Bright Mahogany, a winner of three of her five races in Puerto Rico including a pair of group I races, adds an intriguing element to Saturday's $150,000 Comely (gr. II) for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct.Owned by Ruben Valdes, Bright Mahogany will be saddled by Gary Contessa in the one-mile Comely. Ramon Morales trained the Kentucky-bred filly in Puerto Rico."She's a really nice filly," Contessa said. "The owner told me there were really no races for her in Puerto Rico right now, and this was the right time of year to see how she stacks up here.""The mile distance should suit her fine since she's won at seven furlongs and a mile and a sixteenth," Contessa said. "I've seen the tapes of her races and she has the right kind of running style for a race like this. She likes to stalk the pace. They don't have speed figures or sheet numbers there, so it's hard to evaluate her on any kind of numbers system."Luis Perez, who has ridden the daughter of Bright Launch in four of the filly's starts in Puerto Rico, made the trip to New York to ride Bright Mahogany in the Comely."I've talked to Luis and he knows the filly pretty well," Contessa said. "I put him on a horse Friday to let him get a feel for the track."Also making her first New York appearance Saturday is Edward Evans' Pleasant Chimes, a filly who won her first two starts at Gulfstream before running fourth in the Bonnie Miss (gr. II)."I wasn't real happy with where she was in the Bonnie Miss," trainer Mark Hennig said. "I thought she could have been settled better."
In the nine-furlong Bonnie Miss, Pleasant Chimes vied for the lead through quick fractions of :23 2/5 and :46 3/5 before fading in the lane.Jeffrey Tucker's Acey Ducey posted a 24-1 upset victory in the Dearly Precious. Going seven furlongs in the Cicada (gr. III) last month, Acey Ducey returned to run a good second under regular rider Diane Nelson.Last Toots has won her last two races at Philadelphia Park by double-digit lengths. She is owned by Someday Farm, trained by John Servis, and ridden by Stewart Elliott, the connections of 2004 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness (gr. I) winner Smarty Jones.Patricia Welsh's Toll Taker makes her first start in New York since she won the Astarita (gr. III) last fall at Belmont. She won a minor stakes at Tampa Bay Downs before she was beaten a long way as the favorite in the Florida Oaks.$150,000 Comely (gr. II), 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile
PP. HORSE, TRAINER, JOCKEY, WGT.
1. Toll Taker, Tim Hills, Richard Migliore, 122
2. Secrets Galore, Guadalupe Preciado, Shaun Bridgmohan, 116
3. Acey Deucey, John Morrison, Diane Nelson, 118
4. Pleasant Chimes, Mark Hennig, Pablo Fragoso, 116
5. Last Toots, John Servis, Stewart Elliott, 116
6. Seeking the Ante, John Kimmel, Mike Luzzi, 116
7. Quite a Ruckus, Kiaran McLaughlin, Jose Santos, 122
8. Bright Mahogany, Gary Contessa, Luis Perez, 120
9. Merrill Gold, Jose Martin, Norberto Arroyo Jr., 116