The Girl Up Front
Wrapping up the week of racing here in Florida, we will have a final graded stakes race to be run on Sunday. This race will be The Girl Up Front (G2) at seven furlongs on the main dirt track. The race, with a purse of $375,000, is set to go off at 11:15 EST and is open to three-year-old fillies. While the weather has been overcast the last few days, it looks like we will have a fast dirt track for Sunday’s race, which has attracted a field of twelve for this years’ running. Let’s take a look at the contenders.
- Candy Two Floss – 73away – N. Armstrong – 5/1
One of our morning line co-favorites will be first to load into the starting gate in post number one. The brown filly will be making her first start with graded company in this race. The three-year-old by Twirling Candy has never finished worse than second in any of her six career starts to date. Most recently the filly started at a mile here in Florida during a listed stakes race. Held just off the pace in fourth for most the race, the filly was let loose in the stretch and went on to win the race by a length while setting a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-eight. This was preceded by two other consecutive wins in allowance races.
2. Chucks Shot – derekcarlson6 – C. Calhoun – 10/1
Next in the gate we will have a local Floridian-bred horse, who will be making her third start against graded company. The most recent start for the bay filly was across the country in California during the Yanta Snez Stakes (G2) at seven furlongs, which went off over a track rated as good. The filly was held off the pace towards the middle of the field in sixth out of the gate, but would finish a well beaten ninth at the wire, setting a speed figure of eighty-nine, equaling a lifetime best for the filly. The most recent win for the filly was during her two-year-old season last August when she won a listed stakes at seven furlongs in New York.
3. Doolittle Doomore – blankpion1 – W. Desantis – 5/1
In the third slot we have the other co-favorite of Sunday’s race who will be making her second start aginst graded company. The chestnut filly by Gunevera most recently started in a listed stakes race in Massachusetts over seven and a half furlongs. Just off the pace early on at the start, the filly took control of the pace in the stretch and went on to win the race by two lengths with a speed figure of ninety-seven. Her only graded start came in August of her two-year-old season during The Iron Deck (G2) at six and a half furlongs. The filly finished just off the board in this race in fourth.
4. Vekoma Town – royalbred – E. Sharp – 13/1
One of the longshorts of the race will be next in post four. The chestnut filly is stepping down to Grade II stakes after her most recent start, which was in the Happy Halloween (G1) at seven and a half furlongs in Vermont. The filly was off towards the rear of the field early on in this race and crossed the wire tenth, though equaling a lifetime best speed figure of eighty-seven and finishing five and a quarter lengths off the pace. Prior to this start, the filly had finished second in the slop during The Motherly Love (G2) at seven furlongs. The fillies most recent win was here in Florida during an allowance race at seven and a half furlongs. The filly put up a winning speed figure of eighty-four for the race.
5. Timetorecyclenames – hillndale – D. Zordich – 6/1
The second filly in the race to come out of the Yanta Snez Stakes (G2), the three-year-old light grey filly will be making her third start in graded company. In her last race, which was set on a good dirt track, the filly was off the pace in sixth early on in the seven furlong race. And though she made up a lot of ground in the stretch, she would cross the wire to finish sixth, though only two and a quarter lengths off the pace and setting a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-six. The most recent win for the filly was in early December of her two-year-old season during a listed stakes race, also over seven furlongs. The filly ran in a similar fashion to the Yanta Snez Stakes, through came home to finish a length in front with a speed figure of ninety-four.
6. Lady Pepper – adventures3 – A. McKellar – 9/1
Making her eighth career start this weekend, the brown filly will be returning to graded stakes company after a step down in class. Her most recent start was in a listed stakes race over six and a half furlongs in Virginia. The filly was held well off the pace at the start of the race and slowly started advancing on the rest of the field midway through the race. She got up to win by a head in the final strides. The most recent graded start for the filly was in her prior start, in the Golden Red Stakes (G2) at a mile and one sixteenth. The filly was more forwardly placed in this race, fourth out of the gate, but would finish eighth at the wire, setting a speed figure of eighty-seven.
7. So Daring – hollyyih – P. Munoz – 6/1
Also making her first graded stakes start like much of the rest of Sunday’s field, this bay filly by Daredevil most recently started in a listed stakes race in Brazil over seven furlongs. The filly led the field gate to wire in the race, winning going away by a length and three-quarters and setting a speed figure of ninety-six. Prior to this the filly had won three other consecutive races, her maiden breaking victory and then two allowance races. With four consectuive wins under her before going to the post this weekend, the connections of the filly are certainly excited for the step up in class.
8. Flexxi Ape – apetheone – J. Happy – 13/1
Another longshot will be sent out towards the middle of the field on Sunday. The Florida-bred filly will be making a big step up in class this weekend as she makes her debut against graded company. The bay filly, after starting her racing career on turf, has found a liking for dirt and made her most recent start in an allowance race here in Florida over seven furlongs. After stalking the pacesetter in second, the filly went on to win the race by a length and a half with a speed figure of ninety, which is a lifetime best for the filly. Prior to this start, the filly won two other consecutive races, both allowances races.
9. Cobra Kais (AUS) – corzak4 – M. McClurg – 10/1
Making her second start over the dirt in her career, the Australian-bred filly most recent started in the Davola Dane South (G3) at a mile here in Florida earlier this month. The filly held ground towards the middle of the pack early on in the race, but would cross the wire eighth in her first dirt race, with a speed figure of eighty-nine, which was a lifetime best. The most recent win for the filly came in a listed stakes race at five and a half furlongs in England which she won by a length after stalking the pace early in third.
10. My Saturday Night – tfon12 – R. Logan – 11/1
Nearing the end of the field, this brown filly is stakes placed and will be making her second start in graded company. The most recent start for the filly by Zong was a listed stakes race in Massachusetts over seven and a half furlongs. The filly was sent out of the gate towards the middle of the field early on, though she gradually started to pick off other runners fairly early. She would cross the wire just two lengths back in second and post a speed figure of ninety-four, which was a lifetime best for the three-year-old. The most recent win for the filly was an allowance race in Vermont at seven furlongs, which she won in wire to wire fashion. Her only graded start came in October of her two-year-old season during The Adam’s Apple (G3) at a mile where she finished tenth.
11. Paige Turnah – beerpong – T. O’Conner – 7/1
The light grey three-year-old is a listed stakes winner and will be running against graded company for the first time as a three-year-old this weekend, after a few attempts at graded races in her two-year-old season. The most recent start for the filly was in a listed stakes race in Idaho over six furlongs. Out of the gate towards the middle of the field in fifth, the filly was quick to make a move on the rest of the field, which brought her a one and a quarter length victory at the wire. She set a speed figure of ninety-four, a lifetime best. Her only two graded starts came as a two-year-old in The Chicago-DC Lassie (G3) and the Butterfly Futurity (G3), in which she finished eighth and sixth respectively.
12. Raven Sable – valesa4 – M. Grunhard – 11/1
Last into the gates on Sunday will be this chestnut filly, who is graded placed and will be making her ninth lifetime start in this race. She has had a step down in class in her most recent starts, the most recent of which was an allowance race over nine furlongs here in Florida. Breaking just off the pace in second, the filly crossed the wire third with a speed figure of eighty-eight. Her only graded stakes start was last year during The Chicago-DC Lassie (G3) at a mile in which the filly crossed the wire third. Her most recent win was her prior start, an allowance race over seven furlongs. The connections of the filly are hoping she will return to her winning ways with the cut back in distance this weekend.
Flrancho’s Picks
Win: Timetorecyclenames
Place: Candy Two Floss
Show: Doolittle Doomore