Gargan's Dakota Gold, Riot House Storm Into Gio Ponti

Trainer Danny Gargan will saddle a pair of formidable contenders in Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Dakota Gold  and Arnmore Thoroughbreds' Kentucky homebred Riot House  in the $135,000 Gio Ponti Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile outer turf route for sophomores Nov. 19  at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Dakota Gold, a New York-bred son of Freud  , was last seen taking the restricted New York Stallion Series Cab Calloway Stakes for eligible New York-sired sophomores in August at Saratoga Race Course. There, he set the pace as the odds-on favorite in a change in tactics from his previous five outings and led at each point of call to score the one-length victory.

The victory came on the heels of a narrow head loss to Practice Squad in the state-bred Rick Violette Stakes going the Gio Ponti distance a month prior, where he stalked in third before challenging down the stretch but was unable to nail his rival at the wire.

Gargan said he wanted Dakota Gold more forwardly placed in the Cab Calloway to avoid another tough loss. 

Gargan had laid out a plan for Dakota Gold that was supposed to include a trip to Keeneland for the Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) Oct. 29 as a springboard to the Hollywood Derby (G1T) Dec. 3 at Del Mar, but Dakota Gold landed on the also-eligible list and did not draw in, resulting in his re-route to the Gio Ponti.

"It was a little frustrating because we had him really good, but hopefully we can run (well) in this race and head out there for the Hollywood Derby," said Gargan. "If not, there's something at Gulfstream at the end of the year."

Bred in the Empire State by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Ron Bowden, Dakota Gold will exit post 6 under Manny Franco.

Riot House, by Violence  , arrives from an even sixth-place finish in his stakes debut going a mile in Woodbine's Toronto Cup Stakes on Sept.10. 

It was the third outing with Gargan for Riot House, who made his first two starts with conditioner Wesley Ward last spring at Belmont. He made his debut for Gargan a winning one with an off-the-pace score sprinting 7 1/2 furlongs to break his maiden this March at Gulfstream Park, and successfully stretched out to one mile in his next start to win a first-level optional claimer in April at the Hallandale Beach oval.

Carmouche retains the mount from post 3.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will also send out two contenders in Whisper Hill Farm's graded stakes winner Grand Sonata  and Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Steady On , both of them likely to be among the favorites.

Grand Sonata enters from a game third-place finish in the nine-furlong Hill Prince Stakes (G2T), while Steady On was a fast last-out allowance winner going one mile. Both horses raced Oct. 22 during the Belmont at the Big A meet. 

W. B. Harrigan and Mike Pietrangelo's homebred Churchtown  ships in from Woodbine for Hall of Fame conditioner Roger Attfield off a gutsy second in the aforementioned Toronto Cup on Sep. 10.

Entries: Gio Ponti S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, November 19, 2022, Race 7

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Outer turf
• $135,000
• 3 yo
• 2:44 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Churchtown (KY)	Junior Alvarado	120	Roger L. Attfield	6/1
2	2Grand Sonata (KY)	Javier Castellano	124	Todd A. Pletcher	3/1
3	3Riot House (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	Danny Gargan	15/1
4	4Ohtwoohthreefive (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	George Weaver	15/1
5	5Wicked Fast (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	118	Michael J. Maker	6/1
6	6Dakota Gold (NY)	Manuel Franco	122	Danny Gargan	9/2
7	7Wow Whata Summer (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	James L. Lawrence, II	15/1
8	8Steady On (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Todd A. Pletcher	2/1
9	9Marinara Sauced (NY)	Dylan Davis	118	Mitchell E. Friedman	30/1
10	10Be Better (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Todd A. Pletcher	1/1