Lubash leads Artie Schiller; Pletcher pair top Notebook on Saturday at Aqueduct

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - A pair of stakes races highlight a nine-race Saturday card at Aqueduct Racetrack, featuring the $100,000 Artie Schiller for 3-year-olds and up at a mile on turf, along with the $100,000 Notebook for New York-bred 2-year-olds at six furlongs on the main track.

Leading the Artie Schiller is the hard-knocking New York-bred Lubash, who goes out for trainer Christophe Clement and Aliyu Ben J Stables. Lubash, a winner of 15 of 42 turf starts, is coming off a hard fought win over longtime rival Kharafa in the Mohawk on October 24 at Belmont Park. Previously this year, the 8-year-old son of Freud won the West Point and Kingston against statebred competition.

Regular rider Junior Alvarado will be aboard Lubash, 3-1 on the morning line, and the duo will depart from post 4.

Listed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, Reload will look to keep the momentum going following a 1 ¼-length score in an optional claimer at Belmont on October 10. The 6-year-old son of Hard Spun, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey for Phipps Stable, came off a layoff of more than a year to win his seasonal bow on May 22 at Belmont, but then faltered as the favorite in two subsequent stakes outings in the Forbidden Apple and the Lure.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will take the call aboard Reload from post 10.

Another hard-knocking turfer, Plainview, will go out first off the claim for owner/trainer David Jacobson. The son of Street Cry has won 11 of 33 turf outings and banked upwards of $600,000 on the lawn. Early in 2015, it appeared the 7-year-old had lost a step, but the bay gelding has won three of his past four starts and is coming off a 1 ½-length triumph in an optional claimer on October 17 at Belmont.

Plainview, 5-1 on the morning line, will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez from post 2.

Rounding out the field are Sky Flight, a recent allowance winner at Keeneland; Slip By, who took an optional claimer at Laurel Park in his most recent outing; Any Given Royal, fourth in an off-the-turf allowance race last out; Aztec Brave, who won the Danger's Hour at the Big A in the spring; El Jefe Grande, fifth behind Reload two starts ago; Vision Perfect, second in the Grade 3 Hill Prince two starts ago; and English Minister, third behind Slip By last out.

Call First is on the also eligible list, while Saratoga Snacks, Stormin Monarcho and Taghleeb are entered for the main track only.

In the Notebook, a pair of runners from the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Repole Stable bookend the field and will vie for favoritism, with the outside drawn Sudden Surprise tabbed at 8-5 and his counterpart on the rail, Spooked Out, listed at 5-2.

A Repole homebred, Sudden Surprise will cut back in distance following a fourth-place finish in the Sleepy Hollow at a mile on October 24 at Belmont. The son of Giant Surprise is undefeated at sprint distances, having won both the Bertram F. Bongard and Funny Cide along with a maiden race at Saratoga Race Course. He will be ridden by Velazquez from post 8.

Spooked Out hasn't compiled the imposing resume of his stablemate through only two career starts, but is coming off a dazzling 9 ½-length maiden win on November 7 at the Big A for which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 84. Also a Repole homebred, the son of Catienus will have the services of jockey Chris DeCarlo.

Love That Jazz and Dr. Shane, who exchanged stakes wins at the Finger Lakes in their past two starts, sit at 6-1 and 5-1 on the morning line, respectively.

Rounding out the field are My Man Al, a 30-1 outsider trained by Abigail Adsit; Terian, a dominant maiden winner at the Finger Lakes last out; No Entiendo, fifth in the Funny Cide in his most recent outing; and Steve's Image, who won an optional claimer on turf at Laurel Park in his latest start.