Blamed Looks to Add Comely Stakes to List of Wins

Cleber Massey's Blamed heads a field of eight in the $200,000 Comely Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies, the feature race Nov. 23 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Transferred to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott after wheeling off five consecutive victories in New Mexico for trainer Joel Marr, Blamed made her first start for her new connections Oct. 20 at Keeneland in the Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) in which she set the pace before yielding late to finish second behind next out Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winner Shamrock Rose.

"I think she's a talented filly," Mott said of the filly who has five wins and two seconds from seven starts. "She came to us in good order and she's shown herself to be very competitive with her effort at Keeneland. She's previously won going two turns at Sunland Park, so we'll see how she handles it here."

With Julien Leparoux named to ride in the 1 1/8-mile test, Blamed will leave from post 4.

Remedy, trained by Brad Cox for Twin Creek Racing Stables, comes into the Comely off a second-place effort in her graded stakes debut in the Sept. 30 Remington Park Oaks (G3). A daughter of Creative Cause , Remedy began her racing career on the turf where she made her first two starts, breaking her maiden at second asking at Fair Grounds. 

Remedy launched her 2018 campaign at Indiana Grand with a second-place finish on a sloppy track in a race initially scheduled for the turf, before returning to the grass for her next two starts. She showed promise on the main track with an impressive win in a Sept. 5 optional claiming race at Indiana Grand before entering the Remington Oaks.

Remedy will leave from post 8 with Javier Castellano in the irons.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle Alberobello for owners China Horse Club International. With two wins from five starts and a pair of second-place finishes, the Bernardini  filly will look to rebound off an eighth-place finish in the Remington Park Oaks.

"She didn't seem to handle the track well that day," said Pletcher. "Since coming back here, she's put in some good breezes and we're looking forward to seeing how she'll perform in this spot."

With Manny Franco named to ride, Alberobello will leave from post 6.

Two races prior to the Comely, a field of 10 will compete in the third running of the $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on the outer turf course.

Chiefswood Stable homebred Rose's Vision will make his first start in nearly three months since winning the Aug. 27 Better Talk Now at Saratoga Race Course for trainer Stuart Simon.

A son of Artie Schiller, Rose's Vision most notably finished second in the June 9 Plate Trial and second in the July 28 Toronto Cup. After winning the Better Talk Now by a neck over Have At It, who returned to win the Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park, Simon opted to give the horse a break.

"He's developed very nicely," Simon said. "I think he's continued to get better with every start he's made. We're still trying to figure out if he's more of a turf miler or a mile and a sixteenth horse, but he doesn't mind some give in the ground if he gets it. He's versatile, so he can either be close to the pace or make a move off it."

Entries: Gio Ponti S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Friday, November 23, 2018, Race 7

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Outer turf
• $150,000
• 3 yo
• 2:50 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Prioritize (KY)	Luis Saez	118	H. James Bond	9/2
2	2Zap Daddy (FL)	Javier Castellano	118	Patrick L. Reynolds	20/1
3	3Medal of Honour (GB)	Manuel Franco	118	Chad C. Brown	8/1
4	4Roaming Union (KY)	Rider TBA	120	Kelly J. Breen	4/1
5	5Bal Harbour (KY)	Rider TBA	123	Todd A. Pletcher	5/1
6	6Breaking the Rules (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Claude R. McGaughey III	8/5
7	7Therapist (NY)	David Cohen	123	Christophe Clement	3/1
8	8Rose's Vision (ON)	Jose Lezcano	123	Stuart C. Simon	5/1
9	9Mr Ritz (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Josie Carroll	6/1
10	10Life's a Parlay (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	7/5

Entries: Comely S. (G3)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Friday, November 23, 2018, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 3:50 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Split Time (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Linda Rice	5/1
2	2Hey Niki (KY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	118	Thomas F. Proctor	12/1
3	3War Cabinet (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Claude R. McGaughey III	10/1
4	4Blamed (MD)	Julien R. Leparoux	120	William I. Mott	5/2
5	5Stronger Than Ever (KY)	Dylan Davis	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	12/1
6	6Alberobello (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
7	7Indy Union (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	Jeremiah C. Englehart	6/1
8	8Remedy (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Brad H. Cox	3/1