Queens County J

AMERICAN GRADED STAKES

PREVIEWS

Only five runners will line up in the $100,000 Queens County H. (G3) over the

inner dirt at Aqueduct on Saturday, and we're tabbing TEMPORARY SAINT (Awesome

Again) to come out on top in this 1 3/16-mile test.

The David Jacobson-trained five-year-old was last seen running third in the

Stuyvesant H. (G3) over the main track, but has experience winning over the

inner surface as well. At the beginning of 2008, while still under the tutelage

of trainer Bruce Levine, the gray gelding was an easy 1 1/2-length winner of an

allowance/optional claimer, earning a 105 BRIS Speed rating, and followed that

one up with a nice second in the Stymie H., resulting in a 102 Speed figure.

Temporary Saint switched over to the main track to earn his first stakes win,

the Excelsior H. (G3), and was later seen just missing by a nose after leading

throughout a nine-furlong optional claimer at Saratoga. He garnered a

career-best 110 Speed rating for that effort and was also claimed out of that

race and transferred to Jacobson. Eddie Castro came on board two races back and

retains the mount for this one.

DRY MARTINI (Slew Gin Fizz) was a nice 3 1/4-length winner of the Stuyvesant

last out and will seek to add a second straight stakes to his line here. The

gray five-year-old returned in late summer following a year layoff and may just

now be rounding back into form. Conditioned by Billy Turner Jr., Dry Martini will

get his first taste of the Aqueduct inner in this spot, but has had no trouble

switching tracks in the past. In 2007, he captured the Memorial Day H. (G3) at

Calder before traveling to Prairie Meadows and taking the Prairie Meadows

Cornhusker H. (G2). Channing Hill will be back in the saddle.

RESEARCHER (Two Smart) will be going for his fourth straight win after taking

an allowance/optional claimer at Laurel Park, the H.B.P.A. Governor's Cup H. at

Charles Town and the Mountaineer Mile H. at Mountaineer Park. Like Dry Martini,

he should have no trouble in acclimating to Aqueduct's inner. The four-year-old

bay earned a field-best 112 Speed rating for the Mountaineer Mile and could

surprise at nice odds.

SIR WHIMSEY (Jump Start) captured the Gulfstream Park H. (G2) in early March,

but hasn't shown much in just three starts since, including his debut for Steve

Asmussen last out. If the dark bay colt returns

to his spring form he'll be tough in the exotics, but we're not going to back at

this time. BRILLIANT SON (Stormin Fever) didn't show much in the Stuyvesant last

out and we can't recommend.