Filly Paula’s a Star takes on the boys in $125K Jimmy Winkfield
Santa Rey Stable and Rainbow’s End Racing Stable’s Paula’s a Star will test her talents against the boys in Saturday’s $125,000 Jimmy Winkfield, a six-furlong sprint for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Tom Morley, Paula’s a Star was supplemented to the Winkfield after recent allowance options in New York and Virginia did not fill. The Tapiture filly has made a pair of local starts, finishing third in May before going on the shelf and returning to wire a 6 1/2-furlong sprint on February 8 while racing from a more than eight-month layoff.
Last out, she was bumped at the break but still marked off splits of 22.65 seconds, 46.09 and 1:11.50 under returning rider Madison Olver en route to a 1 1/2-length win in a final time of 1:18.57. The winning effort garnered a 77 Beyer Speed Figure.
“We've always liked her,” Morley said. “She was unlucky to sustain a very minor soft tissue injury in behind when she ran first time out as a 2-year-old which necessitated her having last year off.”
The $120,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Pioneerof the Nile mare Seeking a Star – a half-sister to stakes-winner Miss Interpret. Her second dam, All Mettle, is a half-sister to dual Grade 1-winners Paulassilverlining and Dads Caps.
“I definitely see that type of class in her,” Morley said. “I see the sprint side of the family coming out in her. Even though she's by Tapiture, she's a very fast filly. She has an abundance of speed.”
Paula’s a Star worked a half-mile in 48.34 in company Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track with Olver aboard.
“She worked absolutely beautifully,” Morley said. “She went off in 24 and change and finished up in a snappy 48 and 1. Madison was riding her again. She galloped out well and scoped clean.”
Paula’s a Star, assigned a field-light 113 pounds, will exit post 2 in rein to Olver.
LRE Racing’s well-bred T Kraft [post 1, Jose Lezcano, 120 pounds] will make his stakes debut as he renews his rivalry with stakes-placed Ican.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, T Kraft graduated at sixth asking, while making his first start with Lasix, to capture a local six-furlong sprint on January 11. There, he overcame a stumbled start from the inside post to score by a nose over Grand Commander, who was a head better than the well-regarded Morley-trained maiden One Nine Hundred.
The Connect colt stretched out to 6 1/2-furlongs for his first start against winners on February 14 and settled off a pace battle between Ican and Run of the House through a half-mile in 46.95. Returning rider Jose Lezcano gave T Kraft his cue approaching the quarter-pole and was in command with a furlong to run en route to a 1 1/4-length score over Ican.
The $110,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, out of the winning Johannesburg mare Margarita Friday, is a half-brother to the reigning Champion Sprinter Straight No Chaser. He has banked $118,974 through a 7-2-1-0 ledger with both recent wins coming with the addition of Lasix.
FMQ Stables’ Ican [post 6, Manny Franco, 118 pounds] has hit the board in 4-of-5 starts for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.
The Preservationist colt graduated at second asking in October at Horseshoe Indianapolis in an off-the-turf sprint before shipping to New York for a trio of local starts. He chased home the victorious Cyclone State in a pair of one-turn mile tests when second in an optional-claimer in December and third in the Jerome on January 4.
He tried new tactics last out as the odds-on favorite when contesting the pace in the aforementioned optional-claimer won by T Kraft and will now look to turn the tables on that foe with leading rider Manny Franco again at the helm.
The $72,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, a half-brother to stakes-winner Reasoned Analysis, is out of the winning Majesticperfection mare We Love Lucy.
No Guts No Glory Farm’s Maryland homebred Do It for Michael [post 4, Kendrick Carmouche, 120 pounds] will make his seasonal debut for trainer John “Jerry” Robb.
The Uncle Lino gelding posted a 5-3-1-0 record last year, topped by a win in the state-bred $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery in October at Laurel Park. The gate-to-wire score in the six-furlong sprint earned a 77 Beyer. He followed with a pacesetting fourth against open company in the James F. Lewis III going the same distance at Laurel to close out his campaign in November.
Do It for Michael has trained into this event with a series of works over the Laurel dirt, including a bullet five-eighths gate breeze in 1:01 flat on March 1.
A compact field includes a pair of recent claims in Saxton [post 5, Katie Davis, 120 pounds], who was haltered for $62,500 from a winning effort last month at Laurel Park by trainer Brittany Russell; and Arcadian [post 3, Eric Cancel, 118 pounds], who was taken for $50,000 by conditioner Gregg Sacco from an off-the-board finish in a local optional-claimer on Valentine’s Day.
The Jimmy Winkfield, which is slated as Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race card, is named in honor of the last Black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. Winkfield, a Hall of Famer, won the Run for the Roses back-to-back with His Eminence in 1901 and with Alan-a-Dale in 1902. The Jimmy Winkfield was previously known as the Best Turn from 1985 to 2004. First post on Saturday is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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