Samraat Tries to Stay Unbeaten

Mid-week simulcast stakes action will focus on Aqueduct Race Track and the $100,000 Damon Runyan Stakes for New York-bred two-year-olds running a mile, 70 yards. The race has drawn a field of six, headed by the Richard Violette Jr. trained Samraat, listed at 6-5 in the morning line. A Noble Causeway colt, Samraat has won both of his first two lifetime starts, breaking his maiden at Belmont Park in late October by 3 1/2 lengths going six furlongs on the dirt, and following that up with a 5 1/2 length score in a 7 1/2 furlong allowance race at Aqueduct.

Second choice has yet to be out of the money

Second choice in the field at 9-5 is Deceived, a relative veteran with four races on his resume already. Since running third in his debut at Saratoga in August, he produced two second-place finishes in the fall at Belmont, just missing by a neck in his dirt debut two starts back. When he finally broke his maiden he did so with flair, defeating eight others over a mile by 7 1/2 furlongs, after overcoming some bumps early on and dueling throughout the first 3/4 miles.

Longest shot has the most experience 

Of the others in the field, Howaboutwe is at longest odds in the at 20-1, but is also the most experienced runner with six starts already in his career, and he's the only colt to have a pair of stakes starts to his name. After breaking his maiden second time out in mid-August , he came right back two weeks later to run a well-beaten fourth at Saratoga. Two starts back he finished sixth and last on the turf in the Island Sun Stakes. Geaux Mets at 9-2 will be seeking his third straight win, the previous two both coming at Aqueduct.