The Grade 3 races, the $175,000 Pebbles and the $150,000 Forever Together, were initially scheduled for Sunday, November 16, but were postponed to Sunday, November 23 due to high winds that caused a cancellation after the second race at Aqueduct Racecourse.
Pebbles, originally planned as a one-mile race on the inner turf, has been changed to 1 1/16 miles on the outer turf. The new lineup includes all six original two-year-old fillies plus two additional horses: Sweet Treasure, trained by two-time Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox, and Starship Pegasus, trained by Michelle Nevin. The race will feature participants only from the main track with the Angels.
Fastmarket, owned by Hit the Bid Racing and ridden by Flavien Prat, has been performing strongly under trainer John Terranova. Volatile Bay is a close competitor, just behind Ready for Candy in the nine-furlong G2 Sands Point at Belmont on October 18.
Fastmarket earned a significant win on September 21 at Sands Point, running a mile without blinkers and finishing 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Elder, with a Beyer Speed Figure of 82—a notable improvement from his previous best of 85.
Other Pebbles contenders by post position include Coleto (post 2, Jaime Rodriguez), Starship Pegasus (post 3, Javier Castellano), It Ain’t Two (post 4, Jon Berra), Paradise City (post 5, Manny Franco), Sweet Treasure (post 6, Florent Geroux), Love You Anyway (post 7, Jose Rezcano), and Peak Hype (post 8, Ricardo Santana Jr.).
The $150,000 Forever Together race, run over 1 1/16 miles on the outer turf for mares and fillies aged 3 and older, has been redrawn to include six of the original seven runners plus Racing Colors, trained by Norman Follett. Shirona, trained by Graham Motion, is the only horse withdrawn from the race.
Nice Aspie, a Kentucky-bred filly trained by Kelsey Danner and ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., aims to extend her strong fall form, with Danner having won two of four stakes races at Aqueduct this season.
Nice Aspie, a 4-year-old daughter of Tapitua, recently placed third in a synthetic turf race at Presque Isle Downs, covering a mile and 70 yards—her longest distance race to date and only her third time racing beyond a sprint.
Last season, Nice Aspie had a successful run with four consecutive wins at Turfway Park on Tapeta, including stakes victories at Val d’Ere and Serena’s Song. She also competed in the Grade 2 Valley View at Keeneland over a mile last October and finished wide but followed up with consistent top finishes, including a win in a six-furlong sprint early this year.
The Forever Together lineup by post is Racing Colors (post 1, Trevor Simpson), Miss Bonnie T (post 3, Christopher Elliott), Spinning Colors (post 4, John Velasquez), Oversubscribed (post 5, Flavien Prat), Marie Moo (post 6, Manny Franco), and Flowers for Me (post 7, Javier Castellano).
Original main track-only entries St. Benedict Prep, Barney Takescharge, and Tipple have been re-entered as main track-only runners.
On the nine-race card Sunday, Forever Together is slated as the fourth race, and Pebbles is set for the eighth, with the first race beginning at 12:10 p.m. ET.
Fan Take: This rescheduling and lineup reshuffling highlight the unpredictable nature of horse racing, emphasizing the sport’s resilience and adaptability. For fans, these races promise exciting competition with top turf fillies and mares, offering key insights into rising stars and seasoned champions alike.
