Helicopter Money takes flight tomorrow as he launches his racing career for his partners in the opener at Aqueduct.
The 2-year-old colt is among a field of 8 New York-breds in the six-furlong dirt race. He drew post 7 with Trevor McCarthy aboard and is 10-1 on the morning line. Post time is 12:20 p.m. ET. A good bit of rain hit Friday afternoon and was to continue overnight — from the remnants of Hurricane Nicole — with showers continuing into early Saturday, so Helicopter Money may encounter a wet track.
The field is comprised by 4 horses who have started previously and 4 of whom making their first starts.
Soon after arriving in trainer Tom Morley’s barn in late summer, the son of Central Banker earned the nickname “Chopper”. He hasn’t missed a beat on the worktab, breezing on a weekly schedule and enters this race with eight recorded works that have provided solid times, although none of them have been bullets.
Originally scheduled to make his debut later in November, tomorrow’s race became an option when the racing office opted to take entries for this race on the dirt, rather than turf, because of rain in the forecast. Since Tom felt Chopper was ready to run, this opened the door for him to be entered in tomorrow’s race. Additionally, should Helicopter Money run well, the timing of Saturday’s race could set him up nicely if we decided to take a shot in the $500,000 Great White Way at Aqueduct on Dec. 17th. This lucrative race is part of an ongoing series of stakes that are restricted to the progeny of horses sired by New York-based stallions and your colt qualifies as he is a son of Central Banker who stands in the Empire State. Central Banker, who resides at McMahon Thoroughbreds of Saratoga, has been a standout sire in New York for years now and currently is the 2022 leader in progeny earnings in the state, as well as in the entire Northeast region.
The sire’s statistics with his runners illustrate that his debut horses that are 3 years old and upward reach the winner’s circle at an above average (11%) while his 2-year-old first-time starters win at a below average of 7%. Central Banker does have a solid win rate with his progeny over wet tracks (17%).
Tom is not known for having his runners cranked for their debut races and is just 4-for-42 (10%) with first-time starters in dirt sprints over five years. Regardless of tomorrow’s finish position, the race will serve the purpose of giving Helicopter Money that all-important race-day experience, which will serve him well going forward as he continues to mature and gains fitness through his races.
About the Competition (in post position order):
What’s Up Bro (10-1) is a firster from a barn not known to fire with horses on debut. A positive, though, is seeing Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.
Bustino Santino (8-1) is another first-time starter. Sire Bustin Stones does well with his 2-year-olds on debut and wins at 20 %. Bustino Santino is a horse to consider off a recent strong gate work and he is a full sibling to two winners, one of whom won on debut.
Whiskey and Wine (5-1) is trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, who doesn’t typically have New York-breds in his barn The unraced colt has a stunning pedigree as a son of the late More Than Ready out of an Unbridled’s Song mare who is a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Rally Cry. Expectations are high for Whiskey and Wine who brought $250,000 at auction earlier this year. Huge work from the gate on Nov. 5th, a half-mile bullet in 47.00 seconds and the fastest of 110 workers at the distance that day. Interesting entrant.
Disarmed (9-2) brings experience to the field with three prior starts and gets blinkers here. This will mark his first start on dirt for Christophe Clement who wins at 17% with this move. Turf races were okay, with his best a narrow defeat in his second start. With turf racing winding down in New York, it’s likely that the barn was open to pursuing New York-bred opportunities on the dirt in hopes of seeing this one graduate.
Looms Boldly (3-1) ran nicely on debut to finish second after setting the pace, despite stumbling at the start. Like the looks of this one with Manny Franco back in the saddle. Trainer Brad Cox is 11-for-35 (31%) with maiden second-time starters in dirt sprints at NYRA tracks over the past 5 years, according to Daily Racing Form Formulator stats.
Lifetime of Chance (5-2) is the morning-line favorite. Ran third on debut, but was well beaten. He did earn a 65 Beyer Speed Figure against a good-looking field that day. Has every reason to be able to jump up and graduate here.
Destin’s Mission (10-1) is listed as a first-time gelding after running sixth at Parx on debut on Oct. 18. Showed early speed but ultimately was not a factor over a muddy track and doesn’t look like a contender here either.
