Contessa, Bush talk Showcase Day tactics

Contessa, Bush talk Showcase Day tactics

Although Night Maneuver hasn't won a stakes in two years, trainer Gary Contessa believes

the four-year-old is one of the leading contenders for the $150,000 Hudson on

Saturday's Empire Showcase Day card.

Night Maneuver, who won the Bertram M. Bongard on Showcase Day in 2011 as a

two-year-old for trainer Carlos Martin, was claimed by Contessa for $62,500 in

June out of a neck victory in an optional claiming event at Belmont. Since then,

he has added an optional claiming score in July at Saratoga and finished third

in a pair of overnight stakes, the Chowder's First in August at the Spa and the

Spite the Devil on September 19 at Belmont. He'll be cutting back from one mile

in the Spite the Devil to six furlongs in the Hudson, which also attracted

Chowder's First winner Palace and 2012 Hudson victor Mine Over Matter.

"He's a nice old horse," said Contessa, who trains the gelding for his wife,

Jennifer, as well as Darlene Bilinski and Harry S. Patten. "He's a war horse. He

runs, on his good day, as fast as (the other Hudson entrants) do.

"This is kind of a logistic race in which I think whoever is in the right

place at the right time is probably going to win it. Maybe there will be way too

much speed and the horse who sits back and makes one run is the horse who is

going to win it. Maybe nobody goes and the horse who goes to the lead wins it.

Usually races that are this deep turn out to be jockey races."

Rajiv Maragh has ridden Night Maneuver in his past four starts, and Contessa

said he will leave the final decision on tactics to the jockey.

"I haven't given him any instructions on this horse and I haven't had any

complaints, but I would like to see him take a hold of him and let the three or

four horses that want to be up near the lead go, and we'll be laying in the

second tier right behind them," Contessa said. "That's the way I would want it,

but I'm not going to tell him that, and if he decided to use him to be closer I

wouldn't have any major complaints. But I think being close to the pace hurt us

a little bit in our last start."

Contessa also entered Carolinian in the $150,000 Bertram M. Bongard for two-year-olds

at seven furlongs.

Owned by Dogwood Stable, Carolinian broke his maiden on the turf in his fourth

start, a seven-furlong maiden special weight, by 6 1/4 lengths on September 12

at Belmont, then came back to take an optional claimer on the dirt by one length

on September 26.

"I've always thought he was a hair better on the turf," admitted Contessa. "I

wouldn't mind trying him in (a) turf race. He's a fast, solid horse. I trained

his sister, Margaret Lilian, and she could run only on the grass. I had the

opportunity to breeze (Carolinian) on the grass in Saratoga, and he looked like

a million dollars."

In his only start for trainer Tom Bush, So Lonesome finished second by a

length as the favorite in a six-furlong optional claimer on September 26. The

Freud colt, who broke his maiden at Saratoga for Dale Capuano, will take a big

step up on Empire Showcase Day when he faces Wired Bryan in the Bertram F. Bongard.

"Wired Bryan looks like the best bet of the day," Bush said of the favorite, who

won the Sanford at Saratoga and the New York Breeders' Futurity at

Finger Lakes, both at six furlongs. "You wonder if he's more effective shorter,

but against these kinds of horses the seven-eighths is probably no problem at

all. This horse of mine, he's big and tall and leggy and more ground would

probably be better for him. He's going to have to come up with a good one, but

we have the champ (Javier Castellano) in the saddle, so that should help."

The Ticonderoga for turf fillies and mares presents a different sort of

challenge for Wholelottashakin, most recently second by a neck in the John

Hettinger on September 15. The 1 1/16-mile race drew a closely matched field of

10, headed by Effie Trinket (3-1), Shakeira (7-2) and Inimitable Romanee (4-1),

with Wholelottashakin the fourth choice at 5-1 from post position 10.

"It would be nice if you had one to beat but you have four or five," said Bush,

who will give a leg up to Irad Ortiz Jr. "Plus, we're going to have to ride her

out of there to get a spot for her, because the post is not good with that turn.

I'm hoping we can get over and not give up a lot of ground. I hate being wide

all the way down the backside. She seems like she's wanted to lay a little

closer, but that's not going to be as easy to do from that post. It will be a

jockeys' race."

Trainer Chad Brown will send out Shakeira in the Ticonderoga, prior to saddling Readtheprospectus

for the $250,000 Empire Classic.

Shakeira, a four-year-old owned by Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables who was

second in the 2012 Ticonderoga, seeks her second stakes win, having taken

Belmont's Mount Vernon in June. In three subsequent starts she has finished

sixth in the On the Bus overnight stakes and fifth in the Yaddo in August at

Saratoga before being nosed out by Sally's Dream in a starter allowance/optional

claimer on September 15 at Belmont.

"She'll have to come with one of her 'A' races," Brown said. "She's run them

before. Even her race last year in the Ticonderoga when she was second to

Hessonite was a really good race. If I were to get the same race out of her this

year I'd be very happy, and I think that will put her pretty close at the

finish. She seems to be sitting on a good race, I'd say."

After an "enthusiastic" week of training, multiple Grade 3 winner Notacatbutallama was

confirmed for Saturday's $200,000 Mohawk, trainer Todd Pletcher said Friday

morning.

"All is well, and we are planning to run," Pletcher said of the

three-year-old Harlan's Holiday colt, most recently fourth in the Jamaica

Handicap on October 5.

Notacatbutallama, who this year has won the Hill Prince, the National Museum

of Racing Hall of Fame and the Solar Splendor overnight stakes, is the only

stakes representative on Showcase Day from the Pletcher barn, although it also

will send out maidens Gloria Victoria (in the 5TH race) and Bottleofredorwhite (6TH

race).

First post for Empire Showcase Day is 12:20 p.m. (EDT).

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