OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jay Em Ess Stable’s talented Happy Medium will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s 129th running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, to kick off graded stakes action in 2022 on the NYRA circuit at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Michelle Nevin, the three-time winning Happy Medium seeks his fourth straight trip to the winner’s circle having captured his trio of wins by a combined 21 1/4-lengths.
The 4-year-old son of Runhappy arrives off a triumph in a second-level allowance optional claimer on December 18 at the Big A, defeating next-out winner Wudda U Think Now and stakes-winner Chestertown. Happy Medium led at every point of call last out while extending his advantage throughout the 6 1/2-furlong journey, registering a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure for the seven-length romp.
After bursting onto the scene in September at Belmont Park with a maiden special weight victory over four next-out winners by 9 1/4-lengths, Happy Medium handled a sloppy and sealed track with style when defeating winners by five lengths in November at Aqueduct.
“He’s a very nice horse and we just have taken the logical steps to go along with him. We’ve gone from his maiden, a-other-than and two-other-than.” Nevin said. “This step is the next logical one, so we’re excited to see him run.”
Happy Medium’s maiden score came off a six-month respite. He finished third at 22-1 odds in his career debut in March 2021 at Aqueduct.
“He was a little immature from two into his 3-year-old year and we just wanted to give him some time to develop,” Nevin said.
Happy Medium, bred in Kentucky by Colts Neck Stables, is out of the Coronado’s Quest mare Well Spring, who also produced Mendip – a multiple group stakes winner in Dubai. Happy Medium’s second dam, Chaposa Springs, captured the 1995 Grade 1 Test and 1996 Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga Race Course.
Manny Franco, aboard Happy Medium for all three of his victories, will return to the irons from post 2. Happy Medium will carry 120 pounds.
Returning to the Big A by way of Parx Racing is Hopeful Treasure, who sprung an 18-1 upset in the six-furlong Grade 3 Fall Highweight last out on November 28. The 5-year-old bay son of Oxbow provided trainer Michael Catalano, Jr. with his first graded stakes victory, fending off a late challenge by graded stakes winner Green Light Go to win by a head.
Owned by Tony Como’s Just In Time Racing, Hopeful Treasure was bought for $6,000 by his original trainer Michael Pino, who conditioned the horse through three wins in his first eight career starts.
Transferred to Catalano, Jr., Hopeful Treasure picked up three more victories including a 1 3/4-length allowance score at Parx four weeks prior to the Fall Highweight.
“We thought about running in a stake at Parx at the end of the year and it just seemed like he wasn’t back to where he was mentally,” Catalano, Jr. said. “He started to hit his stride in early January and has been just doing better and better each day since then. He’s ready to run right now and hopefully he’ll show up at one of these places and run really well again.”
Trevor McCarthy, a two-time stakes-winning rider this meet, picks up the mount from post 3 aboard Hopeful Treasure, who was assigned a co-field high 124 pounds.
Michael Dubb’s graded stakes winner Chateau seeks a second straight stakes win at the Big A. The Flat Out veteran captured the six-furlong Gravesend on December 19 last out by 3 1/2-lengths in his first stakes win since taking the Grade 3 Tom Fool in March. Chateau’s trainer Rob Atras earned his first graded stakes win in last year’s Toboggan with American Power.
Chateau, who will carry 124 pounds, will emerge from post 4 under Kendrick Carmouche.
Dublin Fjord Stables, Racepoint Stables, Kevin D. Gilbert and Thomas E. O’Keefe’s Drafted, who boasts field best earnings of $762,193, seeks his first triumph since March 2019.
Trained by David Duggan, the 8-year-old son of Field Commission finished third in the Gravesend on December 19 at the Big A for the second straight year. His last victory took place in the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai for his previous conditioner Doug Watson.
Leading rider Dylan Davis will eye his fourth stakes win of the meet when piloting Drafted [118 pounds] from the inside post.
Six-time West Virginia-bred stakes winner Penguin Power, who is cross-entered in Saturday’s Fire Plug at Laurel Park, could make his New York debut for trainer Jeff Runco.
The 7-year-old son of Fiber Sonde was second beaten a head last out in the Dave’s Friend on December 26 at Laurel Park.
A stakes-winner at distances ranging from seven-to-nine furlongs, Penguin Power scored three straight editions of the West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association Onion Juice Breeders’ Classic at Charles Town in 2019-21.
Arnaldo Bocachica has the call aboard Penguin Power [118 pounds] from the outermost post 7.
Owner-trainer Uriah St. Lewis will saddle War Tocsin [118 pounds] as he attempts to spring another stakes upset during the Big A winter meet following Forewarned’s 42-1 upset in last month’s Queens County.
War Tocsin, who was a distant seventh in the six-furlong Blitzen last out on December 28 at Parx, seeks his first victory since April when defeating optional claiming company going 6 1/2 furlongs at Parx.
Silvestre Gonzalez will ride from post 5.
Rounding out the field is Double B Stables’ Repo Rocks, who enters off a runner-up effort as the lukewarm favorite in the Blitzen. The Juan Vazquez-trained Tapiture gelding seeks his third Big A win, having won twice at the Ozone Park oval at the end of last year.
Breaking from post 6, Repo Rocks [118 pounds] will be ridden by Ruben Silvera.
Inaugurated in 1890, the Toboggan was originally known as the Toboggan Slide as it was contested on the downhill Eclipse course at Morris Park. Rich in history, the Toboggan has been won by Hall of Fame thoroughbreds Roseben [1905], Billy Kelly [1919], Equipoise [1932], Eight Thirty [1940-41], Devil Diver [1943-44], Bold Ruler [1958] and Affectionately [1965].
The Toboggan is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.
NYRA Press Release
Photo: Happy Medium (NYRA Photo)
