Inherit the Gold celebrates return to Aqueduct with NYSS win

Inherit the Gold celebrates return to Aqueduct with NYSS

win

That was Inherit the Gold's last win, as he has since run seventh in the

Grade 3 Charles Town Classic at that West Virginia venue, third in the One Count

Stakes and seventh in the Empire Classic, with the latter two coming at Belmont

Park. The veteran runner entered the Empire Classic off a five-month break.

"Of

course it scares you when you come off a race like the first one, but I

figured maybe that was just me," Hooper said. "We really asked him to do the impossible, and he

showed today that if you do right by him, he's going to be fine. I'm ecstatic."

"He was quite

ready today," Velazquez agreed. "Last time, he was coming off a layoff; he needed the race. We had

to go wide, but that's the way he likes to run. We were close enough to be

there, I put him in the middle of the track, and he had a nice run. He runs very

well here at Aqueduct, but he runs well everywhere he goes."

Three other NYSS races took place Sunday, with the distaff companion event to

the Thunder Rumble, the $75,000

Staten Island, captured by Lady on the Run. Campaigned by Tucker et al, the

sophomore daughter of Ten Most Wanted ran to her even-money odds when pulling

out the 1 1/4-length victory. Mike Luzzi guided the John Morrison pupil through

seven furlongs in a final time of 1:23 2/5.

"I was a little

concerned because she was a little keyed up, but I managed to catch some dirt in

her face right away, which helped," Luzzi said. "Going into the race, I thought there was one

horse to beat. At the three-eighths pole, I said, 'There's one horse to beat,

and that's the one up there (Saltamontes), so let's go!'"

Lady on the Run adds this one to a win in the Park Avenue division of the

NYSS as well as a second in the grassy Cupecoy's Joy division of the series. She

is now riding a two-race win streak having scored in an optional claimer on

October 13.

"We tried her a

few times on the grass since those races were there, but she's really all dirt,"

Morrison explained.

"Once we got her off the inner track, that did it. Those tight turns just didn't

suit her too well. We were a little worried about today, a little tighter turn,

how she'd handle it, but she handled it fine. She's still improving, that's the

nice thing.

"Fingers crossed, she's this good next year. We'll see how she comes

out of this, maybe one more (this year), but if not, she's kind of earned

herself a little vacation. So we'll just see how she is the next week or 10

days."

Lady on the Run boosted her line to 12-4-4-2 to go along with $210,850 in

lifetime earnings.

Juveniles started and finished the stakes action on the day when The Funky

Express wired the $100,000

Fifth Avenue in the 2ND race and Shane Roars broke his maiden in the

$100,000

Great White Way in the 8TH.

The Funky Express, a dark bay daughter of Freud, was making her first start

for new connections Brooklyn Boyz Stables and MeB Racing Stables in the Fifth

Avenue. The juvenile lass was ridden by Ryan Curatolo and saddled by Dominick

Schettino in her 1 1/4-length score.

"She's a

good filly to be around, she's well-mannered, she does everything right," Schettino

said. "She's a

sweetheart and she wants to please you. I thought she ran very well."

The Funky Express ran six furlongs in 1:11 2/5 and entered this race off a 6

1/2-length maiden claiming win at Saratoga and a 2 1/4-length victory in the

Small Wonder Stakes at Delaware Park. She improved her career record to 4-3-0-0

and doubled her earnings to $124,400.

Dutchessviews Farm's Shane Roars was looking for his first win in his third

career try and got the job done when sticking his neck in front on the wire of

the Great White Way. Junior Alvarado guided the Dominic Galluscio trainee, who

was sent off the longest shot on the board at 91-1, through six furlongs in

1:12.

"I honestly didn't

think he would go off at 91-1, because his last race was very good," Galluscio

mused. "The first

time he was green, the next time he showed speed and got tired. He wasn't that

fit. We freshened him, got him good and fit, and it worked out well."

Shane Roars was a well-beaten sixth in this debut at Saratoga, but returned

just 14 days later to be fourth against similar. The chestnut son of Roaring

Fever boosted his earnings to $62,500 and now shows a 3-1-0-0 mark.