By Joe Quillen
Thursday 12/28/23 – Aqueduct Race 7
Welcome back everyone, and today we are going to head north on Interstate 95 to Aqueduct Race Track for Thursday’s seventh race, which is the running of the Bay Ridge Stakes which is a race for New York bred fillies and mares going a one-turn mile over what will be a sloppy race track. It’s been raining where I am in Philadelphia since early afternoon and the storm will be exiting the Delaware Valley northeasterly to New York City and Queens, where Aqueduct is, early on Thursday.
The filly that is going to get all the attention is the 2 Fingal’s Cave (2/1 morning line favorite). She won her first four starts of her career as a three-year-old, and then had an impressive second place finish in the 2022 Raven Run at Keeneland getting squeezed at the start and having to run a race style that she was unfamiliar with before going on a 14-month layoff.
According to David Grening of the Daily Racing Form, Fingal’s Cave had some bone bruising then foot problems which delayed her return further. I’m curious with the problems that she did have if she runs in the slop at Aqueduct or gets her returned delayed for a couple more weeks.
The 6 Know It All Audrey (4/1 ML) won going around two turns in the Empire Distaff at the end of October, and is shortening up a furlong for this race. Also note that she’s won 4 times and finished runnerup three more times in the wet going in her career. That’s something you should not ignore.
The 3 Venti Valentine (5/2 ML) does appear to be a horse that will like this distance and will get a bit of a break in class from running in the Grade 3 Go For Wand at the beginning of the month. The 4 Sweetie (10/1 ML) did win an off the turf state bred race on October 29 at Aqueduct. I don’t think she wins, but she will have a chance to hit the board here.
I’m going to take the 6 as my pick, and hopefully that continues the fairly good week that I’ve had so far with three winners in the last two days. I had one on the Santa Anita opening day card and lost a heartbreaker in another, and then hit both races at Parx today where my top selections was not scratched. I think we are getting on track people!
As I said, the 6 is my play here, and I’ll go $10 to win on the 6, and I’ll go 6-2-3-5 in the Bay Ridge. Stay dry, stay warm, and see you Friday with another Quills Picks Winners article!
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