Green Light Go headlines the Stymie at Aqueduct on Saturday

By NY Hot List staff | Thursday, February 24, 2022

Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, the 5-year-old Green Light Go will be the favorite in the $125,000 Stymie at Aqueduct on Saturday. The son of Hard Spun won his 2022 debut in an allowance at the Big A by nine-lengths earning him the first triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure of his career. The Stymie attracted a field of seven that will run a one-turn mile.

Green Light Go won the first two races of his career including the Saratoga Special (G2) in 2019. To end his 2-year-old campaign the Stronach Stables horse finished second in the Champagne (G1) behind Tiz the Law. He’s back in the barn of Jerkens who may have finally figured out how to get the best from him.

“We got him back at the end of Saratoga last year and we didn’t train him hard right away. We just kept him well fed and happy and he responded,” Jerkens said.

Here are the Hot List picks for the Stymie:

The $125,000 Stymie, Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 8.

(1) Green Light Go returned to the barn of Jimmy Jerkens this summer and made his first start back in the Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) when he finished second beaten by a head when he ran out of ground for his fast closing move. Last month, he overwhelmed an allowance field to win a third-level allowance by nine-lengths. Dylan Davis retains the mount. (2) Waxman is a late developing 4-year-old out of the Todd Pletcher barn that won his last two starts both at Aqueduct. He broke his maiden in his fourth try going the mile distance and then stepped up to handle an allowance field with a stalking trip. (3) Hanalei’s Houdini has a trio of third-place finishes since Michael Maker claimed him for $50,000 at Keeneland in October. Two of them were restricted stakes races which were sandwiched around that allowance win by Green Light Go. (4) Doubly Blessed is another one from the Maker barn and he has a record at the Big A of 3 wins from 4 starts.

The rest of the NY Hot List picks and the Special Saturday Pick 3 are available free of charge at this website.