Sunday Stakes Plays for Aqueduct

A pair of stakes events will top a fine afternoon of action at Aqueduct on Sunday.

Race 3: Key Cents S.

A total of six two-year-old fillies will vie in the six-furlong dirt dash. #1 Weekend Rags (7-2) finished a clear second on debut on the surface in a big field and gets top billing for conditioner Jorge Abreu. By Street Boss, the chestnut ran a winning race in defeat in that Oct. 30 unveiling, and the Empire State-bred filly will benefit from having a trip under her belt when traveling inside of foes, as well. The February foal adds blinkers for her stakes bow and picks up Irad Ortiz Jr., both benefits, in my opinion.

#4 Three Unions (8-1) broke her maiden in wire-to-wire fashion on the lawn last time and will move to the dirt for this tilt. The $65,000 juvenile purchase was unplaced in her lone dirt endeavor to date, but she is improving and will also bring a lot of pace to the field. Eric Cancel retains the mount atop the April foal and will have her forwardly placed from the opening bell.

 Wagers

$25 exacta: 1 with 4 ($25)

$1 trifecta: 1,4 with 1,4 with all ($8)

$1 trifecta: 1,4 with all with 1,4 ($8) 

Race 7: Forever Together S.

A well-matched field of fillies and mares will run 1 1/16 miles on the outer turf course in this affair. I like the turn of foot shown by #3 Lashara (12-1) since joining the barn of Mike Maker and will take a shot with the five-year-old in this tilt. The American Pharoah mare rallied into a moderate pace to defeat allowance foes locally last time out, and a similar type of effort will make her interesting at a fair price on the class rise on Sunday. The bay would certainly increase her value if she is able to add a stakes triumph to her resume, and I think that she has a realistic chance to do so. Trevor McCarthy will be in the silks.

#8 Messidor (7-2) finished third in the Noble Damsel (G3) when favored last time out for Christophe Clement and is an obvious win player with even slight improvement. The four-year-old daughter of Vadamos has been in solid form since arriving in the U.S. and has room to move forward in her second try off the short layoff, as well. She will have Joel Rosario in the stirrups, which is an obvious positive.

Wagers

$10 win and place: #3 Lashara ($20)

$10 exacta box: 3 with 8 ($20)