Aqueduct Notes

Steve in nc writes: Another Jacobson layoff horse won today. That would be Trophy Road in Wednesday's third who, as we'd mentioned, was taking a big drop off a long layoff. The bettors made him a tentative 2.75-to-1 second choice, wary no doubt of the circumstances considering the two career best races last February which preceded his hiatus. He won well in hand and didn't get claimed, so perhaps the trainer slipped this one by, picking up an easy $28,200 in earnings.

Jacobson is on a streak now of 9-4-0-3; and Victorious Dream was also dropping in class off a layoff (albeit not nearly as long as Trophy Road).

And the feature today was a gift, no?

Yeah, I was looking at Smokin Hero ($12), in part because his trainer, Alan Iwinski, has been live here of late. He also ran second in the opener with American Queen, and is on a modest run of 9-3-2-1 here at the Big A. Smokin Hero won off by 12, one of many runaway winners on just a typically awful day of sloppy track racing. Can't we make this synthetic track thing work? I don't recall why I lost interest in this one - all of his off track races were good and his Tomlinson is 394.

Smokin Hero is a Wachtel Stable NY-homebred by Smokin Mel, the 1997 Gotham Stakes winner, out of stakes winner Broomesse (Claramount). I went to look up Smokin Mel on the Stallion Register, but got the result that there were no horses matching my criteria. That didn't bode well for his well-being. And indeed, just this past year, Smokin Mel moved on to that great pasture for dead horses with bad names in the sky. Heavenly Horsey Hills or The We 'Bought the Farm' Farm or something like that.

Zip of Fools was bet down to 2-1 in the 5th, no thanks, and nothing doing there, though he was claimed from Daniel Conway, Jr. by Linda Rice. Finger Lakes shipper Brock N Roll was second at 8-1 in the 4th.

Casino Kay was good in the first at 7-1 for Michael Maker, but settled for second after breaking poorly; the trainer was 7th in the second with Laca at 5-2, so he and owner Ken Ramsey continue to seek their first winner of the meeting.