Quick turnaround for favorites in Queens County

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Ozone Park, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Vyjack and Stormin Monarcho, the top two picks in the morning line, return to the racetrack in Saturday’s $100,000 Queens County Stakes at Aqueduct just two weeks after each of their last starts.

Vyjack, owned by Pick Six Racing, will start the 1 1/8-mile Queens County from post 4 with Irad Ortiz Jr. again riding. The 4-year-old gelding, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, is the 5-2 program favorite in the 10-horse field with nine betting interests.

Vyjack is coming off a fifth in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 29.

“The way the racetrack was playing; it was kind of hard (to win),” said Rodriguez. “We told (Irad Ortiz Jr.) to keep after (eventual winner Private Zone) the whole way around, so he could be closer (to the pace). I guess when you do that you get the horse out of his rhythm – asking him for something that he doesn’t normally do. We’re just trying to regroup. The horse looks like he came back good enough to run him right back, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

Vyjack won the Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park on Sept. 27 which followed a fourth in the Vanderbilt and a third in the Forego. The 4-year-old has earned $917,500 from 15 career starts and six wins.

Stormin Monarcho, co-owned and trained by David Jacobson, is the 3-1 second pick and will be ridden by Jevian Toledo from post 7. The Queens County will be the 4-year-old gelding’s third race in four weeks.

Stormin Monarcho won the Swatara Stakes on Nov. 29 at Penn National just two weeks after claiming the Richard W. Small Stakes on Nov. 15 at Laurel Park. The son of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos has won nine of 28 career starts for $412,281.

Here is the field for the Queens County in post position order: Elnaawi, Angel Arroyo, 6-1; Plainview, Jeremy Rose, 30-1; Don Dulce, Fernando Jara, 10-1; Vyjack, Irad Ortiz Jr., 5-2; Misconnect, Dylan Davis, 7-2; Micromanage, Manuel Franco, 7-2; Stormin Monarcho, Jevian Toledo, 3-1; Percussion, C. C. Lopez, 15-1; Turco Bravo, Jose Ortiz, 10-1 and Wealth to Me, Angel Cruz, 15-1. Micromanage and Misconnect are coupled.

The Queens County has an approximate post time of 3:43 p.m. ET.

Categorized in: Horses

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