Celtic Dawn switches to turf looking to remain unbeaten in Cupecoy's Joy
?q=100)
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – If Celtic Dawn can transfer her dirt form to the turf, she should get the right setup to remain unbeaten when she makes her stakes debut in Saturday’s $150,000 Cupecoy’s Joy division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct.
The Cupecoy’s Joy, restricted to progeny of New York-based stallions, is scheduled for six furlongs on the outer turf course. Only two of the seven entrants have raced on turf.
Trainer Carlos Martin entered Celtic Dawn in a turf race last summer at Saratoga. Rain moved the race to a sloppy main track and, despite breaking from the rail, Celtic Dawn rolled to a three-length victory against nine opponents.
The celebration didn’t last long, however, as Celtic Dawn was lame leaving the winner’s circle. She was vanned directly to the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Saratoga where she underwent surgery for a fractured pastern in her left foreleg.
Celtic Dawn made a successful return to the races, winning a statebred first-level allowance on dirt at Aqueduct on May 14. She took advantage of a contested pace that day and could get the same setup on Saturday with the four horses drawn inside of her all looking like speed types.
“If she handles the turf, which we expect her to, hopefully she can come out of there and trip out and sit third,” Martin said.
Javier Castellano, aboard for Celtic Dawn’s first two starts, rides her again from post 5.
Celtic Dawn is by Honest Mischief, who was the sire of Friend Ofthe Devil, who last year won the Spectacular Bid division of the NYSS, like this race, a six-furlong turf race, for Martin and Marc Holliday’s Blue Devil Racing. Holliday also owns Celtic Dawn.
Encantar, a daughter of Solomini, came off an 8 1/2-month layoff to win her maiden by a neck here on May 8. Trainer David Donk said while he’ll look to run her around two turns in Saratoga, he sees this sprint race as a good chance to get some blacktype.
“It’s not a deep race. The biggest question mark is sprinting,” Donk said. “I’d love to run her two turns in Saratoga; she’s a pretty decent filly. It’ll be a question of how big a turn of foot she has.”
Donk also plans to run the first-time starter, Carmen Amalia, a daughter of Combatant and a half-sister to a pair of minor turf winners.
Dylan Davis rides Encantar while Dalila Rivera is aboard Carmen Amalia.
The only other horse in this field to have won on turf is Dancingwithdestiny, a daughter of seven-time turf stakes winner Disco Partner. Dancingwithdestiny, trained by Mike Dini, was a front-running winner of a maiden turf race here last year. She is coming off a fifth-place finish in her first start off a seven-month layoff last out.
Kendrick Carmouche rides Dancingwithdestiny for the first time.
Napoleon Solo back on tab
Preakness winner Napoleon Solo returned to the work tab Thursday, breezing a half-mile in 48.20 seconds over the Belmont Park training track, per Daily Racing Form clocker Donald Harris. Napoleon Solo went his first quarter in 24 seconds and continued out five furlongs in 1:01.60 and six furlongs in 1:15.80.
Napoleon Solo, trained by Chad Summers, is pointing to the Grade 1 Haskell on July 18 at Monmouth Park.
Summers said this was around the time he planned to return Napoleon Solo to the work tab, hoping to give him five workouts before the Haskell. Summers said he gave Napoleon Solo a few extra walk days out of the Preakness while a sale was being negotiated between previous owner Al Gold and new owner Espoir USA.
“He would have been just jogging and galloping anyway,” Summers said. “His first work back looked exactly like his first work back after the Wood, no blinkers, easy gallop-out, happy with it.”
Prior to his victory in the Preakness, Napoleon Solo finished fifth in the Wood Memorial.
Summers said the former jockey Luis Cardenas was aboard for the solo work.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.