With victories in five of his last six races, a stretch that has included four stakes wins, Twisted Tom will try older horses for the first time when he starts in the $300,000 Empire Classic Handicap for New York-breds Oct. 21 at Belmont Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Empire Classic is the featured race on a card that will offer eight stakes races for New York-breds with total purses of $1.75 million.
Twisted Tom figures to be tested by older rivals in the Empire Classic, as the expected field of nine includes last year's winner, Royal Posse, and runner-up, Governor Malibu. Unlike those two older rivals, Cobra Farm, R R Partners, and Head of Plains Partners' Twisted Tom enters Saturday's race in top form.
Trained by Chad Brown, the only loss for Twisted Tom in his six starts this season was an off-the-board finish in the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1). The son of Creative Cause most recently drew off to a 4 1/2-length score over New York-bred 3-year-olds in the Albany Stakes Aug. 25 at Saratoga Race Course. That win followed a score in the New York Derby at Finger Lakes.
Before the Belmont, the gelding registered open stakes victories at Laurel Park in the Private Terms and Federico Tesio stakes.
While Twisted Tom will try to continue his roll, Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and Gary Aisquith's Royal Posse will try to turn around his recent form. The 6-year-old Posse gelding has not hit the board in his past three starts and is looking for his first win of the season.
Jump Sucker Stable and Oak Bluff Stables' Governor Malibu is also looking for his first win of the season, but the 4-year-old Malibu Moon colt has placed in his past two stakes for New York-breds, including a runner-up finish in the Evan Shipman Stakes Aug. 21 at Saratoga. While he was well-beaten that day, Diversify took the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) in his next outing at Belmont.
In the seven other stakes for New York-breds Saturday:
• Grade 2 winner Pure Silver will try to pick up her fourth win and third stakes victory when she starts in the Maid of the Mist Stakes for juvenile fillies at one mile. The Twin Creeks Racing Stables homebred enters off a fourth-place finish in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) after she won the Adirondack Stakes (G2) two starts back.
• In the Iroquois Stakes for filly and mare sprinters, Kennesaw Mountain Racing's Picco Uno will try for a second straight stakes victory after she took the Union Avenue at Saratoga. The 4-year-old Macho Uno filly has won five of her last six races.
• Peter Brant's Fifty Five, a grade 3 winner, will face older females for the first time when the 3-year-old Get Stormy filly competes with an expected eight others in the 1 1/16-mile Ticonderoga Stakes.
• Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Battle Station, undefeated in his first two starts and entered off a 9 1/4-length romp in the seven-furlong Bertram F. Bongard Stakes, will stretch out to the one-turn mile for trainer Wesley Ward in the Sleepy Hollow Stakes for juveniles.
• Male sprinters will try the Hudson Handicap, where Zilla Racing Stables' Celtic Chaos enters off a fourth-place finish in the Vosburgh Stakes (G1). Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, the 4-year-old Dublin colt has won his last two New York-bred stakes tries.
• In the 1 1/16-mile Mohawk Stakes for 3-year-olds and older on the inner turf, Dubb, Nantucket Thoroughbred Partners, Bethlehem Stables, and Aisquith's Offering Plan will try for a second stakes victory this season after he won the restricted Kingston Stakes in May.
• Closing out the stakes races will be the $250,000 Empire Distaff Handicap, where 3-year-old filly Bonita Bianca, a daughter of Curlin , will face older horses for the first time. Campaigned by Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and Michael Imperio and trained by Rudy Rodriguez, Bonita Bianca has won three previous stakes against New York-breds, including this year's New York Oaks.
Belmont Park, Saturday, October 21, 2017, Race 5 Belmont Park, Saturday, October 21, 2017, Race 2 Belmont Park, Saturday, October 21, 2017, Race 3 Belmont Park, Saturday, October 21, 2017, Race 4 Belmont Park, Saturday, October 21, 2017, Race 6 Belmont Park, Saturday, October 21, 2017, Race 8 Belmont Park, Saturday, October 21, 2017, Race 9 Belmont Park, Saturday, October 21, 2017, Race 10Entries: Empire Classic H.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Papa Shot (NY) Dylan Davis 118 Linda Rice 5/1 2 2Becker's Galaxy (NY) Eric Cancel 114 Rudy R. Rodriguez 15/1 3 3Twisted Tom (NY) Javier Castellano 120 Chad C. Brown 2/1 4 4Control Group (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 112 Rudy R. Rodriguez 6/1 5 5Hit It Once More (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 116 Gary Sciacca 20/1 6 6Can You Diggit (NY) Manuel Franco 114 James A. Jerkens 8/1 7 7Testosterstone (NY) John R. Velazquez 116 Gary Sciacca 15/1 8 8Governor Malibu (NY) Joel Rosario 122 Christophe Clement 7/2 9 9Royal Posse (NY) Luis Saez 120 Rudy R. Rodriguez 12/1
Entries: Maid of the Mist S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Miss Mystique (NY) Jose Lezcano 120 Leah Gyarmati 20/1 2 2Newport Breeze (NY) Joel Rosario 120 Peter Eurton 8/1 3 3I Still Miss You (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Jeremiah C. Englehart 6/1 4 4Pure Silver (NY) John R. Velazquez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 2/1 5 5Cause We Are Loyal (NY) Javier Castellano 122 Doug F. O'Neill 6/1 6 6Held Accountable (NY) Luis Saez 122 Philip M. Serpe 5/1 7 7Droselmeyr's Smile (NY) Manuel Franco 120 Charlton Baker 12/1 8 8Berning Rose (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 120 Dominick L. Schettino 7/2
Entries: Iroquois S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Picco Uno (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Jason Servis 2/1 2 2Royal Inheritance (NY) Manuel Franco 119 David A. Cannizzo 15/1 3 3Quezon (NY) Joel Rosario 117 Robert Ribaudo 8/5 4 4Absatootly (NY) Joe Bravo 121 Charlton Baker 10/1 5 5Wonderment (NY) Javier Castellano 124 Kenneth G. McPeek 8/1 6 6Cozzy Spring (NY) Dylan Davis 119 Charlton Baker 4/1
Entries: Ticonderoga S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Flipcup (NY) Joel Rosario 117 William I. Mott 6/1 2 2Barrel of Dreams (NY) John R. Velazquez 119 Charlton Baker 4/1 3 3Broken Border (NY) Manuel Franco 119 Jason Servis 12/1 4 4Frosty Margarita (NY) Luis Saez 117 Rudy R. Rodriguez 20/1 5 5Fifty Five (NY) Javier Castellano 120 Chad C. Brown 5/2 6 6Feeling Bossy (NY) Angel S. Arroyo 119 Jason Servis 10/1 7 7Ancient Secret (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 119 Chad C. Brown 8/1 8 8Tizzelle (NY) Joe Bravo 117 H. James Bond 3/1 9 9Table for Six (NY) Junior Alvarado 117 Ralph E. Nicks 20/1
Entries: Sleepy Hollow S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Stoney Bennett (NY) John R. Velazquez 120 Ollie L. Figgins, III 5/2 2 2Battle Station (NY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Wesley A. Ward 7/2 3 3Big Gemmy (NY) Luis Saez 120 W. Bret Calhoun 8/1 4 4Engineers Report (NY) Angel S. Arroyo 120 Rudy R. Rodriguez 20/1 5 5Mr. Pete (NY) Jose Lezcano 122 James T. Ryerson 12/1 6 6Bourbonfuhrme (NY) Shannon Uske 120 Archibald J. Kingsley, Jr. 30/1 7 7Inalienable Rights (NY) Junior Alvarado 120 Mark A. Hennig 6/1 8 8We Should Talk (NY) Joel Rosario 120 Horacio DePaz 5/1 9 9Lover's Leap (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Sal Iorio, Jr. 15/1 10 10Analyze the Odds (NY) Javier Castellano 122 Todd A. Pletcher 10/1 11 11Evaluator (NY) Manuel Franco 120 Michael Dilger 15/1
Entries: Hudson H.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Bust Another (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 114 Michael V. Pino 10/1 2 2Pat On the Back (NY) Manuel Franco 113 Kenneth G. McPeek 15/1 3 3Weekend Hideaway (NY) Luis Saez 123 Philip M. Serpe 3/1 4 4Sudden Surprise (NY) Javier Castellano 114 Brad H. Cox 8/1 5 5Celtic Chaos (NY) Eric Cancel 122 Kiaran P. McLaughlin 6/1 6 6Ostrolenka (NY) Joe Bravo 118 David Jacobson 4/1 7 7Gold for the King (NY) Joel Rosario 116 Charlton Baker 12/1 8 8T Loves a Fight (NY) John R. Velazquez 116 Michelle Nevin 7/2 9 9Eye Luv Lulu (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 116 Jason Servis 15/1 10 10Candid Desire (NY) Jose Lezcano 117 Gary Sciacca 20/1
Entries: Mohawk S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Cloontia (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 119 James A. Jerkens 6/1 2 2Nevisian Sky (NY) Joel Rosario 117 Chad C. Brown 8/1 3 3All Is Number (NY) Joe Bravo 117 Thomas M. Bush 12/1 4 4Rapt (NY) Manuel Franco 117 Robert Ribaudo 15/1 5 5Offering Plan (NY) Javier Castellano 123 Chad C. Brown 6/5 6 6Converge (NY) Dylan Davis 117 Naipaul Chatterpaul 20/1 7 7Black Tide (NY) Jose Lezcano 119 David A. Cannizzo 2/1
Entries: Empire Distaff H.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Jcs American Dream (NY) Joe Bravo 118 Linda Rice 4/1 2 2Pride of Saratoga (NY) Luis Saez 114 Jeremiah C. Englehart 12/1 3 3Jc's Shooting Star (NY) Eric Cancel 117 David G. Donk 8/1 4 4Verdant Pastures (NY) Manuel Franco 114 Charlton Baker 7/2 5 5No Hayne No Gayne (NY) Joel Rosario 112 Steven M. Asmussen 10/1 6 6Bonita Bianca (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 117 Rudy R. Rodriguez 10/1 7 7Might Be (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 111 Chris J. Englehart 20/1 8 8Literata (NY) Javier Castellano 121 Rudy R. Rodriguez 3/1 9 9Five Star Rampage (NY) John R. Velazquez 120 James A. Jerkens 5/1
