Amarth, inside and eventual victor, and Bless the Broken #4 battled to the finish in an allowance at Churchill Downs Nov. 15, 2024. (Coady Media)
Aqueduct Racetrack Notes
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Cypress Creek Equine’s Kentucky homebred Bless the Broken cross-entered in Saturday’s $125,000 Busanda at Aqueduct Racetrack and the $150,000 Silverbulletday at Fair Grounds Race Course, with trainer Will Walden confirming Wednesday morning that she will run in Louisiana.
The Silverbulletday is a one-mile and 70-yards test for sophomore fillies that awards 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Oaks. Bless the Broken has worked three times at Fair Grounds since a seventh in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 7 at Aqueduct.
“She’s going to stay down there,” Walden said. “I thought on paper the races looked pretty similar, and if you give the edge as far as class to New York, and add a ship from Louisiana, it would have to be just a tremendously easier spot. You’re going to give the edge to running out of your own stall rather than shipping.”
The Laoban dark bay traveled in 8th-of-10 in the Demoiselle and never made up ground in the nine-furlong Kentucky Oaks points event won by Muhimma. It came shortly after a head defeat in a November 15 optional-claimer traveling 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs.
“We took a shot to maybe hit the board when wheeling her back in three weeks with the ship which was not ideal and she kind of ran flat,” said Walden. “She’s got six weeks into this race and has been breezing well over the surface. We think it sets up.”
Bless the Broken is out of the Tapit mare The Nightingale, who is a half-sister to 2013 Kentucky Oaks-winner Princess of Sylmar. Walden said Bless the Broken acts like a horse built for Classic distances.
“She’s kind of a grinder, doesn’t have a ton of early speed, but isn’t completely void either,” Walden said. “We think we have the distance pedigree; we’re just trying to find the spot.”
OXO Equine’s Prides Crossing, a 4-year-old Quality Road bay filly, finished sixth as the favorite in a one-turn mile optional-claimer on Sunday at Aqueduct. It was just the second career start for the $1.3 million 2022 Keeneland September Yearling purchase. She bobbled at the break, improved to a close third position in the turn, but ultimately weakened.
“You know, she’s probably going to be grass,” Walden said. “We felt like if she was dirt, she’d prove it there. She’s a Quality Road, who has had plenty of success on grass, out of a Galileo mare. She will probably find her best success on grass.”
Big Blue Line (3-1) and Flavien Prat win Saratoga 4th for trainer William Walden. 2-1-7-5 pic.twitter.com/PFKKOjNjkw
— Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) August 23, 2024
TEC Racing’s Big Blue Line will look to bring stakes success to the Walden barn in Saturday’s one-mile $75,000 Jennings at Laurel Park. The 6-year-old Atreides gelding boasts a 23-4-7-0 record, entering from a pair of off-the-board efforts in turf graded stakes and most recently a sixth on synthetic in the 1 1/16-mile Listed Prairie Bayou on December 14 at Turfway Park.
“He’s a pretty handy individual. We’re super excited to have him,” Walden said, of the first-off the $80,000 claim winner in August at Saratoga Race Course. “I think we’re coming into it the right way. We decided to play around after he won off-the-claim, we figured we’d take some [graded stakes] shots. Now, we’re back at one-mile, which he certainly likes.”
