Garrity picks Sunday's closing day at Aqueduct, with runners in the 7th, 8th & 9th, wanting Alittleloveandluck

It’s closing day at Aqueduct, and though the other tracks on the New York circuit, beautiful Belmont and sensational Saratoga, tend to get most of the public’s attention, we’ve always had a soft spot for the Big A. Not only is it an underrated facility – Aqueduct is a great place to spend a day taking in the races – but its marathon annual meeting, which runs from early November through late April, carries those of us in the Northeast U.S. from the fading colors and waning sunlight of fall to the full-throated cacophony of spring in full bloom. There are powerful seasonal rhythms in horse racing – it’s one of the things that we love about the sport – and Aqueduct is part of them, and deserves recognition for carrying us through the dark winter months.

So on this, the last day we’ll see horses running in circles there for many months, we’ll raise a toast to the humble racetrack in humble Ozone Park, and we will do so the best way we know how: by having a flutter. We have selected three races at Aqueduct, the last three on the card, and we’ll play each of them individually, and will throw in a little Pick 3 on the sequence as well. We expect fast dirt and firm turf, so let’s go.

Aqueduct, Race 7, 4:26 pm ET

Allowance, 6 furlongs, Dirt, New York-breds 3 & Up

Eight line up for this first-level allowance dirt sprint. 3-Who Hoo Thats Me is a strong play: he is a 3-year-old who had enough success against his fellow state-breds that trainer Jorge Abreu threw him into the deep end of the pool, running him against Kentucky Derby hopefuls in the Remsen, where he was trounced. He gets enormous class relief here, and might be worth playing on that basis alone, but he also figures to benefit from the way this race is run, as he’s a stretch-runner in a field loaded with cheap speed. And the cherry on top is distance: He goes from running nine furlongs in the Remsen to running six furlongs here and we are suckers for this kind of cutback. Add it all up, and Who Hoo Thats Me is going to the winner’s circle, and we are going to the windows: we will bet him to win at 5/2. The bet: Aqueduct, Race 7, $40 to win on 3-Who Hoo Thats Me.

Aqueduct, Race 8, 5:01 pm ET

$100,000 Memories of Silver Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Turf, 3-Year-Old Fillies

3-Year-old fillies, six of them, line up for the Memories of Silver. Chad Brown would appear to have the nuts, as he starts two, 6-Pizza Bianca and 7-Consumer Spending, who were last seen winning and finishing a close sixth, respectively, in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar in November.

The logical presumption is that one or the other of the Brown fillies will win, but since they will both be unappealingly short prices, we are going in a different direction. We think that the lack of early speed in the group, including the two favorites, leaves the race open to being stolen on the front end. And we think the filly who just might do that is 4-Alittleloveandluck, who has enough early zip to go to the front, but even more importantly, will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, who we think will comprehend that the only way his filly can win this race is on the front end. We see Alittleloveandluck loping along in the lead, while running very slow fractions, and we think that this will leave her with enough energy late to hold off her more accomplished, stretch-running rivals. We will bet her to win at 10-1. The bet: Aqueduct, Race 8, $30 to win on 4-Alittleloveandluck.

Aqueduct, Race 9, 5:32 pm ET
Maiden Special Weight, 1 ⅛ miles, Turf, New York-breds 3 & Up

The long fall-winter-spring Aqueduct meet comes to a conclusion with a full field of twelve state-breds lining up to go a mile and an eighth on the inner turf course. We’re all in on 1-Mr. Connecticut, who had three near misses in similar races last fall, but who comes into this race off a layoff, and sporting the ultimate equipment change, having been gelded since his last start. He should get a good trip from his rail post, and that, combined with his strong closing kick, makes him the one to beat. We will bet him to win at 3-1. The bet: Aqueduct, Race 9, $40 to win on 1-Mr. Connecticut.

Here are the selections for the final Pick 3 of the year at the BIg A:

Race 7: 3-Who Hoo Thats Me, 4-Lookin for Trouble

Race 8: 4-Alittleloveandluck, 6-Pizza Bianca, 7-Consumer Spending

Race 9: 1-Mr. Connecticut, 10-Highgate Road

This 2x3x2 ticket, at the $1 level, will cost $12.

That’s all for today. Until tomorrow, enjoy the racing, be safe, and, as always, good luck at the windows.