Warm ‘Welcome’ to the Big A Fall Meet

The Aqueduct Fall Meet gets off to an intriguing start Wednesday with a pair of graded stakes events for juveniles, beginning with the GIII Tempted S. for fillies in race three. Robert S. Evans’ Welcoming (Tapit) looms as the 2-1 morning line favorite by virtue of a convincing win over one mile at Belmont Oct. 4. The gray has shown marked improvement in each of her first three starts, having finished fifth on debut at Saratoga July 24 and second in another Spa maiden dash Aug. 30 prior to her recent breakthrough performance. Acquired for $520,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, the Christophe Clement trainee’s second dam is a half-sister to Horse of the Year and champion sire A.P. Indy.

Like Welcoming, Big World (Custom for Carlos) demonstrated a steady improvement curve in three trips to post, culminating with a gritty score over OBS Sales record-setter and subsequent ‘TDN Rising Star’ Inheritance (Tapit) going seven furlongs at the Spa Sept. 6. Given a brief respite following that maiden win, Big World has drilled four times at Fair Hill for trainer Tony Dutrow ahead of this stakes debut.

Coffeepot Stables’ Flora Dora (First Dude) was a well-beaten sixth behind Big World in her unveiling at Saratoga, but recently added Lasix and annexed the lucrative Florida Sire My Dear Girl S. traveling 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Oct. 3. The chestnut ships north and returns to a one-turn trip Wednesday.

Leonard C. Green’s Hi Holiday (Harlan’s Holiday) may offer the best value for bettors at morning line odds of 8-1. Conditioned by Joe Orseno, the bay stormed home 7 1/2 lengths to the good in her Aug. 22 unveiling at Monmouth Park and overcame a slow pace again to get up by a neck in the six-furlong Sorority S. at the Jersey Shore Sept. 6. Stamina should not pose an issue for the unbeaten filly, who completed her preparations for the Tempted with a one-mile breeze in 1:46.05 at Belmont on Halloween.

Banree (Macho Uno) scratched out of a pair of stakes events in Kentucky this weekend in favor of a return to graded stakes company at Aqueduct. Representing the ever-prominent Wesley Ward barn, the juvenile ran third in Saratoga’s GIII Schuylerville S. July 24 and sixth in the wake of ‘TDN Rising Star’ Rachel’s Valentina (Bernardini) in the GI Spinaway S. Sept. 5. Banree recently returned to the winner’s circle with a convincing tally in a six-panel Keeneland allowance race Oct. 7. Disco Rose (Weigelia), a recent maiden graduate at Parx, completes the compact field.