Photo By: Orin France   Juddmonte Farm's Special Rate (above) will be ridden for the first time by Jerry Bailey and will break from post five in the Apr. 12 Bay Shore Stakes (GIII) at Aqueduct.

Full Field Set For Big A's Bay Shore
By: Jenny Kellner

OZONE PARK, N.Y. (Apr. 10, 2003) - When trainer Bobby Frankel enters a horse in a New York stakes race, people listen.

Saturday, the 61-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y. native will be saddling leading Kentucky Derby (GI) contender Empire Maker in the $750,000 Wood Memorial (GI). But he'll also be sending out Juddmonte Farm's Special Rate in the $150,000 Bay Shore (GIII), which will be run as the seventh race on Saturday's card at Aqueduct.

Special Rate will be ridden for the first time by Jerry Bailey and will break from post five. Winner of a six-furlong race on Feb. 16 in his first start, the son of Pulpit stretched out to one mile a month later, finishing third to During at Santa Anita.

The seven-furlong Bay Shore, which used to figure prominently on New York's road to the Kentucky Derby, drew a field of 11 3-year-olds for Saturday's race. Also starting will be Second in Command, an 8 ¾ length winner of the Best Turn at Aqeuduct in February, who drew post 11, and Halo Homewrecker, winner of a pair of seven-furlong races at Gulfstream, who drew post six.

Second in Command, a son of Silver Deputy, has three victories in eight starts including the big win in the slop in the Best Turn.

"When he won the Best Turn we pointed toward the Bay Shore with the idea that the track might come up wet," said trainer Linda Rice. "We're kind of grasping at straws with this horse. He's run some big races and he's had some bad ones." The latter might include the Horatius at Laurel Park on Mar. 23, in which he finished last in the six-furlong sprint. "He had a horrible trip," said Rice. "I mean, he got in trouble in a five-horse field, and it certainly cost us second money."

Like Rice, trainer Mark Hennig is still finding out about his horse, Halo Homewrecker. Last year, after running fourth in his first start, the colt underwent surgery to remove ankle chips and also had surgery for colic.

"I hope we haven't gotten to the bottom of him yet," said Hennig. "He's still learning. I think Halo Homewrecker has been kind of distracted this year, and I'm not sure how he is going to fit at this level right now. He'll be a much better horse mid-summer."

Also starting in the Bay Shore, from the rail out, will be Stanislavsky (Jose Santos); Gators N Bears (Richard Migliore); During (Gary Stevens); Deadline (Rick Wilson); Don Six (Aaron Gryder); Midnight Charlie (Herberto Castillo Jr.); Fifth of Hennessy (Diance Nelson); and Infinite Justice (Shaun Bridgmohan).

Jenny Kellner is one of the most respected, multi-faceted journalists in New York. She served as the New York Islanders beat writer for the New York Times and has covered Thoroughbred horse racing and professional football for several major publications in the Big Apple and beyond. She is a frequent contributor to a myriad of Thoroughbred racing trade publications and has covered numerous Kentucky Derbys and Breeders' Cups.

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