Igniter is a perfect 2 for 2 this year, NYRA Photo
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Mary Eddy
Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Igniter is perfect through two starts this season, and will look to double up on stakes wins in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr., the Volatile chestnut enters from a prominent one-length victory in the local six-furlong Jimmy Winkfield on March 14, landing both his first stakes win and a career-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure for the workmanlike victory over returning foe Time to Roll. The effort saw him closer up than any of his previous efforts after a sharp start under returning rider Manny Franco.
“I didn’t see him breaking so good last time and being right there,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “I wasn’t imagining that, but he came out of the gate the right way and kept his position – going three-quarters no less.”
Igniter debuted with a third sprinting six furlongs in August at Saratoga Race Course, and graduated next out by one length over next-out winner and $700,000 yearling purchase Rebel Instinct going a one-turn mile here in September. A stretch-out to nine furlongs around two turns in the Grade 2 Remsen in December yielded a well-beaten sixth in the event won by Paladin, but he bounced back strongly when cut back to Saturday’s distance with a local 4 1/4-length optional-claiming win ahead of the Winkfield.
“We’re very excited with this guy,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He’s our barn favorite and a nice horse to be around and to look at. We’re lucky to have him.”
The colt has worked over the Belmont Park training track three times since his last effort, topped by a half-mile in 49.49 seconds in company with Mr. Papagiorgio on Friday, which ranked the 20th fastest of 111 works at that distance on the day.
“It looked like he was moving well,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “We were happy with the breeze.”
Dutrow, Jr. said Igniter had a blow-out work on the day of his optional claiming win in February, and is likely to do so again on Saturday.
“We’ve done the same kind of schedule with him,” he said. “We breezed him eight days [out] the last time he went seven-eighths, and we blew him out the day he was in. Yesterday, [his work] was eight days out and we’re going to wait and blow him out again the day he’s in.”
Igniter is out of the Grade 1-winning Malibu Moon mare Malibu Prayer, who is a half-sister to the multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Valid.
While Igniter has proven best around one-turn so far, Dutrow, Jr. said he would be pleased to see him successfully stretch out down the line.
“I’d love to see him be able to nail two turns the right way in his future, but right now we’re not licking our lips to try it because they’ve had some nice races here at one turn for him,” he said. “We might as well try and take advantage of it if we can. Hopefully, we still have more to learn from him.”
Franco, who has been aboard for each of Igniter’s five starts, returns to the irons from post 4.
Chris Fountoukis’ Solitude Dude [post 1, Javier Castellano] cuts back from a solid third in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on February 28 at Gulfstream Park, where he suffered his first career defeat.
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the Yaupon dark bay sat just off the pace set by Rockies Balboa and challenged for command as three-quarters elapsed in 1:11.47. He was head-to-head with Chief Wallabee at the stretch call, but was outfinished as Commandment ran down the top pair and Solitude Dude landed 2 1/4 lengths back. He earned a field-best 97 Beyer.
Prior to the Fountain of Youth, Solitude Dude’s win streak began with a 9 1/2-length romp on debut sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in November at Gulfstream. He then posted open-lengths scores in the six-furlong Inaugural in December at Tampa Bay Downs and the Listed Swale going the Bay Shore distance in January at Gulfstream, where he was 3 3/4-lengths the better of next-out Grade 2 Rebel-winner Class President.
A $300,000 purchase at the OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, Solitude Dude is out of the winning Into Mischief mare After the Party, a half-sister to stakes-winner Green Destiny and stakes-placed Owen’s Leap.
Adelphi Racing Club and Chief Horse Futures’ New York-bred Time to Roll [post 5, Jaime Rodriguez, blinkers ON] will look to turn the tables on Igniter after his game try last out in the Winkfield, where he made his open-company debut.
Trained by Horacio De Paz, the Not This Time gray stalked 1 1/2 lengths back in third and ranged up three-wide to go head-to-head with Igniter exiting the turn, but was outfinished in the lane while giving game chase and settled for the minor awards a half-length ahead of Blue Forty Two and Tiger Rocket. He was awarded a career-best 84 Beyer for the effort.
“He’s doing really good, and I’m very happy with how he came out of his last race,” De Paz said. “It was a very honest effort and this seems like the logical spot to come back in. I’ve got a lot of respect for the horse that won, and he [Time to Roll] showed that he’s got the ability to compete with those kind of horses.”
Time to Roll finished off-the-board in his debut going two turns over the Saratoga turf in August, but switched to dirt in September to wire an off-the-turf maiden going a one-turn mile here. After a distant fifth in the state-bred Sleepy Hollow, he cut back to Saturday’s distance to trounce a local first-level allowance by 6 3/4 lengths from off the pace under regular rider Jaime Rodriguez in December.
De Paz said Rodriguez suggested blinkers may be beneficial to Time to Roll.
“He kind of hung there that last part [in the Winkfield], and Jaime said that blinkers might help him out a little bit,” De Paz said. “I’m going to try the blinkers. It’s another little experiment to get some information back.”
Bred by Kingsport Farm, Time to Roll was a $270,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale purchase and is out of the Grade 3-placed Medaglia d’Oro mare My Galina, while his third dam is multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Stellar Jayne.
De Paz said hopes were always high for the son of Not This Time, the 2025 leading sire in 2-year-old winners and earnings.
“He was always a good-looking horse, and it’s hard not to be high on the Not This Times when they come in as 2-year-olds,” De Paz said. “He showed some promise – all his workouts, he was always a horse that wanted to compete and be a racehorse, so I think it’s just a bit of maturity that he needs to figure out. It’s getting there, and we’re learning more about him every time he runs.”
Completing the field are four-time winner and last-out Hutcheson-victor Fulmine [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], who was a recent private purchase for AJ Suited Racing Stable, Frank Turman, Mark Blieden, Seth Eskind, July Cavalry Racing and Rachel Gerson and makes his barn debut for conditioner Norm Casse; and Tom Coulter’s three-time winner Racetrack Romance [post 2, Andy Hernandez], who makes his stakes debut off a pair of allowance-level wins in March at Parx Racing for trainer Hugo Padilla.
The Bay Shore is slated as Race 4 on Saturday’s nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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