Sand Devil
7th-AQU, Alw (N1X)/OC ($100k), $82k, 3yo, 1m, 4:22 p.m. ET The official feature of Sunday's program at the Big A is the Memories of Silver Stakes one race hence, but this one-mile contest is liable to produce multiple runners for age-restricted stakes over the coming weeks and months. CORNUCOPIAN (Into Mischief) blew the doors off a field of Oaklawn maidens on debut Feb. 23, earning no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star' status, but found himself in a suicidal pace battle in the Mar. 29 GI Arkansas Derby and the $1.1-million KEESEP yearling...
Linda Rice led all trainers and owners at the Aqueduct winter meet, which began Jan. 1, and Manny Franco topped the leading riders list as the circuit swaps over to the spring meeting starting Thursday, NYRA announced Sunday afternoon. Rice claimed 51 wins as a trainer to capture the title for the third consecutive year since the 2023 meet, and secured her fifth winter title overall. Her record of 217-51-38-29 was good for a win rate of 23.5% and an in-the-money strike rate of 54.38%. Meet highlights included Sand Devil...
'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) had his first work back since a runner-up effort in the GIII Gotham Stakes Mar. 1, covering a half-mile in 49 seconds flat in company on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track. Trained by Linda Rice, Sand Devil is targeting the nine-furlong GII Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Apr. 5--a 100-50-25-15-10 qualifier for the GI Kentucky Derby. "He went nice, went out five-eighths in 1:01 and 2, galloped out three-quarters in 13 and 3--we were very happy," Rice said of the...
Purchased privately by Wathnan Racing and transferred to Brad Cox following a sharp maiden win at second asking at Gulfstream Park Jan. 4, Flood Zone (Frosted) posted a 17-1 upset for his new connections in Saturday's GIII Gotham S. going a one-turn mile at the Big A. Sent to the front by Reylu Gutierrez, the blinkered bay was content to slot back into a three-wide and pressing third through an opening quarter in :23.86. He hooked up with unbeaten New York-bred and favored 'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) on...
Multiple stakes winner Scorching (Mo Town), aiming for his graded stakes debut in the Mar. 1 GIII Gotham Stakes, worked five furlongs in 1:04.22 (5/7) over the dirt training track at Belmont Park Saturday for trainer John Charalambous. It was the fourth local work for the Ontario-bred colt, who is stabled in the barn of trainer Michael Miceli. "He went by himself, and he breezed well," Charalambous said. "The track was slow. Sahin Civaci was supposed to breeze him, but he's hurt, so we called an audible and put one...
He made those that swallowed 1-5 really have to sweat it out, but in the end, Chester Broman's 'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) got to the wire first after a long stretch duel in Saturday's state-bred restricted Damon Runyon Stakes at Aqueduct, running his record to a perfect three wins from as many trips to the races. An impressive four-length winner of his six-furlong debut Dec. 8, the immaculately bred colt was dropping back slightly in trip after decimating first-level allowance rivals by better than a dozen lengths going...
Bet down from a 4-5 morning line to jump at 35 cents on the dollar in a first-level state-bred allowance at Aqueduct Thursday afternoon, Chester Broman's Sand Devil (c, 3, Violence--Mineralogist, by Mineshaft) ran up the score through the final furlong and a half en route to 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Having graduated by four solid lengths on six-furlong debut Dec. 8--an effort awarded a field-best 82 Beyer Speed Figure--the homebred drew the inside gate in a field scratched down to five and showed enough speed to hold a spot...