Law Professor Looks to School Queens County Rivals

After facing Life Is Good   and Cody's Wish  in grade 1 company in recent starts, Law Professor  should relish a class drop into the $150,000 Queens County Stakes Dec. 31 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Twin Creeks Racing Stables' homebred graded stakes winner will stretch out to 1 1/8 miles after an even fifth-place finish in the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) Nov. 5  at Keeneland for trainer Rob Atras.

The dark bay 4-year-old Constitution   gelding earned a grade 1 placing two starts back when a close second to multiple graded stakes winner Life Is Good in the Woodward Stakes (G1) contested over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track Oct. 1. Law Professor moved from the barn of trainer Michael McCarthy this summer and made his first start for Atras a winning one, taking the restricted FanDuel Tapit Stakes over firm turf Sept. 1 at Kentucky Downs by a half-length over Spanish Kingdom .

Law Professor's lone graded victory came in last year's off-the-turf edition of the Santa Anita Mathis Mile Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park, one start before finishing second in the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) over the same oval.

The evergreen New York-bred Sea Foam  will make a quick turnaround from a game second-place finish in the Alex M. Robb Stakes on December 17 for trainer Michelle Giangiulio. Owned by Ten Strike Racing, Four Corners Racing Stable, Broadview Stables and Cory Moelis Racing, the 7-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro is in search of his first win this year after an abbreviated campaign that began in August with a nose defeat in the Evan Shipman Handicap at Saratoga Race Course.

In the Alex M. Robb, Sea Foam tracked in third position and improved to second at the stretch call, but was unable to reel in a runaway Wudda U Think Now  and settled for place honors 3 1/4 lengths back to earn his second stakes placing this year.

"There's not much else for him until the springtime, but he came out of the last race really good, so I figured we'd take a shot at it," said Giangiulio. "He is such a cool horse to be around and I know I probably sound like a broken record about him, but he just loves what he does and it's great to see him put it all out there on the track. He has such a big heart."

The Alex M. Robb was Sea Foam's first start at one mile since his narrow defeat to New York-bred millionaire Bankit  in the Evan Shipman, an event he won last year at nine furlongs before it was shortened this year and contested out of the Wilson Chute. Eight of Sea Foam's 10 career wins have come at distances beyond one mile, including state-bred stakes victories as a sophomore in the Albany Stakes and New York Derby for former conditioner Christophe Clement.

Giangiulio said she is looking forward to getting Sea Foam an extra furlong around two turns. Sea Foam makes his second start with blinkers, which Giangiulio hopes will help his charge to be prominent from the start.

Ridin With Biden , Unbridled Bomber , Double Crown , Southern District , and Forewarned  are other top entries in the 11-horse field. Ridin With Biden and Southern District have been cross-entered in other races in the northeast over the next week.

Entries: Queens County S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, December 31, 2022, Race 8

• STK
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 3:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Naval Aviator (KY)	Jeremy Laprida	119	Michael E. Jones, Jr.	30/1
2	2Ridin With Biden (KY)	Frankie Pennington	126	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	5/1
3	3Southern District (KY)	Luis Angel Batista	122	Norman L. Cash	20/1
4	4Bourbonic (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	122	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
5	5Law Professor (KY)	Manuel Franco	124	Rob Atras	5/2
6	6Double Crown (MD)	J. D. Acosta	126	Norman L. Cash	6/1
7	7Thomas Shelby (KY)	Jose Lezcano	122	David Jacobson	8/1
8	8Sea Foam (NY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	122	Michelle Giangiulio	15/1
9	9Forewarned (OH)	Jose Antonio Gomez	124	Uriah St. Lewis	12/1
10	10Unbridled Bomber (KY)	Dylan Davis	121	James T. Ryerson	5/1
11	11Shooger Ray Too (KY)	Abner Adorno	124	J. Tyler Servis	15/1