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 Jockey Manny Franco celebrates aboard Crazy Mason after winning the Carter Stakes. |
Date: 4/05/2025
There were 4 graded stakes races run over the Aqueduct main track on Wood Memorial day. The $300,000 Carter Stakes (G2) presented by NYRA Bets featured a field of 8 older horses sprinting 7 furlongs and an early prep for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Quint's Brew was sent off as the 9-4 favorite off wins in the Jennings and General George Stakes at Laurel. In to challenge him included 5-2 second choice Maximus
 Down the stretch in the Carter Stakes |
Jockey Kendrick Carmouche sent 11-2 co-fourth choice Full Moon Madness to the lead out of the chute through fractions of 22.37 and 44.85 while pressed by Maximus Meridius and stalked by Quint's Brew. Turning for home Full Moon Madness tired allowing Quint's Brew to inherit the lead through 3/4 in 1:09.29. 11-2 Crazy Mason, last early under Manny Franco, came out 5 wide for room and rallied to win by a neck in 1:21.95. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back to late-running 17-1 longest shot Dilger third.
Photos courtesy Nancy Rokos
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 1 Crazy Mason Franco 12.60 4.90 3.70 2 Quint's Brew Sanchez 3.60 3.00 6 Dilger Davis 6.40 Winning Time: 1:21.95 $1 Exacta 1-2 22.50 $2 Trifecta 1-2-6 1,228.70 $1 Superfecta 1-2-6-3 1,059.00 |
Left: Crazy Mason in the winner's circle. Will Sacco, assistant to father and winning trainer Greg Sacco said, "We'd hoped he could compete in these races. He was a stakes-placed horse, and we ran him in some Derby preps, but he wasn't a two-turn horse. It was a class test today, and he just keeps stepping up. Manny rode an unbelievable race first time on him and I'm just super happy for everyone involved. Hopefully, this will be a nice horse in the summertime. We weren't counting our chickens, but if he ran well today, we were looking at the True North up on Belmont Day, 6 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga. He broke his maiden in his only start there, so he's 1-for-1 at that track."
Right: The trophy presentation for the Carter Stakes. Winning jockey Manny Franco said, "I was happy because I knew they were cooking in front of me. I had pace in front of me, so I was happy where I was. I just wanted him to give me the run that he always does, and he did, and he was there for me. I saved all the ground. I stayed most of the race on the rail, so when I got to the quarter pole, I was going to swing wide, but that's because it is what they told me to do, to be in the clear if I can. So I did, and the horse did it."
Left: Crazy Mason walks over before the race. Franco added, "You do worry a bit (about deep closing), but at the same time, I was confident in my horse. He was traveling so well. I knew I had pace ahead of me, so I was good, and my horse did an amazing run at the end."
Right: Crazy Mason returns after the race. Sacco added, "I talked to my dad (about the speed favoring track) and thought maybe we could tell Manny to ask him leaving there, but we ended up sticking to what's been working: taking him back, letting him see the field. He's got a great kick and ran against great horses today, a great horse in Quint's Brew. I'm just super proud of Crazy Mason and he looks like he could be one of the top sprinters; he loves Aqueduct."
Left: Second place finisher Quint's Brew in the paddock. Trainer Ned Allard said, "That was a tough one, I thought we were going to get the job done, but he still ran a very good race. That horse just caught him. He was stepping up in class a little bit and he almost handled it." Jockey Mychel Sanchez added, "We always say it is tough [after a second], but he was stepping up in class and I think he ran a huge, huge race. [Crazy Mason] I thought was a surprise to everybody I'd say, but I think my horse ran a huge, huge race. He gave everything he had. Let's see how he comes back after the race and we'll talk to Ned about next steps moving forward. I do believe he can run in Grade 2s and Grade 1s, he's got the ability. He was running really well with a nice gallop out, everybody will say it was a tough beat, but I think he ran his eyes out. He gave me everything he's got."
Right: Third place finisher Dilger returns after the race. The Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee improved his record to 2 wins, 1 second, and 4 thirds in 11 starts, earning $206,390 for owner Michael Ryan.
Jockey Manny Franco sent Vanilla Sundae to the lead first time by through fractions of 24.10, 48.36, and 1:12.66 while pressed by Early On and stalked by 8-1 Deloraine. Turning for home, Ballerina d'Oro, 4th early under Dylan Davis, came out 4 wide and swept to the lead through 1 mile in 1:37.75. Kept to task by Davis, Ballerina d'Oro held off Early On to win by a nose in 1:50.67. It was a long 5 3/4 lengths back to Deloraine third.
Left: Ballerina d'Oro in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Chad Brown said, "It was a very strong performance," Brown said. "She was a little green down the lane there hanging on her left lead and leaning in a little bit. Although she has done it occasionally in her races and in the mornings, she did it a little more than I thought she would today. Nevertheless, Dylan did a great job to finally get her straightened out, she caught that right lead very late in the race and finally persevered by a tough customer down on the inside. I'm appreciative of that."
Right: The trophy presentation for the Gazelle. Winning jockey Dylan Davis said, "Broke nice and clean, was able to get a perfect spot clear and in between them. I thought she would really go on a little more, but she was tough on her leads today, so I was able to switch her over and she fought off Early On, who is a nice filly as well. If she could have switched over a little earlier for me, I think she would have went on with a few lengths to victory. She lugged in with me. She was shying in and I was using that to try and help her switch her leads over."
Left: Ballerina d'Oro walks over before the race. Brown added, "I think she got a good hard race under her belt. I'm not sure how much she got out of the Gulfstream race and she missed some training. This race, she'll get a lot out of it and hopefully she can build off of it. She will need to, to be competitive in the Kentucky Oaks, but I think she has the talent to be."
Right: Ballerina d'Oro returns after the race. Winning owner John Capek of Rodeo Creek Racing said, "She gutted it out there at the end for sure. I thought she was going to pull away by a bigger margin, but it was a duel down the stretch and she didn't give up and came out on top. We haven't been to the Oaks before so it will be a pleasure to be there. We've gone to the Oaks many years to watch the race, so now we'll have a chance to participate. We'll see how she comes out, and hopefully we'll get ready a month from today. She looked great at the sale and she's a big filly. She's got a long stride, and that helped coming down the stretch."
Left: Second place finisher Early On walks over before the race. Jockey Javier Castellano said, "She fought all the way to the end and the one to beat her was a good horse. We don't have any excuses, but we had a beautiful trip and were in a perfect position. We were just second-best. She was right there and she didn't give up. I liked how she fought all the way to the wire. She's a competitive horse. I'm competitive too, and we almost got it done. I like how she did it today. She galloped-out well and did it nice and easy. I give a lot of credit to the trainer, and I think she can get even better going forward."
Right: Third place finisher Deloraine returns after the race. Jockey Mike Smith said, "I was proud of her. She tried as hard as she could, she really did. The pace wasn't very quick, so I thought, 'Let's just leave her up here and see what happens.' I thought off her past performances she'd have to do something she's never done to have a chance. So, I went for it and she ran well. She just couldn't beat them, that's all."
Jockey Frankie Pennington sent Irish Maxima to the lead out of the chute through fractions of 23.26 and 45.80 while pressed by 5-1 fourth choice St. Benedicts Prep and stalked by Socially Selective. Into the stretch Irish Maxima continued to lead through 3/4 in 1:09.81, and cruised to a 1 1/4 length win over St. Benedicts Prep in 1:22.92. It was another length back to Socially Selective third.
Left: Irish Maxima in the winner's circle. Winning trainer John Servis said, "She's gotten better with every race. The time off did her a world of good. I know she's quick, and she didn't break that great, but you saw her, she put herself right in the gate. She just keeps getting better. She's done nothing wrong. It is hard to fault her. The (Derby City Distaff) is going to be very salty, I don't know if I'll do that. I may come back here and take it a step at a time, but with sprinting fillies, unless you are in the Breeders' Cup, you don't get to run for a million dollars very often, so it might be worth taking a shot."
Right: The trophy presentation for the Distaff. Winning jockey Frankie Pennington said, "She broke a hair slow, but her third jump she took a hold of the bit and took the lead. She was settled after that, and after that it was just a waiting game. When I asked her, she took off with no problem. I knew somebody was eventually going to come running at me, so I took a peek to see when to let her go at the very last second. This is a long stretch here so you want to obviously wait as long as possible. She was in the one hole, she usually breaks quick, but it was just one of those things that happened, she happened to get off slow but it still worked out in our favor."
Left: Second place finisher St. Benedicts Prep walks over before the race. Jockey Jose Lezcano said, "She ran good. She broke good. I think the filly who won is just a nice filly. My filly gave me everything she had. That winner kept going. My filly kept trying and ran a good race in my opinion, the other filly just never stopped."
Right: Third place finisher Socially Selective returns after the race. The Bill Mott trainee improved her record to 3 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds in 8 starts, earning $259,850 for owner Nine Thirty Racing.
On to the Wood Memorial (G2) and Excelsior Stakes also on the card.
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