Horse Betting World

Aqueduct Feature Race Preview – Thursday, February 3

By Joey Adams

Sky Beauty was the champion older female in 1994. During her career she won 15-of-21 races, including nine Grade I stakes. Thursday’s feature race at Aqueduct, an overnight stake, is named in her honor – the $60,000 Sky Beauty.

None of the eight fillies and mares has the class or resume of the race’s namesake, yet it is a competitive event which should draw the attention of horseplayers. Here is a closer look at the field:

1-PURRFECT BLUFF … (4/1) … Entered right back after closing late to finish third in a similar stake five days ago. Trainer Rick Dutrow has won at a 32% clip over the last two years with runners returning to action in “1-7 days.” Her last two Beyer Speed Figures are better than anyone else in the field has ever run, yet she is getting her fifth different rider in as many starts and attempting this one-mile distance for the first time.

2-DIVA’S GOLD … (20/1) … No match for a 2/5 wire-to-wire winner at Parx Racing last time out and she was out-finished for the place by today’s rival Vindy City. Although her last two wins have come against claimers she has posted career-best speed figures since joining the barn of Robert Reid. Returns to the inner track at Aqueduct where she has a 4-2-2-0 record.

3-SUPER ESPRESSO … (3/1) … $1.1 million filly, trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, has certainly figured out this game. She comes in having won her last two starts, including a solid win in her first start over the inner track. She was drawing off at the wire that day, while the runner-up was 7 ¼ lengths clear of the show horse, who was 4 ½ clear of the rest – that kind of separation often signals a strong race.

4-LADY DURLYN … (8/1) … Two solid efforts since being claimed by Rudy Rodriguez (no surprise), and she comes off a near-miss against today’s rival Electric Gold – while finishing ahead of Kittylicious. She’s yet to run fast enough to beat this field but she did equal a career-best performance last time out, and another move forward would be no surprise given the new connections.

5-FIVE DIAMONDS … (9/2) … Laurel Park invader just went :45.4 while finishing second in a sprint stake, so she probably grabs the early lead today if she wants it. She shows two wins and two seconds in her last four “sprint-to-route” starts – all at today’s one-mile distance. Positive sign that regular rider Harry Vega is in town for the race.

6-ELECTRIC GOLD … (5/2) … Comes off a narrow win over Lady Durlyn and Kittylicious, and may have been aided by a track that was favoring runners on the lead or close to the pace. Note that she took a 2 ½-length lead into the stretch and only won by only a ½-length over rivals that were coming from the back of the pack. Needs to run faster today and she’ll offer little value given the connections of Chad Brown and Ramon Dominguez.

7-VINDY CITY … (10/1) … Able to out-finish Diva’s Gold last time out and earn a career-best speed figure, but she was still beaten nearly five lengths. Her regular rider Kendrick Carmouche travels in to keep the mount, yet he’ll need to work some magic to challenge for the top spot today. This filly’s only win beyond 6 ½ furlongs came 13 months ago in Philadelphia where she was all-out to hold on as the 7/10 betting favorite.

8-KITTYLICIOUS … (12/1) … Finished third behind a pair of these last time, not a bad effort considering she may have been up against a track bias. That being said, she has only one win from ten starts over the main track, and that came in a $25,000 maiden claimer 11 months ago where she beat only four rivals. Probably needs this race to completely fall apart in the stretch.

>> SELECTION … 3-Super Espresso