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Whirlaway provides distance test for Eightyfiveinafifty

EIGHTYFIVEINAFIFTY (Forest Camp), a dominant 17 1/4-length maiden winner on January 9, will get a chance to show how far he can carry his speed when he faces five other up-and-coming three-year-olds in the 31st running of the $100,000 Whirlaway S. at Aqueduct on Saturday. The bay colt stretches out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles around two turns of the Big A's inner track as his connections look for an answer to the big question: Is he a Kentucky Derby (G1) horse?

Eightyfiveinafifty found himself in the spotlight following his maiden win (Photo courtesy of NYRA) "If it weren't for thinking about the Kentucky Derby, this is probably not the road I would have taken with him," admitted Gary Contessa, who trains Eightyfiveinafifty for Harold Lerner. "Going from a maiden win to facing stakes horses around two turns is a lot to ask. But the Derby is three months away, and with a horse this fast, this is the direction we've had to choose." Eightyfiveinafifty, whose ambitious moniker was picked by Contessa on the basis of the then-unraced colt's training, finished third to next-out Grade 1 winner Dublin (Afleet Alex) in his debut at Saratoga in August. He wasn't seen in competition again until posting his spectacular maiden win. Contessa had planned to take Eightyfiveinafifty to Florida for the winter, but the colt suffered an injury and remained at Aqueduct, where he will try to take the New York road to Louisville, Kentucky, via the March 6 Gotham S. (G3) and the Wood Memorial (G1) on April 3. "No doubt he's the most talented horse I've ever trained," Contessa said. "In the morning, he gives me every indication he's a two-turn horse. But you just never know. I've read all the blogs, all the handicappers, all the geniuses, and half of them think he can do it, and half say, 'No way'."

With just the one victory, Eightyfiveinafifty will carry 116 pounds, including Jorge Chavez, as he breaks from post 2 as the 2-5 morning-line favorite against his more seasoned rivals.

Among those are TURF MELODY (Maria's Mon), a stakes-winning Graham Motion trainee who will be making the ninth start of his career -- at the ninth different track -- in the Whirlaway. The bay closed out his juvenile campaign with a come-from-behind victory in the Springboard Mile S. at Remington Park, then finished a disappointing sixth in the Lecomte S. (G3) at Fair Grounds on January 23.

"He's coming back fairly quickly, but I don't feel as if he got to run his race at the Fair Grounds," Motion said. "Turning for home, he was flat. Maybe at the end of the day he's not good enough, but he's got to answer the question of whether he belongs with these kind of horses."

Carrying the top weight of 122 pounds, Turf Melody drew the rail and will be ridden by Anna Napravnik.

Another stakes winner in the field is PEPPI KNOWS (Stephen Got Even), who followed his victory in the Finger Lakes Juvenile with a solid second to the highly-regarded Buddy's Saint (Saint Liam) in the Remsen S. (G2) going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on on November 28. The gelded bay drew post 3 and will carry 120 pounds under Richard Migliore.

The Whirlaway field is rounded out by THREE DAY RUSH (Harlan's Holiday), a Todd Pletcher trainee who recorded a a hard-fought allowance victory going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park on January 9; PAPA'S NICE CAT (One Nice Cat), who will be making his first start in open company in the Whirlaway; and AFLEET AGAIN (Afleet Alex), supplemented to the race off an allowance win at Philadelphia Park on January 17.

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