2023 Remsen Stakes Contenders at Aqueduct

G2 Remsen offers 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers

Dornoch will attempt to give trainer Danny Gargan a repeat victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes, a nine-furlong route for juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, December 2.

The Remsen, carded as Race 9, awards the top-five finishers with 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points, respectively, towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in May at Churchill Downs, and is one of four graded stakes slated for Saturday's stacked Cigar Mile Day card.

The 10-race program also features the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap in Race 10, the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, a 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifier, in Race 7 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand in Race 8. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

Dornoch arrives from a dominant 6 1/2-length victory at third asking with a gate-to-wire performance on October 14 at Keeneland, garnering an 87 Beyer Speed Figure. His graduation came on the heels of a close runner-up effort to Noted in the one-mile Sapling in August at Monmouth Park where he raced wide and was jostled near the seven-eighths mark.

"Last time, he broke good and was up there," said Gargan, who saddled last year's winner Dubyuhnell. "He still goofed off at the end of the race. When he gets by himself, he plays around. He's real professional when he's with other horses. He looked around a little bit and didn't switch [leads] as fast because he's playing around. But it was a big performance and he ran fast."

Gargan spoke volumes of Dornoch's Sapling effort, where he endured a troubled, wide trip under Kendrick Carmouche.

"I thought his second race was a crazy, big performance. He broke poorly and the horse inside him bolted and the next thing you know, he's wide in the first turn," said Gargan. "Then he goes from [far back] down the backside, and in the turn for home, he had the lead. He moved way too soon. Kendrick said he had a ton of horse and if he had another sixteenth of a mile he'd have come back and beat the other horse. He just got green and was playing around."

Since his maiden score, Dornoch has worked four times over the Belmont Park main track, including half-mile effort Saturday in 49.43 seconds.

Gargan added he expects Dornoch to relish a stretch-out after his strong showing at Keeneland.

"It's a short wire there at a mile and sixteenth and he galloped out all the way back around. He galloped way out that day," Gargan said. "I don't think it [the distance] will be any problem at all. He's a big horse.

Dornoch, a son of Good Magic, is a full-brother to this year's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Mage and is out of the graded stakes-placed Big Brown mare Puca, who recently sold at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $2.9 million while carrying another full-sibling to Mage and Dornoch.

Luis Saez has the call from post 3.

Rose Petal Stables' Copper Tax [post 9, Kendrick Carmouche] streaks in off five consecutive victories for conditioner Gary Capuano, most recently shipping out of Delaware Park for the first time to capture the six-furlong James F. Lewis, III on November 11 at Laurel Park. The son of Copper Bullet was bumped at the start and trailed farther off the pace than he had ever been in his six lifetime outings, but overcame the challenge to rally late and notch the neck score over Inveigled.

The James F. Lewis was the second stakes conquest for Copper Tax, who also won the one-mile Rocky Run in dominant wire-to-wire fashion two starts back, crossing the wire 6 3/4 lengths in front over the muddy and sealed going. Both his stakes victories garnered career-best 81 Beyers, and followed a pair of open-lengths restricted allowance romps at the at the Wilmington oval.

A $45,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, Copper Tax is out of the stakes-placed Majestic Warrior mare Wilhelmina, a half-sister to multiple Venezuelan Group 1-winner Strength Mask.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out two contenders in the regally-bred debut winner Sierra Leone [post 7, Jose Ortiz] and second-out maiden-winner Domestic Product [post 2, Manny Franco].

Sierra Leone, owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing and Peter Brant, made his highly anticipated debut on November 4 with a rallying 1 1/4-length score after bobbling at the start and racing five-wide in the stretch to sweep past Change of Command and complete the mile in 1:36.94.

The son of Gun Runner was a $2.3 million purchase at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and is out of the Grade 1-winning Malibu Moon mare Heavenly Love. This third dam, the multiple graded stakes-winner Roamin Rachel, also produced 2004 Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy.

Brown said Sierra Leone trained well into his debut.

"Obviously, he's a highly-regarded horse because of his wonderful pedigree and his purchase price," said Brown. "It's nice that he got his career started with a win right off the bat. He's a very promising horse and hopefully he takes to the two turns which he should."

Klaravich Stables' Kentucky homebred Domestic Product was a winner at second asking on October 27 at Belmont at the Big A, taking a nine-furlong maiden tilt by 4 1/2 lengths with a prominent trip under Manny Franco. The son of Practical Joke improved greatly with a stretch-out after finishing fifth in a six-furlong sprint on debut in August at Saratoga.

"He stretched quite far out from his debut, so it wasn't ideal, but that was the race that was there and we went for it," said Brown. "He came through, so I was quite impressed with him. He's stepping up, so it will be a good test for him."

Sierra Leone and Domestic Product worked in company over the Belmont Park training track on Saturday, covering a half-mile in 48.40 seconds.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will also be represented by a pair of contenders as Moonlight [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Private Desire [post 10, Jose Lezcano] each vie for their first stakes victory.

Town and Country Racing and Madaket Stables' Moonlight enters from a closing runner-up effort over sloppy and sealed going in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Street Sense on October 29 at Churchill Downs where he made a bid from fourth down the stretch and came up 2 3/4 lengths shy of Liberal Arts. The son of Audible was making his stakes debut off a dominant second-out maiden conquest on September 28 at Belmont at the Big A when annexing a one-mile off-the-turf maiden by eight lengths and garnering a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

Stephen P. Brunetti, Jr.'s Private Desire looks to rebound from an even fourth-place effort last out in the one-mile Nashua on November 5 where he raced greenly at the seven-eighths and was wide into the stretch. The son of Constitution boasts a field-best 94 Beyer for a second-out graduation sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on September 16 over the Big A main track. He finished fourth in a July 29 maiden at Saratoga where Dornoch also debuted and finished second.

Nice Guys Stables' Where's Chris [post 8, Isaac Castillo] will look to double up on stakes scores for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. after winning the one-mile Nashua by three-quarter lengths on November 5 here. The son of Twirling Candy stalked a half-length off pacesetting post-time favorite Book'em Danno in second before coming to even terms with his foe at the top of the lane. The pair drew off and dueled strongly down the stretch with Where's Chris coming out on top in a final time of 1:36.75.

A $20,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Where's Chris is out of the multiple graded-stakes winning Lemon Drop Kid mare Sea Queen, who finished second in the 2014 Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on turf.

Completing the field are Nashua third-place finisher Billal [post 6, Junior Alvarado], who races with blinkers off for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; and maiden winners Drum Roll Please [post 5, Javier Castellano] for trainer Brad Cox and Le Dom Bro [post 1, Jose Gomez] for conditioner Eniel Cordero.

Where's Chris seeking Kentucky Derby points in Remsen

Where's Chris (Nice Guys Stables), last out winner of the Nashua here, will look to double up on stakes scores in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen. The nine-furlong route for juveniles offers 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., who won the 2008 Kentucky Derby with Big Brown, said he's not adverse to doing a little Derby dreaming should Where's Chris impress Saturday.

"I like dreaming as much as anybody. If he runs big, we can keep dreaming. Why not?" said Dutrow, Jr.

The Twirling Candy dark bay outdueled the pacesetting Book'em Danno to post a three-quarter length win in the one-turn mile Nashua on November 5 here. It was another 5 1/2-lengths back to Billal, who also returns in the Remsen for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Where's Chris, a $20,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, stalked and pounced to a five-length score on debut in September here in a restricted six-furlong maiden tilt. He followed with an even third-place finish in an off-the-turf edition of the six-furlong Futurity on October 8 at Belmont at the Big A.

"That was a nice, little spot for him and he ran big that day," said Dutrow, Jr. of the maiden score. "We really don't know what his best game is because he ran big that day and he ran big last time. Even in his second race, he ran a good race.

"I know we're trying two turns for the first time - which we're not afraid of - he's just doing good, and he's been doing good for a while now," continued Dutrow, Jr. "So, we'll just hope that he's looking for two turns."

Where's Chris is out of the multiple graded stakes-placed turfer Sea Queen, who won the nine-furlong Wonder Again here in 2014 ahead of a runner-up effort in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

"We seem like we have a lot to look forward to here, especially that we're seeing he's showing up on the dirt which we were surprised by," Dutrow, Jr. said. "So, we can't wait to try him on the grass one day."

Isaac Castillo retains the mount from post 8.

Chad Brown's Sierra Leone possible for G2 Remsen

Nov 17 - Trainer Chad Brown mentioned first-out maiden winner Sierra Leone as a possible contender for the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes for juveniles going nine furlongs on December 2 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The son of Gun Runner bobbled after the break, raced in between horses down the backstretch, but was able to surge to a 1 1/4-length victory under little urging from Manny Franco. The win garnered a 71 Beyer Speed Figure.

"I'm considering the Remsen," Brown said. "He was very professional in his first time out."

The Remsen offers 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing and Peter Brant, Sierra Leone was a sale-topping $2.3 million purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale. He is out of the Grade 1-winning Malibu Moon mare Heavenly Love.

G2 Remsen Probables [offering 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points]

Probable: Billal (Bill Mott), Copper Tax (Gary Capuano), Dornoch (Danny Gargan), Le Dom Bro (Eniel Cordero), Moonlight (Todd Pletcher), Private Desire (Pletcher), Sierra Leone (Brown), Where's Chris (Rick Dutrow, Jr.)

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