Robert LaPenta and eFive Racing Thoroughbreds’ MOON LANDING, an Ontario-bred three-year-old trained by Sovereign Award finalist Kevin Attard, is entered in the $150,000 John Battaglia Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky on March 4. Moon Landing, a hopeful for the King’s Plate at Woodbine in August, comes off a closing, fourth-place finish on the turf at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 14. The son of Nyquist – Fragrance by Malibu Moon won his career debut at Woodbine on Nov. 13 at 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta.
The Battaglia is a 1 1/16 mile race on Tapeta and it offers 40 points on the road to the 149th Kentucky Derby. Post time for the Battaglia, race 8, is 9:25 p.m.
Moon Landing, bred by Anderson Farms Ontario and Rod Ferguson, has post 11 in the large field and he will be ridden by Walter Rodriguez.
One of Woodbine’s top riders, Rafael Hernandez, rides Miranda Rights for trainer Mark Casse in the Battaglia. Miranda Rights has been in the top three in all six races and is a Kentucky-bred by Constitution.
Favoured in the Battaglia on the morning line is GILMORE, a son of Twirling Candy trained by Brendan Walsh. The grey colt was second in the El Camino Real Stakes to Chase the Chaos and was previously trained by Bob Baffert.
SCOOBIE QUANDO, winner of the Turfway Prevue Stakes, is another sophomore who will take support. He is a son of Uncle Mo trained by Ben Colebrook for Andrew and Rania Warren.
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Another Kentucky Derby stepping stone race, the GOTHAM (G3), is race 9 at Aqueduct on Saturday. The one-turn, one-mile race has a large field that includes the unbeaten EYEING CLOVER, a son of Lookin at Lucky and former Bob Baffert trainees Carmel Road and Fort Warren.
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