Bigger Picture Looks to Make Headlines in Red Smith

Three Diamonds Farm's Bigger Picture will make his 16th consecutive graded stakes start as one of three entrants for trainer Mike Maker in a full field for the $200,000 Red Smith Stakes (G3T) Nov. 17 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 59th running of the Red Smith, for 3-year-olds and up going 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf, will see Bigger Picture looking to notch his second win in the race after capturing the 2016 edition by 1 1/4 lengths. The multiple graded stakes-winning Badge of Silver gelding enters off a third-place finish last out in the Oct. 18 Sycamore Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland.

Jockey Manny Franco will pick up the mount aboard 7-year-old Bigger Picture leaving from post 8.

Bigger Picture's stablemate, Soglio, will return to stakes company after defeating allowance company Oct. 19 at Keeneland. The 4-year-old Scat Daddy gelding, owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, seeks his first stakes win after multiple challenges, including a third-place run in the July 7 Stars and Stripes Stakes (G3T) and a third in the Sept. 8 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (G3T).

Completing Maker's trio is Michael Hui's Zulu Alpha, who is making his first start for the veteran conditioner after winning last month's Sycamore for trainer John Ortiz. The 5-year-old Street Cry gelding, who started his career in Ireland trained by Dermot Weld, has won three of his past four starts.

Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Call Provision, who ran second to Spring Quality in last year's Red Smith, will get another opportunity for trainer Chad Brown, drawing post 6 with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.

Call Provision will be making his first graded stakes appearance since a fourth-place effort in the May 12 Man o' War Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. The son of Lemon Drop Kid  has done well in long-distance tests, including finishing second by a nose to stablemate Focus Group in the John's Call Stakes at 1 5/8 miles Aug. 22 at Saratoga Race Course. Call Provision was disqualified to fourth in that race.

Focus Group and Call Provision may compete against each other again, with the former drawing post 12 as an also-eligible. Also owned by Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence, Focus Group parlayed the John's Call into his first graded stakes start when he ran third in the Pattison Canadian International Stakes (G1T) Oct. 13 at Woodbine.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will see two group 1 winners look to make a splash in their first North American stakes starts. Galope Americano, who won the group 1 Derby Paulista in November 2017 in his native Brazil, ran fifth in his first appearance since arriving in the United States against optional claimers on Oct. 19 at Belmont.

Village King won the group 1 Jockey Club in October 2017 and ran third in the group 1 Carlos Pellegrini Internacional at San Isidro in Argentina before arriving in the United States. He ran fourth in his debut Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs before a third-place finish Oct. 19 at Belmont.

Entries: Red Smith S. (G3T)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, November 17, 2018, Race 8

• Grade IIIT
• 1 3/8m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 3:47 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Teodoro (IRE)	Joel Rosario	121	Thomas Morley	12/1
2	2Village King (ARG)	Javier Castellano	119	Todd A. Pletcher	15/1
3	3Zulu Alpha (KY)	Luis Saez	121	Michael J. Maker	5/2
4	4Galope Americano (BRZ)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
5	5Soglio (KY)	John R. Velazquez	117	Michael J. Maker	10/1
6	6Call Provision (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	119	Chad C. Brown	7/2
7	7Inspector Lynley (KY)	Jose Lezcano	119	Claude R. McGaughey III	9/2
8	8Bigger Picture (KY)	Manuel Franco	121	Michael J. Maker	5/1
9	9Big Bend (KY)	Feargal Lynch	119	Thomas F. Proctor	20/1
10	10Postulation (KY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	119	Michael R. Matz	10/1
11	11Special Envoy (VA)	Daniel Centeno	119	Arnaud Delacour	30/1
12	12Focus Group (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	119	Chad C. Brown	3/1
13	13Red Knight (NY)	Junior Alvarado	117	William I. Mott	15/1
14	14Control Group (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Rudy R. Rodriguez	2/1
15	15Exulting (KY)	Rajiv Maragh	124	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	7/5
16	16Adulator (KY)	David Cohen	119	Robertino Diodoro	4/1