the Atlantic Beach Stakes at Belmont Park, also on the turf and secured their first win with Jet Force in a maiden race at Penn National Race Course Dec. 8. 

"They're great people and have invested plenty into the game and have a few horses with me; nice horses too," said O'Dwyer. "Every year they continue to invest and are having a lot of fun. We're getting results for them." 

Jet Force, undefeated through two starts for O'Dwyer, made her final preparations for the Ruthless over Belmont's dirt training track, most recently breezing three-eighths in :38.81 Jan. 26. 

The daughter of Jimmy Creed   enters the Ruthless off a Dec. 17 allowance score at Penn National.

"She had a couple of easy works to keep her fit," O'Dwyer said. "We just chip away at her and don't let her do too much. She's on the smaller side and gets plenty out of her gallops. She uses herself well and we try not to let her breeze too fast." 

Regular rider Jaime Rodriguez will ride Jet Force from post 3 in the Ruthless. 

Other leading contenders in the Ruthless include recent maiden winner Champagne Poetry , stakes-winning Miss Interpret , and Shotgun Hottie , fourth in the Untapable Stakes Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Hagler Poised to Go Distance in Winkfield

Four races before the Ruthless in the fourth race on the Sunday program, E.V. Racing Stable's Hagler  will add blinkers as he looks to score a knockout for trainer Rudy Rodriguez in the Jimmy Winkfield.

A son of Tapiture  , Hagler enters the Jimmy Winkfield off a fifth in the Jerome going a one-turn mile over the sloppy and sealed main track at the Big A on New Year's Day, setting the pace before weakening in the stretch under Trevor McCarthy and finishing fifth, five lengths behind winner Courvoisier . 

The Jerome was the farthest the chestnut colt had traveled in his career, having broken his maiden in convincing fashion at Belmont Park going 6 1/2 furlongs in October before winning an allowance optional claiming race in December at seven-eighths. 

"From what he's shown us in the morning, it looks like he wants to be a sprinter," said Rodriguez. "You never know though. Maybe when he gets a little older he can go a little longer. But I want to try to keep him short. Let's hope cutting him back will be good for him. It's not an easy race and when you run in these kinds of races they're usually tough."

Bred in Florida by EVS Corp, Hagler is out of the twice-winning Latent Heat  mare Ambitious Dancer . His full brother, Sky of Hook , took down the Rick Violette Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in 2019 for Rodriguez to be Tapiture's first black-type winner. 

E.V. Racing Stable will also be represented by the stakes-placed Life Is Great  in the Jimmy Winkfield. Trained by Robert Klesaris, the son of Tapiture graduated in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct in November before shipping to Laurel Park to finish a game third in the seven-furlong Heft Stakes Dec. 26.

Out of the Read the Footnotes  mare Zucca , Life Is Great is a half brother to Sadie Lady , a multiple stakes winner in New York last year. 

Another stakes-placed entrant is Beast Or Famine  (The Big Beast  ), runner-up in the James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel Park Nov. 13 for trainer Penny Pearce and owners J A G Racing and Jettany Thoroughbred Corp.

Among the most intriguing entrants in the Jimmy Winkfield is Morello , trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. The Blue Lion Thoroughbreds and Craig and Victoria Taylor-owned chestnut son of Classic Empire   was a winner on debut Nov. 27 at Aqueduct, defeating next-out winner Inevtabl Conection  by 4 1/4 lengths.

Originally run as the Best Turn, the Jimmy Winkfield was renamed in 2005 to honor the two-time Kentucky Derby-winning Black jockey. 

Entries: Ruthless S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Sunday, February 06, 2022, Race 8

• STK
• 7f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:25 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Champagne Poetry (KY)	Dylan Davis	118	Chad Summers	3/1
2	2Lady Milagro (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	Carlos F. Martin	12/1
3	3Jet Force (PA)	Jaime Rodriguez	120	Jeremiah O'Dwyer	6/1
4	4Miss Interpret (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	122	Todd A. Pletcher	3/1
5	5Landslid (KY)	Luis A. Rodriguez Castro	118	Rachael Keithan	15/1
6	6Knowing Glance (AB)	Manuel Franco	120	Michael J. Maker	4/1
7	7Shotgun Hottie (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	118	William E. Morey	5/2

Entries: Jimmy Winkfield S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Sunday, February 06, 2022, Race 4

• STK
• 7f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo
• 2:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Beast Or Famine (FL)	Kendrick Carmouche	120	Penny Pearce	8/1
2	2Hagler (FL)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	120	Rudy R. Rodriguez	5/2
3	3Life Is Great (FL)	Manuel Franco	118	Robert P. Klesaris	8/5
4	4Dance Code (PA)	Dexter Haddock	122	Juan C. Vazquez	6/1
5	5Morello (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Steven M. Asmussen	9/5