OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Proven at the distance, having shown an affinity for the turf course, and coming off an uncomfortable trip last out, Vergara looks to be the one to beat in Sunday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Long Island Stakes at Aqueduct. The Long Island, for fillies and mares at 1 3/8 miles, drew a field of seven and goes as race 4 on a nine-race card that also includes the $150,000 Artie Schiller Stakes for males going one mile on turf. Vergara, a 4-year-old daughter of Noble Mission trained by Graham Motion, is a four-time winner, including a victory in the Tepin Stakes here as a 2-year-old in November 2021. Last year, she finished second to Skims in the Grade 2 Sands Point over this course. Vergara is only 1 for 5 this year, but the win came two starts back in the $1 million Ladies Marathon Stakes at Kentucky Downs. Last out, Vergara finished fifth in the Grade 3 Dowager Stakes at Keeneland. In that race, she was up close early under Joel Rosario, ultimately got shuffled back to last and appeared to be stymied in traffic in the stretch when she was likely out of run anyway. “It ended up being an awkwardly run race for her,” Motion said. “I didn’t feel like she got to run her race.” :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Vergara likes to be forwardly placed, and breaking from post 2 Sunday under John Velazquez, it looks like she should get that type of trip. “She doesn’t have to be on the lead, she needs to be in a comfortable rhythm which she did not get to do last time,” Motion said. Whatlovelookslike can be forward as well. She scratched out of the Ticonderoga Stakes for New York-breds last month when that race came off the turf. “She should handle the distance and doesn’t mind a little cut in the ground,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Whatlovelookslike from the rail. R Calli Kim came off a year layoff to win three consecutive races this year for trainer Brendan Walsh. She steps into stakes company for the first time since she ran fourth in the Martha Washington at Gulfstream Park in 2020. Atomic Blonde has finished in the money in five of six stakes starts in the U.S. this year, but is still looking for her first victory. She is coming off her worst result, an eighth in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor going 1 1/8 miles at Woodbine on Oct. 8. “She ran way below form at Woodbine and I don’t know why,” Clement said. Rhombique, Embrace Me, and Unruly Julie complete the field on turf. Artie Schiller Stakes With the exception of two unsuccessful tries at 1 1/2 miles, Pioneering Spirit has been on quite a run last six months, winning six times. Sunday, he returns to turf while turning back to one mile in the $150,000 Artie Schiller Stakes. One of Pioneering Spirit’s best races came in the Bernard Baruch at Saratoga, a 1 1/16-mile race which came nine days after he finished third in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer. Pioneering Sprit won the off-the-turf Knickerbocker – which scratched down to a match race – following his seventh in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Trainer Linda Rice thought about this or Saturday’s Red Smith at 1 3/8 miles, but opted for the shorter race. “He’s probably better on a firm course, but I’d rather try a mile than a mile and three-eighths on a soft course,” Rice said. “It looks like there’s quite a bit of speed and he’s pretty tactical.” Jose Lezcano rides Pioneering Spirit from the rail on Sunday. James Aloysius is coming off a narrow defeat in a second-level allowance in his first start for trainer Tom Morley. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures “I thought he ran really, really well last month,” Morley said. “My biggest concern would be the ground. I think he wants [firm] ground. I thought Javier [Castellano] rode him great last time. He got him to settle, which he hasn’t always been able to do.” Big Everest, trained by Christophe Clement, is 3 for 3 at Aqueduct, including a victory in this race to end his 2022 campaign. Big Everest ran fourth in the Oceanport at Monmouth Park on Aug. 13 and hasn’t run since. St Anthony, trained by Neil Drysdale, won the Red Bank at Monmouth in September for his second consecutive victory. Jerry the Nipper, Exact Estimate, Bring Me a Check, Wicked Finn, and Masen complete the field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.