Stars and Strides leads G3 Hill Prince

Pin Oak Stud’s Stars and Strides is 2-for-2 on turf and seeks his first graded win in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Hill Prince, a nine-furlong inner turf test for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the American Pharoah bay won by a head when making his seven-furlong debut over the main track in June at Saratoga Race Course. After a misfire over that same course in July, Stars and Strides captured a one-mile optional claimer over Spa turf in August ahead of a last-out 1 1/4-length score in the 1 1/16-mile restricted Listed Saranac on September 1 there. 

In the Saranac, Stars and Strides stalked and pounced with an inside rally to victory under Junior Alvarado, who has piloted all four outings and will be back aboard from post 6.

The performance earned an 86 Beyer Speed Figure, improving from an 84 in his prior turf effort. There, Stars and Strides lugged in during the stretch drive, but had the jump on a slew of closers including runner-up and returning rival Griffin’s Wharf en route to a three-quarter-length victory. 

Bred in Kentucky by Four Pillars Holdings, Stars and Strides, a $475,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, is a half-brother to stakes-winner Panther Island, both out of the winning Ghostzapper mare Holiday Blues, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Wine Police.

Rainbow's End Racing Stable, Titletown Racing Stables and West Paces Racing’s Griffin’s Wharf [post 7, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] exited his narrow defeat to Stars and Strides to post a three-length third to in the one-mile Gio Ponti on September 28 here. Trained by Tom Morley, the Constitution bay tracked the pace in the Gio Ponti and kept on behind the victorious Salamis and Capitol Hill, who won a local allowance on Saturday. 

“Griffin’s Wharf has done nothing but improve all year,” Morley said. “He’s had a good year without being spectacular. He will try nine furlongs for the first time, which I have to admit is a little bit of a question mark. He’s bred to get nine furlongs very well. He's a short, stocky type of individual, and I’m hoping there’s no more rain because he operates well on a firmer surface as well.” 

Griffin’s Wharf was making his stakes debut last out in his ninth outing, improving his on-the-board record to 7-for-9 via a 9-1-3-3 ledger. His past two efforts are his only on grass, receiving his two highest Beyers with an 82 and 83. 

“I’m not totally sold that he’s a better horse on grass than he is on dirt,” Morley said. “He is a tough and consistent horse. We’re certainly going to have him a bit farther off the pace than last time. The Gio Ponti looked like a potentially paceless race, so we were a bit closer than we probably should’ve been. We are still learning about this horse and his ability on the turf.” 

Bred in Kentucky by Stoneriggs Farm, Griffin’s Wharf, out of the winning Quality Road mare Autonomous, was a $325,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. 

Domenic Dilalla’s Church and State [post 3, Dylan Davis] also last contested the Gio Ponti when a 3 1/2-length fifth. Trained by Dale Desruisseaux, the Caravaggio gelding entered that spot from a rallying half-length victory in the one-mile Listed Toronto Cup on August 30 at Woodbine Racetrack.

Church and State has won 4-of-8 career outings, and has plenty of stakes experience with a 1 3/4-length fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Marine over Tapeta on June 28 at Woodbine and a fourth in the one-mile Leonatus in January at Turfway Park. 

Church and State, a $15,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, is a half-brother to multiple group-placed La Berma out of the stakes-placed Vindication mare Full Snow Moon. His second dam is Argentinian Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Netherland.

Rounding out the field is dual Grade 2-placed Noble Confessor [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche, blinkers ON] for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher; Grade 3-placed Tiz Dashing [post 9, Javier Castellano] for trainer Barclay Tagg; stakes-winner Soleil Volant [post 5, Samuel Marin] for trainer Graham Motion; dual stakes-placed Thundering [post 2, John Velazquez, blinkers OFF] for conditioner Patrick Dixon; four-time winner Lazlo [post 4, Jaime Rodriguez] for conditioner Keri Brion; and two-time winner Mayor of Midnight [post 8, Flavien Prat] for trainer Chad Brown. 

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Weigh the Risks leads rescheduled Listed Pumpkin Pie

The Listed $150,000 Pumpkin Pie, a seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, was originally scheduled for Friday, October 31, but was rescheduled to Saturday after live racing was canceled due to high winds.

The Pumpkin Pie was re-drawn with eight of the nine original entrants with the lone defector being Alani, who is entered in an optional-claimer on Wednesday at Parx.

Klaravich Stables’ Weigh the Risks leads the Pumpkin Pie for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown. The 4-year-old Mendelssohn chestnut was last seen dominating a seven-furlong allowance on July 23 at Saratoga Race Course, romping by 7 3/4 lengths with a wire-to-wire trip engineered by Manny Franco. 

The win garnered a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure, and was her third from her last four efforts, which included a runner-up effort over the local going in the one-mile Heavenly Prize Invitational in February.

Weigh the Risks [post 8, Manny Franco] is 2-for-3 over the Big A main track, including another nine-length trouncing of a one-mile optional claimer in November when switching back to dirt following three off-the-board efforts on turf.

The rest of the field in post position order: Nic’s Style [post 1, Junior Alvarado], St. Benedicts Prep [post 2, Jose Lezcano], Taliesin [post 3, Frankie Pennington], Maggy’s Palace [post 4, Chris Elliott], Volleyballprincess [post 5, Dylan Davis], Scalable [post 6, John Velazquez], and Patricia Ann [post 7, Kendrick Carmouche]. 

The Hill Prince is slated as Race 7 and the Pumpkin Pie is Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which features the Grade 2 Mother Goose [Race 9], Grade 3 Long Island [Race 10], and the Listed Dwyer [Race 3]. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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