The Thursday weather forecast at Aqueduct suggests a standard mid-winter gloomy afternoon, cloudy, high temperature around 30, no precipitation. That might be all the 5-year-old horse Callaloo needs to contend in the featured seventh race. Callaloo about one year ago won a maiden race over a sloppy Aqueduct surface, but all evidence since then – and there’s plenty – suggests Callaloo might not want things wet. Starting with that maiden win, Callaloo has raced five times in his last eight starts on sloppy or muddy tracks. Included in that span are his last three races, none of which have shown Callaloo at his very best. The 5-year-old has, however, won two of his last three starts on a fast track. “It could be interesting to get him back on a dry track,” said David Donk, who trains Callaloo for the GeeZee Stable. Callaloo is one of eight in the Thursday feature, a seven-furlong New York-bred contest open to second-level allowance horses or $45,000 claimers. Radio Red, who got a 90 Beyer Speed Figure finishing second under these same conditions in his most recent race, appears to be the likely favorite. He also has lost six times since clearing his first New York-bred allowance condition and is a candidate to regress off that figure, though trainer Danny Gargan has given his charge about five weeks between starts. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Rocket and Roll and D’ont Lose Cruz are 4-year-olds like Radio Red, both with upside on the day. Rocket and Roll comes off a neck victory in a New York-bred first-level allowance on Dec. 16, and his trainer, Brad Cox, has won with four of his last six Aqueduct runners. D’ont Lose Cruz didn’t race between March and September, returning with a useful fourth-place finish, just a neck behind Radio Red. He hasn’t started since but sports an encouraging workout pattern and drew well on the far outside. As for Callaloo, he has been facing solid competition while running on those sodden surfaces. Three starts back, he set the pace and finished a well-beaten third in a race won easily by the streaking Straight Arrow. Callaloo was fourth in stakes company Dec. 3, but didn’t fire his best shot when fifth going one mile at this level on Dec. 30 – another race in the slop. “I was a little disappointed last time and stepping up to the [non-winners of two other-than] level has maybe been a little more difficult than I would have liked to see. He’s run well at the mile, but I like him cutting back to seven furlongs Thursday.” Callaloo began his career in a $25,000 maiden claimer and was well beaten, but hasn’t seen a claiming tag since. Until this string of wet track races, his arrow had pointed up. Maybe a dry, gray afternoon is all that’s required to turn things around. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.