Trainer Richard Dutrow is confident that a change in scenery will lead to
much better results from SILVER TRAIN (Old Trieste) in Saturday’s $300,000
Carter H. (G1). The Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner didn’t run well at
Gulfstream Park twice last year and opened his four-year-old campaign with a
disappointing seventh in the Richter Scale Breeders’ Cup H. (G2). He’ll return
to New York and face seven rivals in the seven-furlong Carter.
Silver Train, who captured the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Jerome H. (G2) at
Belmont, is based at Aqueduct most of the year with Dutrow but will make his
first start over the main track on Saturday. Regular rider Edgar Prado has the
call. Forego S. (G1) hero MASS MEDIA (Touch Gold) represents the biggest
challenge to the likely favorite. Trained by Bobby Frankel, the five-year-old
horse concluded 2005 with an excellent second in the Cigar Mile H. (G1) and will
return to the races with new jockey Ramon Dominguez.
HAPPY HUNTING (Seeking the Gold) will bring a four-race win skein into the
Carter, including a one-length score last time in his stakes debut, the Aqueduct
H. (G3). A five-year-old, Happy Hunting didn’t make his first career start until
last June and owns a ton of promise this season for Shug McGaughey. CALL THE
LORD (Lord Carson) is another interesting candidate making his first Grade 1
start.
From the rail, the full field, in post order with jockeys and weights, is
BISHOP COURT HILL (Holy Bull), Jose Santos, 115; Happy Hunting, Mike Smith, 115;
SIR GREELEY (Mr. Greeley), Garrett Gomez, 116; Mass Media, 118; KAZOO (Tabasco
Cat), Richard Migliore, 115; Silver Train, 120; Call the Lord, Pablo Fragoso,
114; and BIG APPLE DADDY (Precise End), Orlando Mojica, 113.