Honey Dutch tries turf stakes in Listed Central Park

Legion Racing and Awestrike Racing’s Honey Dutch will try his first grass stakes in Friday’s Listed $150,000 Central Park, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Whit Beckman, the Knicks Go gray enters from a head defeat in a one-mile turf allowance on September 28 at Churchill Downs. Honey Dutch led by seven lengths through three-quarters in 1:10.91 under Florent Geroux, but was nailed nearing the wire by Storm’s Wake, who traveled last through the half-mile. 

“If the horse wants to be forwardly placed, that’s one thing, but we need to keep it within reason,” said Beckman. “He always struck me as a turf horse, but with 2-year-olds you like to exhaust your dirt options before you give up completely.”

Honey Dutch previously drew off similarly early to wire a one-mile restricted maiden by 6 3/4 lengths on September 4 at Kentucky Downs to graduate third-out as he made his turf debut. Honey Dutch launched his career with a troubled sixth in the six-furlong dirt Grade 3 Sanford on July 5 at Saratoga Race Course, ahead of a slow-starting maiden optional claiming third in an August dirt sprint at Ellis Park. 

“When he broke his maiden at Kentucky Downs, I told Florent that because he broke poorly in his other starts, ‘go ahead and send him out of the gate,’” said Beckman. “He got early position but then that turned into a huge lead, which on the turf, in most cases, is not where you want to be. It worked out at Kentucky Downs, but then at Churchill, the same style did not prove to be the best option. He was just way too far out in front.”

Honey Dutch [post 5, Ben Curtis], a $33,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, is out of the winning Tiznow mare Ms V Time and his second dam is Grade 2-winner West Coast Belle. 

NBS Stable’s Jutland [post 6, Axel Concepcion] enters from a pair of stakes seconds going 1 1/16-miles for trainer Kelsey Danner. The Raging Bull dark bay was the runner-up of the Kitten’s Joy in September at Colonial Downs and the Laurel Futurity later that month at Laurel Park. 

Jutland added blinkers for his aforementioned stakes tries off a seventh in the Listed Soar Free sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on August 15 at Woodbine Racetrack. He made that stakes bow off a winning debut going 7 1/2 furlongs in July at Horseshoe Indianapolis. 

Rainbow's End Racing Stable and West Paces Racing’s Attfield [post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] is intriguing on the stretch out from a pair of encouraging sprints. Trained by Tom Morley, the Vekoma chestnut rallied to upset Schwarzenegger in his 5 1/2-furlong debut on August 29 at Saratoga ahead of a closing third to Intricate Spirit in the six-furlong Grade 3 Futurity on October 3 here.

Franking Attfield’s form is Schwarzenegger exiting to win the Listed Indian Summer at Keeneland before a fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, where Intricate Spirit landed ninth. 

Attfield, bred in Kentucky by Jose Martin Ramirez, was purchased for $220,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the Street Boss mare Graceful Witch, a half-sister to Listed stakes-winner Ray’s Away. Attfield is named in honor of Morley’s late assistant, John Attfield, who passed away last November.

Rounding out the field are maiden-winners Sun Above [post 4, Manny Franco] for trainer Madison Meyers, Noble Dynasty [post 3, Junior Alvarado] for Hall of Famer Bill Mott, and Omaha Storm [post 2, Javier Castellano] for conditioner Mark Hennig; as well as maidens Likeness [post 7, Samuel Marin] for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey and the filly Beach Ballad [post 8, Flavien Prat] for conditioner Mike Maker. 

The Central Park is slated as Race 7 on Friday’s 10-race card, which also features the $150,000 Stewart Manor in Race 9. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

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