New Shooters Await Sunny Ridge in Gotham

Some 3-year-olds who have shown potential will take aim at a breakthrough victory in the $400,000 Gotham Stakes (gr. III) March 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack, but the promise of those 3-year-olds will be tested by the field's most accomplished sophomore, Sunny Ridge.

Dennis Drazin's Sunny Ridge boasts racing experience and familiarity with the surface, as the son of Holy Bull returns to the Aqueduct inner track five weeks after securing his first graded stakes score in the Withers Stakes (gr. III).

PEDULLA: Sunny Ridge Prevails in Withers Stakes

That victory in his 3-year-old debut followed a juvenile season in which the New Jersey-bred finished first or second in four of his five starts, earning a stakes victory in the Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park and runner-up finishes in the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) to Greenpointcrusader and in the Delta Downs Jackpot (gr. III) to Exaggerator.

The connections of Sunny Ridge have said they won't necessarily point the gray or roan gelding to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), but they have classic aspirations that could begin with the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) if they skip the Derby.

"The game plan right now is skip the Derby, run in the Preakness and Belmont (Stakes [gr. I]), give him a break, and then run in the Haskell (Invitational Stakes [gr. I])," said Drazin, a native of New Jersey, further noting, "Everyone wants to know what's next, but first he's got to run on Saturday.

"I think he'll get 1 1/4 miles, 1 1/2 miles. He's a gelding, and hopefully he'll have a long career. He could be a horse who runs until he's 8 or 9, so you want to make sure you don't press him. (Trainer Jason Servis) feels the horse will tell us what he's capable of."

Going into this race, Servis said everything is on schedule after Sunny Ridge breezed a half-mile in : 51.88 Feb. 26 on the Belmont Park training track.

"It's just maintenance, you know," Servis said. "He doesn't have to go lights-out, but he went well. He's doing OK. We're ready."

While the connections of Sunny Ridge hope their horse continues to progress, the connections of several of his rivals will try to see where they stand, while also taking aim at the Gotham's Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying points—awarded in increments of 50-20-10-5 to the top four finishers.

Shadwell Stable homebred Shagaf will make his stakes debut after rolling to wins in his first two career starts, registering a six-length score in a maiden special weight Nov. 22 at Aqueduct and a two-length score—racing wide—in a Jan. 29 allowance/optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park. A son of Bernardini  , Shagaf is trained by Chad Brown.

"He flew up yesterday and he has been adjusting well since he's arrived," Brown said Wednesday. "He has good positional speed and I'm sure (jockey Irad Ortiz) will place him where he needs to be during the race."

Still a maiden, McCormick Racing and Southern Equine Stable's Laoban earned a grade III-placing in his previous start, a third-place finish in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Trainer Eric Guillot has shipped the son of 2015 leading freshman sire Uncle Mo   east for a try in the Gotham.

"He is still a maiden, but he's a nice horse," Guillot said. "In the Sham, he got slammed out of the gate, got a little rank, went wide, and still ran third. I really think he might've been the best that day."

Mutliple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher will send out two more sons of Uncle Mo in the Gotham, in Repole Stable's Mo Power and Paul Pompa's Rally Cry. Mo Power will enter off a one-length score in a Jan. 30 maiden special weight race at Gulfstream, while Rally Cry, who earned his maiden win in December at Gulfstream, enters off a third in the Jan. 29 allowance-optional claiming race won by Shagaf.

Conquest Stables' Conquest Big E is set for his Aqueduct debut after finishing fourth to Mohaymen in the Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II) Jan. 30 at Gulfstream.

"He's super talented, but I don't know if mentally he's put it all together yet," said Norm Casse, assistant to trainer Mark Casse of the son of leading sire Tapit  . "When it does click, he's going to be a good racehorse. It's a little bit frustrating but we haven't given up on him yet."

Besides Sunny Ridge, the only other Gotham horse who also raced in the Withers is Treadway Racing Stable's Adventist, who finished third despite racing greenly and shying from the whip. The son of Any Given Saturday enters off a bullet five-furlong move in 1:01 1/5 Feb. 28 on the Belmont training track.

Rounding out the expected field of eight is New York-bred Vincento, a winner of two of his first four starts, all in New York.

Saturday's Aqueduct card also includes the $150,000 Heavenly Prize Stakes, where Brereton Jones and Timothy Thornton's Include Betty is set for her 4-year-old season debut after taking last year's Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I).

The expected field of seven—all stakes winners—also includes grade III winners House Rules and Cali Star.