NY Stallion Series Stakes Picks
Aqueduct, Race 1, NYSS Thunder Rumble Division, Post Time-11:40 AM ET
A showdown between two multiple-time stakes winning New York-sired horses highlights the Thunder Rumble Division on Saturday at Aqueduct. I will lean toward the narrow second choice #4 Doc Sullivan (7/5) who stretched out to nine furlongs last time out and still nearly got the best of his main rival. The son of Solomini is much more effective at seven furlongs and trainer John Ortiz should have him ready to roll. The horse has good speed and with the short field, Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario might be aggressive and take him to the front. It’s important to note that Doc Sullivan held his own against graded stakes company in the two races prior to his last start finishing fourth in both the Vosburgh (G3) and Forego (G1) where he knocked heads with the likes of Book ‘em Danno, Scotland, Patriot Spirit, and Crazy Mason. All those horses would be heavy odds-on favorites in this spot. Meanwhile, another horse who should appreciate the seven-furlong distance is #1 Dr. Kraft (4/1). The son of The Lieutenant might not win much at the distance but is 6-7 hitting the board when going the tricky seven-furlong distance. Jockey Flavien Prat takes the mount and, quite frankly, every horse he runs should be upgraded this winter at Aqueduct as he is winning at a 33% clip. Look for Prat to get the horse out in good order, but for him to sit mid-pack. The horse has been on the rise since joining the Kantarmaci barn earlier this year. Finally, morning line favorite #2 Bank Frenzy (6/5) who does possess an advantage with Beyer Speed Figures (BSFs) but lacks success at Saturday’s distance as he is 0-3 even hitting the board going seven furlongs. He doesn’t have particularly good speed and is better when he stretched out, so I am fearful that he might not like shortening up in this spot, though he has had plenty of success doing a one-turn mile at Aqueduct where he has won seven times in 11 starts.
Aqueduct, Race 4, NYSS Staten Island Division, Post Time-1:10 PM ET
Jockey Flavien Prat takes over the reins for heavy favorite for #7 Sunday Girl (3/5) who has previously been ridden by Katie Davis in all but one of her 12 career starts. However, it is notable the lone time Davis did not ride, Prat took over the mount and rode the horse to victory, so he knows the horse. There is no doubt this daughter of Central Banker likes to win as she’s 7-12 getting into the winner’s circle in her career, though she has never won at seven furlongs in two attempts. However, both of those previous attempts were over wet tracks, which should not be a significant issue on Saturday despite some rain in the forecast. Despite not winning the last three times out, I was encouraged by her last effort as she ran an 89 BSF while facing much tougher company in the form of Sterling Silver, Stonewall Star, and My Mane Squeeze who is a multiple-time graded stakes winner. I think Prat uses the outside post to his advantage and takes her to the front and never looks back. In second I will go with #4 Khali Magic (6/1). The seven-year-old mare has bounced around a lot in her career and might have lost a step, but she still has good speed, which was evident two back when she nearly beat $75,000 optional claiming open company. She will need to move forward from that effort, but at 6/1 on the morning line she presents some interest for a horse to include with the heavy favorite in exactas. Finally, #1 Stone Smuggler (9/2) for trainer Jorge Abreu showed a lot of promise as a juvenile winning a pair of stakes races but was likely over her head for in 2025 return in the Prioress (G3) and then failed to show up last time out at this level. However, Saturday is her third start back in the form cycle and it’s possible that she is just getting revved up. She also has solid early speed and jockey Manny Franco should show some urgency from the inside rail to ensure she gets out cleanly into the flow of the race. Her BSF will need to jump at least 10 points to make an impression, but she made a 10-point jump from her previous effort last time out, so another one might not be out of the equation.