Shilling cuts back in $135K Ruthless
Fern Circle Stables’ Shilling is already a stakes-winner around one-turn at Aqueduct Racetrack, and cuts back from nine furlongs to seven furlongs in Saturday’s $135,000 Ruthless for sophomore fillies.
Trained by Ken McPeek, Shilling captured the Big A’s Listed Tempted traveling one mile two starts back on November 6, setting a pressured pace early through splits of 23.18 seconds and 47.30 under returning rider Chris Elliott before shaking off her rivals and extending her margin to 4 1/2 lengths at the stretch call. She kept on willingly in the lane to cross the wire four lengths in front of Believable in a final time of 1:38.45, earning a 65 Beyer Speed Figure in victory.
McPeek said Shilling has thrived in New York, where her day-to-day training is overseen by assistant trainer and multiple Grade 1-winner Jimmy Jerkens.
“She’s been a total pro, and most of the time I would bring a horse like her south, but she’s been in a good rhythm and routine there in New York with Jimmy,” McPeek said. “I decided to leave her there because it seems like these races are lining up for her. This race in particular is ideal.”
Last out, the daughter of Global Campaign stretched out to nine furlongs for her first try against graded company in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 6. There, she set the pace under Elliott after being bumped at the start, and was overtaken in the turn before weakening to finish fourth, 12 1/4 lengths back of the victorious Zany.
Shilling had been entered in the one-turn mile Busanda on January 3 here, but scratched the day of due to a small cut on her leg that was inflamed.
“She had a little puncture and some inflammation from it, so she couldn’t run with that, but I think she would have been competitive in that spot if she had been able to run,” McPeek said. “I think the seven-eighths here is a good distance for her.”
Shilling graduated at second asking and earned a field-best 76 Beyer with a wire-to-wire trip over course and distance in an October maiden tilt, where next-out winner Britain finished third. The $105,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the winning Exchange Rate mare Pounds to Pennies.
Elliott returns to the irons from post 4.
Titletown Racing Stables’ Kentucky homebred Interstatelovesong [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] steps up to stakes company off a strong graduation at second asking on December 26 here for trainer Tom Morley.
The daughter of Bolt d’Oro led at every point of call under returning rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint, shaking off early pressure from longshot Call Me Jal to bound clear at the stretch call and win by five lengths in a final time of 1:19.87. She was awarded a 69 Beyer, a seven-point improvement from her seven-furlong debut second to Britain in November.
“She’s a big filly, and my only concern is, what did she beat last time,” Morley said. “She was 2-5 there, and I think she ran in an OK maiden the first time, but she’s a big girl and she’ll improve with every race.”
Interstatelovesong returned to the work tab on January 15 at Belmont Park, covering a half-mile in 49 seconds flat over the training track in company with stakes-placed 4-year-old Paula’s a Star. She followed with a similar move on Thursday when covering the distance in 49.77.
“She’s had two works since her last race and worked with Paula’s a Star last week and worked with an unraced 3-year-old filly [on Thursday],” Morley said. “She’s a very straightforward filly and we’re just trying to keep her ticking over. Hopefully, she can get some black type. Her weight’s great, she’s eating really well and moving well, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”
A $90,000 RNA at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Interstatelovesong is a full-sister to stakes-placed Navy Man and is out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Gentle Humor. Her second dam is multiple graded stakes-winner Be Gentle.
EGL-One Racing’s stakes-placed Two Bits [post 6, Jaime Rodriguez] was last seen finishing a distant second to Dazzling Dame in the Busanda, where she made a rally from last-of-5 but proved no match for the runaway winner. She was awarded a 72 Beyer for the effort, as well as 10 qualifying points for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.
Trained by Amelia Green, the American Pharoah bay graduated two starts back at fourth asking with a 1 3/4-length score over next-out winner Three Sixty in a one-turn mile maiden here. She was previously off-the-board in her other efforts, including a fourth to Dazzling Dame in the one-mile White Clay Creek around two turns in October at Delaware Park.
The $75,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the winning Bernardini mare Spare Change, who also produced Grade 3-placed winners Storie Blue and Roman Centurian.
Green also entered Lucky Hat Racing’s Ivy Girl [post 5, Jose Gomez] on the back of a well-beaten sixth in the Demoiselle. The Maxfield bay graduated two starts back in a $40,000 maiden claiming tilt around a one-turn mile here in November and has made each of her three starts at one mile and over.
Trainer Louis Linder, Jr. has entered a pair of contenders in last-out maiden-winner Courage On Tap [post 7, Luis Ocasio] and maiden Haunting Echoes [post 1, Angel Rodriguez]. Both fillies are campaigned by BranJam Stables and David W. Clark, who teamed up with Linder, Jr. to win last year’s Ruthless with the North Carolina-bred Volleyballprincess.
Courage On Tap makes her stakes debut off a fifth-out graduation with a stalk-and-pounce victory in a one-mile and 70-yard maiden special weight on December 22 at Parx Racing. There, she made her first start for her current connections after being haltered for $40,000 out of a runner-up effort in October at Parx, and stalked the pace under returning rider Luis Ocasio en route to the 3 3/4-length victory in a final time of 1:47.94.
Haunting Echoes looks to graduate in style off a third in a six-furlong maiden on January 14 at Parx where she raced with blinkers for the first time. The Echo Town bay has finished third in each of her three starts, her closest effort coming in her October debut when beaten 4 1/4 lengths in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint. She is out of the stakes-placed Street Cry mare Silent Street, and her second dam is dual Grade 1-winner Listening.
Completing the field is David Heaton’s Midnite Ginny [post 2, Jose Lezcano], who looks to rebound from a distant fourth to Dazzling Dame in the Busanda in her first start off a four-month respite for trainer Jose Sanchez. The daughter of Cloud Computing was a two-length winner of a 5 1/2-furlong maiden tilt on debut in September at Monmouth Park.
The Ruthless is slated as Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which is headlined by the Listed $200,000 Withers, a 20-10-6-4-2 qualifier for the Kentucky Derby, in Race 9. The card also offers the Listed $150,000 Toboggan in Race 2 and the rescheduled $135,000 Ladies in Race 6. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.
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The $135,000 Ladies, originally scheduled for Saturday, January 17, was twice rescheduled due to inclement weather and was redrawn to be run as Race 6 on Saturday’s card at the Big A. The defections from the original field were Sultry Lass and Quietside, the latter of which was being considered for the Grade 3 Bayakoa on February 7 at Oaklawn Park as of Thursday.
Additions to the field include three-time stakes-winner Bernietakescharge, the last-out winner of the state-bred Bay Ridge on December 28 here for trainer Domenick Schettino; and the stakes-placed Linda Rice-trained Tipple, who arrives from a local fourth in the Listed Turnback the Alarm on November 2.
Leading the field of eight in the nine-furlong route for older fillies and mares is Klaravich Stables’ Weigh the Risks [post 5, Manny Franco], who enters off three straight victories, including two local Listed stakes. Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the 5-year-old Mendelssohn chestnut took the Pumpkin Pie by 1 1/4 lengths on November 8 and was last seen wiring the local Go for Wand by 9 3/4 lengths over the reopposing Scalable on December 13.
The complete field, in post position order, is Bernietakescharge [post 1, Ruben Silvera], Low Country Magic [post 2, Jaime Rodriguez], Ourdaydreaminggirl [post 3, Angel Rodriguez], Scalable [post 4, Kendrick Carmouche], Weigh the Risks [post 5, Manny Franco], Just Katherine [post 6, Sahin Civaci], Curlin’s Girl [post 7, Flavien Prat] and Tipple [post 8, Jose Lezcano].
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