Bears Mafia Among Leading Contenders At Aqueduct Following Yard Fire

There is a nine-race card taking place at Aqueduct on Friday afternoon. One of the most exciting races of the day will be the $40,000 claiming option taking place over six furlongs. The standout name in the race will be Bears Mafia, who has had an action-packed week, to say the least. Jeffrey Englehart trains the horse.

The trainer had a fire at his yard this past week, which meant that he was forced to evacuate all the horses that were housed there. However, he remains adamant that the leading chance in the Aqueduct race today will not have any lingering doubts hanging over him, as he claimed that the five-year-old was stationed at the other end of the yard.

Bears Mafia will be the 5/2 favorite for the fourth race at Aqueduct on Friday and has solid form behind him. The five-year-old will be making his second start of 2021. He won on his first start this year, as he won the Kelly Kip Stakes at Aqueduct. That win followed the Allowance Optional Claiming race at the same track in November last year, where the Englehart-trained horse didn’t finish.

That is one of the very few blotches on his record, as he has recorded seven wins from eight starts since finishing fourth in a Claiming Race at Belmont Park in June last year. On that start, he finished two lengths behind Our Honor. There are certainly a lot of things to like about the favorite for the race on Friday, as the trip will certainly not be an issue. However, time will tell whether the yard fire has played any role in his preparation for the race this afternoon.

Bronx Bomber, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, is also among the favorites for the fourth race on the card at Aqueduct. The five-year-old has struggled for wins most recently, as he hasn’t won since an Allowance at Aqueduct in February last year. Since then, he has started on ten occasions and hasn’t won once.

This will already be his fourth start of the year, as he most recently finished third in the eighth race on the card at Aqueduct on March 20th. Bronx Bomber is a 7/2 chance BetOnline to win the race on Friday, but there could be better value elsewhere in the race.

Dark Money for trainer Karl Broberg could be an interesting selection, as the conditions will suit the five-year-old. He is one of the few in the field that has a proven record on a wet surface, as he has achieved two wins on that type of ground. Dark Money does have credible form behind him, as he has won eight of his 21 starts. Four of his starts have come in 2021, and he has already finished first on two occasions and placed in the other two starts.

His fine form on the wet surface was evident last time out, as he won race eight on the March 20th card at Aqueduct. This race could play out in a similar fashion, and gamblers could be tempted by the 3/1 price being offered by BetOnline.

Scilly Cay will be looking for a decent comeback effort after finishing a distant seventh earlier in the year behind Jemography. His start in that race really let him down, and he could go better here if he is in a more prominent position. Steam Engine is priced at 2/1 with BetOnline, but will be looking to reverse the form after finishing fourth behind Dark Money earlier in the season. Seven Lilies is the outsider in the field, as the Robert Kelsaris-trained horse finished fourth last time out in the Dads Caps Stakes.