Fingal’s Cave wins the Bay Ridge Dec. 28 at Aqueduct (Chelsea Durand)
NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y.— Alifyfe Racing’s Grade 2-placed New York-bred Fingal’s Cave will look to make her next start sprinting seven furlongs on April 6 in either the Grade 3, $175,000 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack, or the Grade 1, $600,000 Madison at Keeneland.
Trained by David Donk, the 5-year-old Carpe Diem bay was last seen winning the one-mile Bay Ridge against fellow state-breds on December 28 over a muddy and sealed Big A main track when returning from a 432-day layoff.
There, she took a narrow early lead from Bustin Bay with Venti Valentine keeping close watch from third, but shook off her rivals with ease at the top of the lane and kicked clear to a 3 1/2-length lead straightening for home. She extended her margin to 4 3/4 lengths at the wire to complete the course in 1:37.45 under Jose Lezcano.
Donk said following the effort, Fingal’s Cave was sent to WinStar Farm to continue light training under the supervision of Neal McLaughlin.
“We backed off, and she’ll be back here in a couple weeks,” said Donk. “She stayed in light training there and has done well. The focus now is from April to November, and we just didn’t want to have a campaign that was too long.”
Following the Bay Ridge, Donk indicated a possible target for Fingal’s Cave could be the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland. The Madison is still on the table for the talented mare, with the Distaff Handicap now in play as well. A start in the Madison would see Fingal’s Cave return to the scene of her lone defeat in six starts when a game third in the Grade 2 Raven Run in October 2022, her final start before her extended layoff.
“Hopefully, we get her ready for the Distaff I think, but maybe the Madison,” said Donk. “The Madison is a Grade 1, but she ran so well at Aqueduct last time and it’s at home. We’ll decide as we get closer.”
Both the Madison and Distaff would mean a cutback by one furlong for Fingal’s Cave, which Donk said he is not opposed to.
“It’s one turn, and we’ve been indecisive what her best distance is yet,” said Donk. “She did win at two turns, and I suppose we may try that again, but she ran so well in the Raven Run and then in the one-turn mile here last time. Is she better at one turn than two turns? That will be determined. It will just be good to her started again.”
Fingal’s Cave has won at distances ranging from six to nine furlongs, including a pair of wins at the latter distance at Saratoga Race Course when taking an open-company allowance and the state-bred Fleet Indian in 2022. She has banked $370,500 through her near-perfect 6-5-1-0 record.
Donk recently welcomed back his two veteran turf stars Thin White Duke and Yes and Yes after a winter freshening. The two geldings, who are both co-owned by their breeder and former trainer Phil Gleaves, are readying for a return to breezing sometime in the coming weeks.
“They’re back and they look well,” said Donk. “We look forward to getting them going here and they’ve only been here a couple weeks, so we’ve got a ways to go, but we’re gearing up for the grass season.”
The now 6-year-old New York-bred Thin White Duke will look to build upon a stellar 5-year-old campaign that saw him capture the 5 1/2-furlong Harvey Pack in September at Saratoga and finish a close second to Today’s Flavor in an off-the-turf edition of the Belmont Turf Sprint in October here. He garnered graded black type for the second time when third in the Grade 3 Troy at the Spa, the same result he posted in 2022.
Donk said he plans to target the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint, on June 8 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course. The Jaipur is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November at Del Mar.
“We’ve had a couple of really good years with him and I think he still has a lot of good racing in front of him,” said Donk. “He seems to really like Saratoga, so the main goal will be the Jaipur.”
Yes and Yes, an 8-year-old son of Sidney’s Candy, earned three stakes placings last year, his best finish a nose defeat to Anaconda in the Elusive Quality in May at Belmont Park. Donk said he has not yet picked out a specific target for the seasoned gelding.
“He’s done well and we’ll have to try and find the right spots for him,” said Donk. “They’ve both done well with the time off. It’s been our routine for a lot of years now, and the horses seem to [thrive] with it.”
