Aqueduct starts the ‘inner strip’ season on Wednesday where only the brave and those hungry for the thrill of victory survive. Some call it the inner sanctum, others call it the Aqueduct velodrome, and the sour call it the dog day afternoons of the winter. Whatever, Aqueduct inner strip is here to stay for a little over three months.
This means no main track racing and no turf racing so astute handicappers look for specialists on the inner strip or runners that figure to take to the abbreviated surface. This Aqueduct strip is compact, the turns are tight and some horses like the surface and some hate it.
Inside speed going short and long is the order of the day more often than not. Horses stretching out after showing affinity for getting at least 7 furlongs are destined for success. It is possible to come from off the pace and succeed but bettors have to make sure there is an abundance of speed in the race if they are looking for a late bloomer.
It’s always a solid ploy to stick with horses that have done well on the Aqueduct inner strip in the past and resist the temptation to bet on form other than this unique surface.
Because of the way the weather affects things, one must pay attention not only to a possible bias going into any afternoon of racing, but also during the day itself. A sudden cold snap, freezing rain, or a little snow can change everything in a heartbeat.
One angle to think about if the rains do come, and they will, is that often times if a drying-out track comes into play, the tendency is for the speed to hold on much better.
Try to isolate and key on horses that have been pointed directly for this niche meeting.
As far as the pilots are concerned, it’s about death, taxes and the Ortiz brothers. Jose and Irad just won everything in sight in New York last winter.
Junior Alvarado had a big meeting too and Manuel Franco finished in the top 5 in the jockey standings.
The straws that stir the drinks are the trainers and the same theory applies to those guys as it does to the pilots.
The more potent stables already have shipped or are in the process of moving their stables to Florida where more money and abundant sunshine are the order of the day. Naturally, the smaller barns have a chance to make hay at Aqueduct while the big barns are away.
Rudy Rodriguez was prominent on the Aqueduct inner strip early last year. He led all trainers and popped at 29%.
When all is said and done, it’s all about the horses and those that thrive on the Aqueduct inner strip. Enter Isabelle is a mature mare trained by Bill Mott. This runner has won back-to-back races on the inner strip in 2015. She sat a perfect garden trip beating optional claimers on this surface and then took the $100,000 Broadway Stakes for state-breds going away. Junior Alvarado was up for both wins. Mott seems to have her cranked up for this meeting with several recent works under her belt.
Drama King is a horse that must be watched intently. He had the misfortune of catching an off surface in late October and had to settle for third. Since that race, he has worked perfectly for trainer Rodriguez. Last year, Drama King nearly got an Emmy Award on the Aqueduct inner strip.
He won a miler by a game neck, rested for about a month and then won the $100,000 New York-bred Hollie Hughes Stakes as the favorite. He then returned to beat open entry-level allowance runners with a clever 92 Beyer Speed Rating. Drama King is a horse that racing is all about. This runner cost $13,000 and has made nearly $350,000.
Players really can’t get greedy during this meet because form is quickly established. The quickest learners in the crowd will pay attention to way a horse was hung wide in his prior start, but now gets a favorable pace and a much better post.
Key on speed and top connections and things will roll out just fine.
