Aqueduct Notes

King Mobay is 2-1 for Kasey K in the second at Aqueduct on Thursday. It's the first race in seven weeks for the seven-year old gelded son of King of the Heart (Seattle Slew). His form before the layoff was OK, certainly not terrible, but his low odds are mainly due to the weakness of this field. You never know how these Starter Handicaps are going to come up, and this one, for a purse of $30,000, is a two horse race on paper; Stealth Missile (7-5) goes first off the claim for Contessa, and beat Mobay by four last time they met. Friendly Pocket (7-2) is the horse we tried to claim last time out, but lost the shake to trainer Ralph D'Alessandro. Looks a bit too slow in this spot.

This is the last time King Mobay can run in this class. After this, horses who ran for 10K as far back as 2006 will no longer be eligible.

Reptilian Smarts ($5.70) took the 3rd on Wednesday, a 25K Starter Handicap, and, having run for 15K last year, he can run in these races until early 2011. Or at least until the weight gets to be too much. Carrying 124 pounds here, he outdueled Prince of Iron, to whom he conceded seven pounds. This horse, an even 5th in the 2007 Wood, is now five for five since being claimed by Dutrow from that race, and has earned over $77,000 in his three wins this year, not bad.

Hale and Hearty, 5-1 morning line moving up off the claim for Contessa, paid $35.20, and, unless I'd used him in the middle or end of a multi-race wager sequence, there's a horse I wouldn't have had if they ran the race 1,000 times.

Rap Tale worked five furlongs in 1:01.17 (2/12) at Belmont on Wednesday morning, one week after she worked in 1:01.16 (3/9). She's doing fantastic, "jumping out of her skin" so I'm told. It will be awhile before we can find a spot for her, as she's out of conditions and done with NY stakes company. There are some possibilities out of town, with the ultimate goal being summertime Virginia-bred stakes at Colonial Downs.