Stallwalkin' Dude Looks Tough in Gravesend

Stallwalkin' Dude will look to gain class relief as he headlines a field of eight in the $100,000 Gravesend for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs on the inner dirt track Sunday, Dec. 18 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Owned by Head of Plains Partners and trainer David Jacobson, Stallwalkin' Dude enters off a runner-up finish last out, in which he fell to Heaven's Runway by a neck in the Fall Highweight (gr. III) Nov. 24 at the Big A.

Stallwalkin' Dude, who has eight more wins than the next-closest entry in the field, has a graded stakes victory to his credit this year, capturing the Oct. 29 Bold Ruler (gr. III) at Belmont Park. The 6-year-old City Place gelding has been successful at the Gravesend distance, finishing second by one length to Joking in the Oct. 1 Vosburgh Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont.

With a 16-6-7 career record in 47 starts and more than $1 million in earnings, Stallwalkin' Dude will be returning to the inner dirt track for the first time since a third-place finish in the Tom Fool (gr. III) March 12. Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the call from post two.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez will saddle a troika of experienced runners, including All Star Red, who finished sixth last out in the Fall Highweight. Owned by Carl Lizza Racing Stables, the 4-year-old is seeking his first win in eight starts, though he racked up three runner-up finishes in that span. 

Summer Revolution will return to stakes company for Rodriguez after a second-place finish in an optional claiming race Nov. 4. The 3-year-old, who is 2-1-0 in five starts, will make his inner track debut while looking to build on a campaign in which he posted a fourth-place finish in the grade I King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 27. 

Drama King has won his past two starts on the inner dirt, including the Feb. 15 Hollie Hughes Stakes. The 4-year-old, owned by Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables, will have the services of jockey Angel Arroyo from post 3.