A talented group of 2-year-olds will line up for the one-mile Nashua Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack Nov. 4, including stakes winner Han Sense, in the featured race on opening day of the fall meet.
From the freshman crop of 2011 champion 2-year-old Hansen, Han Sense will get back to the dirt for the first time since his 1 1/2-length maiden victory in his career debut in the Iowa Cradle Stakes in August at Prairie Meadows. Trained by Mike Maker, Han Sense is a $125,000 yearling purchase by Dr. Kendall E. Hansen, who owned his Eclipse Award-winning namesake through 2- and 3-year-old campaigns that included victories in the Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and Gotham Stakes (gr. III) and a runner-up finish in the Toyta Blue Grass (gr. I).
The gray Iowa-bred will again sport the blinkers he added in his last start when he finished second to Golden Hawk over the Tapeta at Woodbine in the Oct. 9 Grey Stakes (gr. III). Han Sense will be ridden by jockey Paco Lopez from post 2.
Team D's impressive maiden winner Mo Town will look to lead the charge. A $200,000 yearling purchase, the Tony Dutrow-trained Uncle Mo colt finished a promising second in his debut at Saratoga Race Course in August and turned heads with his successful follow-up with a seven-length victory on the mud Sept. 24 at Belmont Park.
Manny Franco has the call aboard Mo Town, who will depart from the rail.
Courtlandt Farm's Capitaine will take another shot at Mo Town after finishing a troubled fifth in their shared debut at Saratoga. The chestnut son of Tapit , who brought $400,000 at auction as a yearling, returned to Belmont Oct. 1 with a 1 1/2-length, maiden-breaking victory on a muddy and sealed track for trainer Mark Hennig.
"We definitely got some experience," Hennig said of his colt's Saratoga unveiling. "It probably came into use in his second start, because he got in between horses in his second race and got a little more education. But with 2-year-olds, they progress at different rates, so we'll just have to see how they've both progressed since then. [Capitaine] has been doing super. He's had a few nice works in between and couldn't be going into it any better."
Capitaine will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from post 3.
Aqueduct Racetrack, Friday, November 04, 2016, Race 3Entries: Nashua S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Mo Town (KY) Manuel Franco 116 Anthony W. Dutrow 6/5 2 2Han Sense (IA) Paco Lopez 122 Michael J. Maker 5/1 3 3Capitaine (KY) Junior Alvarado 116 Mark A. Hennig 8/5 4 4Hemsworth (KY) Antonio A. Gallardo 116 Thomas Albertrani 15/1 5 5Boys From Boston (KY) Mario G. Pino 116 John J. Robb 8/1
