NYRA Preview: Aqueduct 11/16

Race 2: $62,000 MSW for New-York-bred 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs) on the outer turf

#9 Hellbender comes into this race as the horse to beat. The only question about this colt that needs to be asked is: Will the post position hurt his chances? Joel Rosario is best known for coming from behind, but Hellbender likes to be on the lead. The post position isn’t great but the lack of speed from the rest of the field should make things considerably easier as he looks to wire this field from the start.

Ricky’s Picks: 9-3-6-5

Credit: NYRA

Race 4: $70,000 MSW for 2-year-olds going 6 furlongs on the dirt

Mark Hennig has struggled so far at the meet, but he has a 2-year-old in this field that has a lot of buzz around the Big A. #5 Kingmeister has a morning work at the 3-furlong distance, and two bullet works going 5 furlongs. When a 2-year-old goes 3 furlongs prior to their first race, it indicates to the horse that they will be asked a lot early out of the gate. Expect Kingmeister to show his early speed early in this quick sprint.

Ricky’s Picks: 5-4-7-3

Race 6: $70,000 MSW for 3-year-olds and upward going 1 mile (8 furlongs) on the inner turf

This race provides a lot of different angles that handicappers like to factor. There are some horses that haven’t won in multiple efforts, and horses making their debut for the first time
The horse I found most intriguing is taking a step up from the maiden claiming ranks in #8 Donegal Aces. He finished second at the maiden claiming level back in late September at Belmont Park. His second-place finish would be good enough to win this race as Overbold was just too good on that day. He does take a step up but many of the contenders are unproven or haven’t shown good enough form as of late.

Ricky’s Picks: 8-9-3-4