Darley Stable Looking to Get “Lucky” in Ruthless at Aqueduct

Darley Stable has been on a nice roll, winning last weekend’s Sham Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita with Out of Bounds and the Busanda at Aqueduct with Captivating Lass, and will hope to continue its success on Saturday in the $75,000 Ruthless at Aqueduct.

Tom Albertrani will saddle Better Luck for Darley in the Ruthless, a good looking maiden winner in her debut at Aqueduct on Dec. 7.

The daughter of Grade 1 winner Ghostzapper is out of the stakes winner Sahara Gold, who also has dropped stakes winner Sahara Heat, who won the Marine Stakes (G3) at Woodbine in 2007.

Jockey Ramon Dominguez rode Better Lucky to her maiden breaker, but jumps off to ride the Tony Dutrow trained Perennial Song while Cornelio Velasquez picks up the call.

The likely favorite may end up being Flying Zee Stables’ Agave Kiss, who trounced New York breds in her first two starts and steps out of the state bred ranks for her stakes debut here for trainer Rudy Rodriguez.

The co-feature on Saturday’s card at the Big A is the $75,000 The Shots Are Ringing Stakes, a one mile and 70 yard test on the inner track for four-year-olds.

The short priced chalk is going to be the Todd Pletcher trainee San Pablo, who is coming off a win in the Flying Chevron in his inner track debut.

Other contenders include Socialsaul, who set the early fractions in the Flying Chevron before weakening to finish fourth, and Hunch Stakes winner Sam Sparkle, who will be sent out by Gary Contessa.

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Let’s head out to Aqueduct for Saturday’s featured race of the day:

Aqueduct Race 7 The Ruthless
(Post time 3:09 ET)

• Better Lucky 8/1
• Agave Kiss 5/2
• Perennial Song 7/2
• Defy Gravity 12/1

Better Lucky was a good looking maiden winner in her debut, stalking the early pace while saving ground, angled toward the outside turning for home and ran by the leaders easily to win by 4 ¼ lengths going away despite catching a sloppy racing strip that was more favorable to inside speed that day. The third place finisher in the race was Evasive Cat, who came back to graduate in her next start on Jan. 11 here versus maiden special weight company. She faces winners for the first time here but catches a field top heavy with early speed which may set things up nicely for her late. She has the pedigree to be a nice runner. She is by Ghostzapper out of the stakes winner Sahara Gold ($249K), who was a Grade 2 winner sprinting.

Agave Kiss has won her two career starts by a combined 16 ¾ lengths and steps out of the state bred ranks and into stakes company for her third career start. She took the field gate to wire in her debut to win by 6 ¼ lengths. The runner up and seventh place finisher came out of the race to break their maiden in their next starts. Next up the filly took on state bred Alw-1 foes and she rolled over the field, drawing clear to win by 10 ½ lengths in a good looking effort. She has come back with a pair of bullet works since her last outing and is in a sharp barn with Rudy Rodriguez. She owns the edge in early and mid pace numbers, but she is not going to have things quite so easy on the front in this spot.

Perennial Song makes her first start since battling for the early lead and holding on for the runner up spot last out in the Tempted (G3) in the mud at Belmont Park on Oct. 2. She won her first two career starts with something left in the tank, both coming at Parx. She has worked smartly over the inner track for the Tony Dutrow barn that is 25% winners with horses coming back off a 61-180 day layoff. The Tempted did not really come up that tough, but the barn is solid with these type of layoffs, she still appears to have some upside potential and she appears to like the surface.

Wagering:
WIN: Better Lucky at 9/2 or better.
EX: 5,7 / 3,5,7,10
TRI: 5,7 / 3,5,7,10 / 3,5,7,9,10