Rail Trip looking to return to the winner’s circle in the Sunny and Mild opener at Aqueduct
The six-year-old gelding Rail Trip is long overdue, but it is not entirely the gelding’s fault because the Richard Dutrow Jr. trainee had been suffering from an injury which sidelined him for a while.
Rail Trip hasn’t won for the past 17 months but he has been presented with an opportunity at Aqueduct to set the records in his favour in a $60,000 opener The Sunny and Mild over at the main track at about 1 1/8 miles.
The Kentucky bred son of Jump Start, out of mare Sweet Trip by Carson City, Rail Trip was pulled out of action last year when he had a little issue with right front hoof and after 8 months of being sidelined, Rail Trip came back to races in the summer of
2011.
Making a fantastic return to the races, Rail Trip ran a huge race but couldn’t keep Friend or Foe at bay in the dying stages of the race to finish second ahead of the third place finisher Convocation.
After watching him go fierce in his comeback race, Richard Dutrow Jr. decided to start Rail Trip in the all important Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga on 6 August, 2011, over at 1 1/8 miles under jockey Ramon Dominguez.
Rail Trip was below par on the day as he finished seventh to winner Tizway, who screamed past opponents to cover the 1 1/8 miles distance in 1 minute and 52.43 seconds.
Bringing him down from graded stakes company, Richard Dutrow focused on stakes races for Rail Trip, as the Jay Em Ess Stable owned gelding was pointed toward the Pot O’ Luck Stakes in his last start.
After putting away two early challenges, Rail Trip finished second on the day to winner Pleasant Prince, who topped the 1 1/16 miles distance in 1 minute and 45.01 seconds.
Another runner who hasn’t won for 22 months will start in the Aqueduct over night stakes is Ron The Greek.
Winning the 2010 Lecomte Stakes, Ron the Greek is winless in his nine starts and The Sunny and Mild gives him the opportunity to rectify that and out finish the 6 to 5 morning line favourite Rail Trip.
Tags: