New York-Breds at the Races: November 4 to 9 By Bill Heller Snake Oil Charlie Nips No Texting and Jax Heritage Monday Saving ground every step of the way under Chris DeCarlo, Douglas Maroun’s three-year-old colt Snake Oil Charlie, trained by George Maroun, slipped past front-running No Texting on the hedge to win a thrilling mile-and-a-sixteenth $57,000 New York-bred grass allowance by a head in a final time of 1:44.14 Monday at Aqueduct. Jax Heritage was just a head behind No Texting in third. Snake Oil Charlie was sent off at odds of 11-1, No Texting, ridden by Jose Ortiz, went off at 7-1 odds, and Jax Heritage was the 9-5 favorite in the field of 12 under Javier Castellano. Snake Oil Charlie is a son of Freud out of Finlandia by Royal Anthem who was bred by Nyala Farm and was purchased for just $9,000 at the Saratoga Yearling Sale in August 2013. Snake Oil Charlie got away fourth as No Texting took a three-quarter-length lead on the outside of 4-1 Chasintheblues. Jax Heritage raced on the outside of Snake Oil Charlie in third through an opening quarter-mile in :23.68. No Texting maintained that lead through a half mile in :48.53. Heading into the far turn, Irad Ortiz, Jr. sent 8-1 Ode to the Hunt, who was adding blinkers, up four-wide to join the leaders. DeCarlo kept Snake Oil Charlie on the hedge. After three-quarters in 1:13.50, both Chasintheblues and Ode to the Hunt tired, leaving No Texting trying to hold off both Jax Heritage on his outside and Snake Oil Charlie on his inside. No Texting bravely battled to the wire, but Snake Oil Charlie passed him in the final, frantic yards. Jax Heritage was right there in third, and 5-1 gray Hirschbein finished fourth. Snake Oil Charlie is now two for 11 with one third on grass. He has also raced on dirt six times without hitting the board, and has total earnings of more than $75,000. ****************************************************** Red-hot jockey Kendrick Carmouche sent Backwards Stable’s homebred, the three-year-old New York-bred filly Juliets Key, to the lead and she went wire-to-wire, winning a mile-and-an- eighth $34,000 conditional $25,000 grass claimer by a length and a half Monday. Sent off at 10- 1 odds in the field of seven, she won in a final time of 1:52.67. Carmouche won with two New York-breds on Sunday as well. Danny Gargan trains Juliets Key, a daughter of Shakespeare out of Mizzenkey by Mizzen Mast who was ninth in a New York-bred allowance at 120-1 odds in her previous start with blinkers restored. She sure focused Monday, shooting to the lead from the two post and posting splits of :25.60, :51.24, 1:15.47, chased in second the entire way by 25-1 Justice for Sheena. Juliets Key stretched her lead to three lengths after a mile in 1:40.94 and held on to win comfortably. Justice for Sheena held second, a length and a half ahead of Quarla, the 8-5 favorite ridden by Angel Arroyo. New York-bred Milkyyourway, who went off at 10-1 odds from the rail under Aaron Gryder, finished fourth, two lengths behind Quarla. Juliets Key improved her grass record to two for six. She has also raced three times on dirt and has total earnings of more than $30,000. ****************************************************** August Dawn Farm’s three-year-old colt Baby Snacks split horses under Gabriel Saez in deep stretch Monday to edge front-running Miroc by a head in a $41,000 New York-bred maiden $40,000 claimer. He completed the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:19.03. Baby Snacks, who survived a steward’s inquiry before the race became official, was sent off at odds of 13-1, while Miroc and Angel Arroyo went off at 3-1 odds in the field of seven. Gary Sciacca trains Baby Snacks, a son of Tale of the Cat out of Near and Dear by Red Ransom who was bred by Mrs. Gerald Nielson and was purchased for $105,000 at the Saratoga Yearling Sale in August 2013. He is a full brother to multiple stakes-winning NY-bred Saratoga Snacks. Baby Snacks was dropping into a maiden claimer for the first time while making his fourth career start. Miroc took an early lead under heavy pressure from Elusive Talmo, the slight 2-1 favorite under John Velazquez. Bustin the Bank, who was sent off at 9-1 odds with Manuel Franco riding, and Interior Secretary, the 2-1 second choice under Jose Ortiz, weren’t far behind, racing three- and four-wide, respectively, through a quarter in :23.45 and a half-mile in :46.25. Saez kept Baby Snacks on the rail in fifth, and they finally had room to angle out when Elusive Talmo weakened. Baby Snacks surged on the outside and nailed Miroc just before the wire. Elusive Talmo finished third, a length and a quarter behind Miroc. Bustin the Bank was just a head behind Elusive Talmo in fourth. Shotgun Love Holds Off Golden Gem to Win Sunday at Aqueduct Joemar Racing Stables’ homebred four-year-old filly Shotgun Love shot to the lead under Junior Alvarado and gamely held off Golden Gem by three-quarters of a length to capture a $57,000 New York-bred allowance race at Aqueduct Sunday afternoon, completing the six-furlong distance in 1:11.40. Shotgun Love was sent off at odds of 4-1 and Golden Gem, who was adding blinkers and Javier Castellano, went off at 3-1 odds in the field of six. Dominick Schettino trains Shotgun Love, a daughter of Posse out of Lemon Drop’s Love by Lemon Drop Kid. After winning a maiden $25,000 claimer by 3 ¼ lengths under Alvarado, Shotgun Love was a strong third by a length on a sloppy track with Jose Ortiz riding. On Sunday, Alvarado got Shotgun Love away in front as 21-1 Marc the Sky chased in second on the outside of 5-1 Spuntastic through an opening quarter in :23.57. Shotgun Love extended a one-length lead to three as Golden Gem split horses and advanced into second on the inside. Golden Gem finished strongly, but Shotgun Love held on for the victory. There was a gap of nearly four lengths back to Spuntastic in third. My Super Nova, the 4-5 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., was a distant fourth. Shotgun Love is now two for nine with one second, five thirds and a shade under $100,000 in earnings. ****************************************************** Kendrick Carmouche rallied Brad Grady’s four-year-old New York-bred filly C d’Cat to a one- length victory over another New York-bred, Khaleesi Kat, in a $50,000 grass starter allowance Sunday. The final time for the one-mile race was 1:37.45. C d’Cat went off at 9-2 odds from the rail and Khaleesi Kat, ridden by Junior Alvarado, was the 5-2 second choice in the field of eight. Joe Sharp trains C d’Cat, a daughter of D’wildcat out of Unbridled Grace by Unbridled Jet who was bred by Mina Equivest and was purchased for $50,000 as a yearling in Saratoga in August 2012. C d’Cat had finished in the money in her first four starts before finishing fifth in an allowance race at Belmont on October 24th. C d’Cat settled in second behind front-running 13-1 shot On a Star, and they remained 1-2 through splits of :24.19, :48.91 and 1:13.56. C d’Cat took over the lead readily when asked by Carmouche and then held off Khaleesi Kat, who rallied strongly to finish second. Sky Gem, the 2-1 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., finished third, two lengths behind Khaleesi Kat. Another New York-bred filly, Ten Penny Princess, finished fourth, three-quarters of a length behind Khaleesi Kat, at 13-1 odds. C d’Cat now has two victories, two seconds and a third from her first six starts, for earnings of more than $90,000. ****************************************************** Kendrick Carmouche returned to the winner’s circle Sunday with another New York-bred, Pat Generazio’s homebred four-year-old gray gelding East Bay Lodge, who rallied from 10th to win a mile-and-three-eighth $47,000 open $25,000 claimer on the grass by three-quarters of a length over another New York-bred, Hidden Vow, in a final time of 2:18.61. In the field of 11, East Bay Lodge was sent off at odds of 3-1 and Hidden Vow went off at 10-1 odds with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard. Jim Ryerson trains East Bay Lodge, a son of Flower Alley out of Pretty Wicked by The Wicked North who was dropping from a New York-bred allowance/optional $40,000 claimer into a $25,000 open claimer. East Bay Lodge was far back early as a pair of New York-breds, 8-1 All Over Me and 7-1 Hyman Roth, raced in first and second through a mile in 1:41.39. East Bay Lodge rallied three- wide into contention and cleared the lead in deep stretch, then held off Hidden Vow, who closed strongly for second. Utopian finished third. East Bay Lodge now has three victories and two seconds in his 19 career starts, all on the grass, for earnings of more than $100,000.