Sunday Girl seeks title defense in the $150K John Hettinger as Aqueduct Racetrack serves up its final stakes
Mitre Box Stable, Clear Stars Stable and Eighth Note Stable’s Sunday Girl seeks a title defense in Closing Day Sunday’s $150,000 John Hettinger, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont at the Big A.
Live racing will cease at Aqueduct Racetrack following Sunday’s nine-race program, which kicks off at 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Thus, the 18th running of the John Hettinger [Race 8] will go down as the last stakes race contested at the historic South Ozone Park oval that opened on September 27, 1894.
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will say farewell to Aqueduct Racetrack with a memorable Closing Weekend celebration on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. For a full listing of onsite activities and to order tickets in advance, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/visit/farewell/. Not only does Sunday’s card cap the Big A’s storied run, but it also concludes the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet.
Following the conclusion of live racing on June 28, Aqueduct Racetrack will remain open for simulcasting through Monday, September 7.
Sunday Girl, trained by David Duggan, won this event last year when making her turf debut. Piloted by returning rider Katie Davis, the 5-year-old Central Banker chestnut broke alertly, set the pace and opened up through five-eighths in 56.21 seconds over the firm turf, holding off Silver Skillet by 2 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:07.76.
Sunday Girl exited to make her lone other turf start, finishing seventh when traveling farther off-the-pace than usual in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Smart and Fancy in August at Saratoga Race Course. Her other 13 starts were on dirt, including local wins in the 2024 NYSSS Park Avenue and last year’s six-furlong Correction versus open company, which was part of a four-race win streak capped by the Hettinger.
“I think she handles this surface,” Duggan said. “There was an excuse for the other turf race last year at Saratoga, so that’s basically a throw-out race. I think she handles turf, it is not an issue.”
After the Smart and Fancy, Sunday Girl made four more starts last year, including a 2 1/2-length fourth to Sterling Silver in the state-bred Iroquois in October here which earned a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure. She has made one outing this year, a 4 1/2-length second to returning rival With the Angels when attempting a title defense in the Correction on March 1.
Sunday Girl worked four times over the Belmont Park dirt training track towards the Hettinger, including a bullet half-mile in 47.42 seconds on June 14 and a three-furlong move in 37.21 on June 22.
“Her last works have been exceptionally good,” Duggan said. “She worked 47 and change, that was basically the tightener and then this week was just the maintenance.”
Sunday Girl [post 9, Katie Davis] has made 11-of-15 starts at Aqueduct Racetrack, and Duggan said this one feels special.
“This track has different memories for everybody,” Duggan said. “It has been very good to me, and I’m sure people will echo that. My biggest memory there was Drafted, who won the 2022 Toboggan. That was on a high profile day, but every win over there is special. We’ve had good days and bad days there, but Drafted would be a standout moment. Hopefully bigger and better things over here [at Belmont Park], I never dwell on the past, let’s look forward to the future.”
Bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and Spruce Lane Farm, Sunday Girl, a $100,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, is a full-sister to stakes-winner Sunday Boy out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Lady Daphne. Her second dam is stakes-winner Littlebitabling, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Too Much Bling, as well as multiple stakes-winners Ready for Roses and Barnsy.
The final stakes at the Big A would not be complete without a presence from the barn of trainer Linda Rice, who has won 12 of the last 17 meet training titles here, propelling her to overall leading trainer honors in 2023 and 2025 on the NYRA circuit.
Rice sends out Winning Move Stable, John Oxley, Lady Sheila Stable, Silverwood Stables and Sanford Robbins’ With the Angels [post 4, Jose Lezcano] to make her turf debut.
The 4-year-old Omaha Beach dark bay finished outside of the exacta for the first time in her tenth overall start last out in the Grade 3 Vagrancy sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs over dirt on May 3 here. She entered from a 2-for-2 start to her year including the Correction over Sunday Girl, and now tries the lawn.
“This is a New York-bred stakes, which is a good spot. Obviously, this is experimental with her,” Rice said. “She’s never run on turf before, but Omaha Beaches have done very well on the grass, so we thought this was a reasonable idea.”
With the Angels was the 2024 New York-bred Champion 2-Year-Old Filly thanks to a trio of state-bred stakes scores here among a 5-for-5 start to her career. She has raced at Aqueduct in all but her winning debut in August 2024 at Saratoga.
“Aqueduct has been very good to us,” said Rice. “I’ll be sad to see it go, but we’ll look forward to moving on to the new Belmont in the fall.”
Bred by Joseph DeRico, With the Angels was a $350,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the winning Pulpit mare Sister Margaret, who also produced stakes-placed Maggy’s Palace. Her second dam is the multiple stakes-winning Disco Rico mare Dance Gal Dance, who won 6-of-9 starts led by four New York-bred stakes wins.
Richie Rich Racing Stable’s Sweet Brown Sugar [post 8, Dylan Davis] made her turf debut when a neck second last out over course and distance on May 17 in an open-company optional claimer and her 18th career outing. The 5-year-old Collected bay was making just her second start for trainer Rob Atras after a multiple stakes-winning tenure for conditioner Paul Barrow, her wins at the stakes-level ranging from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.
Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Sweet Brown Sugar, a $32,000 purchase at the 2023 OBS June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, is out of the winning Bodemeister mare Rachel’s Blue Moon and her second dam is Grade 1-placed Beautiful But Blue. She has hit the board in 16-of-18 lifetime outings through an 18-8-5-3 record with $404,760 in earnings.
Rounding out the field are a pair for trainer Amelia Green of stakes-winner Soloshot [post 1, Jaime Rodriguez] and barn newcomer Highway Harmony [post 6, Edgard Zayas]; stakes-winners Spinning Colors [post 3, Reylu Gutierrez] for conditioner Mark Hennig and Mz Big Bucks [post 2, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Michelle Nevin; Silsbee [post 5, Manny Franco] for trainer George Weaver; and Blossoming Erudite [post 7, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] making her first start for trainer Joe Sharp.
Bam’s Bliss Kiss is entered for the main track-only.
America’s Day at the Races presents live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
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