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Arctic Arrogance after scoring his first stakes win in the Sleepy Hollow Oct. 30 (Joe Labozzetta)
By Ashley Tamulonis
Linda Rice’s Arctic Arrogance has been knocking on the proverbial door on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. A homebred for owners Chester and Mary Broman, Sr, this son of Frosted, out of the Uncle Mo mare Modest Maven, has never been worse than second in his young career but has not bagged a graded win yet, though, in fairness, he has only made one prior attempt. He will attempt to break through Saturday in Aqueduct’s 1 1/8-mile Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes. Originally scheduled for February 4th, the Withers was postponed to this weekend due to historic low temperatures. Arctic Arrogance currently has eight points and sits 15th on the leaderboard.
Rice unveiled Arctic Arrogance in a 6-furlong state-bred maiden race at the end of the summer at Saratoga. With Jose Ortiz in the irons, the striking, dark gray colt was bumped at the start but gathered himself professionally to go out and set the pace. Motoring through splits of :22.85 and :46.65, Arctic Arrogance maintained a comfortable lead throughout, getting away by 3 ½-lengths in the stretch before being wrapped up by Ortiz to win by a measured length. The final time in the mud was 1:10.97.
Arctic Arrogance continued to face state-bred in his next two starts, the Bertram F. Bongard and the Sleepy Hollow Stakes at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet. In the 7-furlong Bertram F. Bongard, the son of Frosted once again set the pace, this time with Jose Lezcano, who has been aboard for all the colt’s starts except his debut, up. The duo looked like winners until getting nailed in the final sixteenth by longshot winner Jackson Heights, losing by two lengths. Arctic Arrogance and Lezcano redeemed themselves in the mile Sleepy Hollow, drawing away to a facile 4 ½-length victory.
Rice moved the colt to open company and took a shot at the Kentucky Derby trail to close out Arctic Arrogance’s juvenile campaign. Sent out as the 2-1 second choice in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen (G2), Lezcano and Arctic Arrogance did what they do best: set the pace. Clicking off comfortable splits of :24.31, :48.13, and 1:12.23, the pair held Dubyuhnell at bay through the far turn. Spinning into the stretch, it was an all-out battle to the wire with neither Dubyuhnell nor Arctic Arrogance willing to concede defeat. As they neared the finish, Dubyuhnell gained the advantage and flashed under the wire the winner by ½-length. Tuskegee Airmen was 11 ¼-lengths behind them for third with another 16 ¼-lengths back to Quick to Accuse. The final time was 1:50.88 in the slop.
Arctic Arrogance began his 3-year-old campaign in the one-mile black-type Jerome Stakes, the third Aqueduct prep for the Kentucky Derby. For the first time in his career, the Rice trainee, who was favored to win, did not set the pace, instead closely pressing Lugan Knight through fractions of :23.41, :47.70, and 1:12.73. As they turned for home, Arctic Arrogance was glued to Lugan Knight. As the duo dueled down the stretch, Arctic Arrogance was unable to pass Lugan Knight, losing by ½-length again while seven lengths in front of third-place finisher General Banker. The final time was 1:37.77.
With an overall 5: 2-3-0 record and 4: 1-3-0 at Aqueduct, along with the absence of the three colts that have beaten him previously, Arctic Arrogance appears well-placed to earn his first graded win. Aside from the 79 he received in the Bertram F. Bongard, all Arctic Arrogance’s Brisnet speed ratings have been in the ’90s, including a career-high 99 in the Remsen, which was contested at the same distance as the Withers. Considering how well he ran at 1 1/8 miles as a juvenile, you must assume that he will turn in an even stronger performance at the distance on Saturday. The Frosted colt is also tied with rival Ninetyprcentmaddie at 94 for the highest last race speed rating.
Linda Rice strikes at a 27% rate with beaten favorites. She and Lezcano have been winning together at an excellent 26% rate with an astounding 63% rate in the money. While she has not been winning graded stakes often, just 8% of the time, Rice has been in the money 35% of the time. With Arctic Arrogance seemingly reluctant to leave other horses, he will sport blinkers for the first time in the hopes of him coming out on the winning side of another stretch duel. Rice wins with this angle 18% of the time with 42% in the money.
Five colts, led by Hit Show, are entered to face favored Arctic Arrogance. Trained by Brad Cox, Hit Show was scratched from the Southwest (G3), where Cox had two other entrants, on January 28 in favor of running in this spot. By Candy Ride and out of the Tapit mare Actress, Hit Show most recently won a mile optional claiming race in mid-December by 3 ½-lengths, earning a career-best 89-Brisnet speed rating.
Prove Right is the most experienced in the bunch with 11 starts under his girth. In his three previous graded attempts, the Justify colt has gone 3: 0-0-1, including a 7th place finish, beaten by 32 lengths, in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen (G3). He was most recently 5th, beaten 16 lengths, in the 6 ½-furlong Turfway Preview on tapeta. Most of his speed ratings have been in the 70s, but he earned a 91 two starts back when winning a 5 ½-furlong optional claimer at Laurel. Jose Gomez is up for trainer James Chapman.
Bill Mott is represented by maiden Jungfrau, who was not part of the original field. By Arrogate, Jungfrau was fourth upon debut in a 7-furlong maiden race at Saratoga. He finished fourth again in his second start, a 1 1/8-mile maiden race right here at Aqueduct, before breaking his maiden via disqualification when crossing the wire second by a nose. He received a career-best 85-Brisnet speed rating for that race. Dylan Davis replaces regular rider Jose Ortiz, who will be riding at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday.
General Banker continues to take on open company after running a good third in the Jerome. Prior to that race, the Central Banker colt had raced exclusively in state-bred company to varying success. He earned 97-speed rating in his dominant performance in the New York Stallions Series two starts back but finished behind Arctic Arrogance and Andiamo Firenze in their previous meetings. Eric Cancel has the call.
Ninetyprcentmaddie rattled off three straight wins to begin his career, including the state-bred Whistle Pig. In his last two outings, the son of Weigelia was fourth in the state-bred Pennsylvania Nursery and second in the Parx Juvenile in the slop, earning a career-best 94-speed rating. Ninetyprcentmaddie has not raced beyond 7-furlongs, but trainer Robert Reid, Jr. is hitting at a 29% rate with first-time routers. Abner Adorno picks up the mount.
New York regular Andiamo a Firenze rounds out the field. The Speightstown colt debuted a winner, earning a career-high 93-Brisnet speed rating. He then finished a good third in the Sanford (G3) at Saratoga before winning the state-bred Funny Cide in his third start. He was then fourth in the Champagne (G1), second in the state-bred New York Breeders Futurity, and most recently fifth, beaten 13 lengths, in the Jerome. Frankie Pennington is aboard for trainer Kelly Breen.
The Withers is the ninth race on Aqueduct’s ten race card. Post time is at approximately 4:27 p.m. EST.
