Favorites highlight New York Stallion Stakes

Favorites highlight New York
Stallion Stakes

Loki’s Vengeance was much the best in the NYSS (Times Square Division) (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) Blue Bison Stable’s Loki’s Vengeance captured his first stakes as the 2-5 favorite in Sunday’s $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes (Times Square Division) for three-year-olds at Aqueduct. The Michael Hushion trainee stalked the pacesetters in the early going, claimed the lead turning for home and drew clear in the end by 1 1/4 lengths.  “I had a lot of horse, and when you have horse you can do whatever you want,” jockey Manny Franco said. “Mike Hushion told me, ‘If somebody wants to go, sit behind him and make one move when you think you should.'”  The son of Frost Giant covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16 4/5 over the fast main track.

One way or the other, he’s a nice horse, a fast horse,” Hushion said. “We’ll
see how he comes out of this and what’s there, whether we’ll look at the Mike
Lee (Saturday, May 31 at Belmont) or something else. He still has to prove
himself (as far as distance goes). If we stretch him out to seven-eighths next
time that would be nice. He’s a heavy, thick horse and he’s a heavy breather,
but his pedigree says he should go farther.”

Loki’s Vengeance was exiting a last-place finish in the Grade 3 Bay Shore
over the track earlier this month. The dark bay has a career mark of 6-3-2-0,
$161,200.

Henry’s Gal went gate-to-wire in her stakes debut (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) In the companion race for three-year-old fillies, Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stable LLC, Gary Aisquith and Michael Imperio’s Henry’s Gal was victorious by four lengths in her stakes debut in the $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes (Park Avenue Division). “That’s what I was expecting from her (considering) the way she won the other day and the way she’s breezed in the morning,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. “We’ve just tried to keep her happy. She’s a runner and we’re happy to have her in the barn. All the credit goes to Michael Dubb for picking out the horse; he saw that she was eligible for the New York Stallion Series.”  The daughter of Disco Rico justified her 1-2 favoritism by taking the field gate-to-wire with Cornelio Velasquez up. The dark bay stopped the teletimer in 1:17 3/5 for the 6 1/2-furlong test.

“I was a passenger,” Velasquez said. “There was a slow pace, but I had a lot
of horse. She galloped. She won easy.”

Henry’s Gal was entering in here off a eleven-length romp in a starter
allowance race over the track earlier this month. With Saturday’s score, she
banked $60,000 to boost her bankroll to $151,000 from a 5-4-0-1 line.

Earlier on the Aqueduct card, Pick Six Racing’s Vyjack returned from more than a nine
month-layoff to win a $66,640
allowance
optional claiming race by three-quarters of a length. The Rudy Rodriguez
charge was last seen running sixth in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at
Monmouth Park back in July.

“I was very happy with what I saw,” Rodriquez said. “I was a little concerned
on the backside, because (pacesetter) Royal Currier is a tough horse to beat
when he’s on the lead. My horse likes to wait for horses, but having another
horse as a target was good for him. He was very, very special. The (Grade 1,
$1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap on June 7) is still the target. We’ll try to
keep him happy until then. So far, so good.” 

The four-year-old bay gelding came from off the pace to run down the leader
in midstretch and crossed the wire in 1:22 1/5 going seven furlongs.

“He’s a nice horse,” jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said. “Coming back from the
layoff, he was ready. I just broke and wanted to give him a chance. When I asked
him, he took off.”

The son of Into Mischief has a career line which reads 9-5-0-1 and $593,000
in lifetime earnings.

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