Six promising 2-year-olds will challenge Vegas No Show in the Nashua Stakes (gr. II), where the Hard Spun colt tries for a second straight stakes win Nov. 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Vegas No Show will return to the one-mile distance in the Nashua, the same distance at which he won a maiden special weight race in his second career start July 26 at Delaware Park (although the Nashua will be a one-turn mile). Off the Delaware win, he shortened to seven furlongs for the Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga Race Course but finished off the board in his initial stakes start.
Trainer Kelly Breen then returned George and Lori Hall’s Vegas No Show to Delaware, where he successfully stretched out to 1 1/16 miles to take the Dover Stakes by a nose Oct. 6. Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Vegas No Show is out of the Lord Carson mare The Hess Express, who has produced three other stakes winners including grade I winner Bullsbay .
The only other horse with a stakes placing in the field is Really Sharp, who finished a narrow second to Balance the Books in the Bourbon Stakes (gr. IIIT) Oct. 7 on the Keeneland turf. Really Sharp will be starting on dirt for the first time after winning one of two starts on the Woodbine Polytrack.
$200,000 NashuaStakes (Race 8, approximate post 3:43 p.m. EDT) 2YOs, 1 Mile
PP, Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Darwin (PA), J. Velazquez, 116, T. Pletcher
2. Irsaal (VA), A. Garcia, 116, K. McLaughlin
3. Violence (KY), J. Castellano, 116, T. Pletcher
4. Really Sharp (KY), E. Trujillo, 116, I. Black
5. Vegas No Show (KY), P. Lopez, 120, K. Breen
6. Stormy Len (KY), R. Dominguez, 116, D. Donk
7. Candy Raider (KY), R. Silvera, 116, T. Toscano Jr.