Lady Liberty
The highlight race and only graded stakes on the card for this weekend in New York will be the Lady Liberty (G3). The race will be held over the turf course at six furlongs and is open to three-year-old fillies. The track looks like it will be set as firm for post time on Saturday at 2:45 pm. The race has attracted a field of nine filllies for this year’s running of the Grade III race. Let’s take a look through the contenders.
- BKR Don Six – cocobella1 – V. Townsend – 7/1
Going into the post on the rail, this bay filly is the first of two that will be going to the starting gate on Saturday having already won a graded stakes race. The most recent start for the filly came in Texas during a listed stakes race over six and a half furlongs. The filly broke out of the starting gate of the race and was held just off the pace in second. She would gain the lead briefly midway through the race but be overtaken in the stretch to cross the wire in fourth, setting a speed figure of ninety-two. This speed figure is a lifetime best for the filly. The most recent win for the filly came last July during her two-year-old season during The Young Lady (G2) at seven furlongs in Ireland. She won this race in a fashion, position just off the leader out of the gate, ultimately going on to win the race by a length and three-quarters.
2. Never Sea (IRE) – apindy001 – R. Wisniewski – 5/1
Making her second start in graded company this weekend, the Irish-bred filly is by No Nay Never and most recently started in California during The Red Carpet (G3) over six furlongs. The filly was sent straight to the lead in the race, but lost steam midway through the race to cross the wire fourth with a speed figure of ninety-six, which was a lifetime best for the filly. The most recent win for the filly was in her prior start, a listed stakes race last November during her two-year-old season in a listed stakes race over five furlongs in Spain. The filly was forwardly placed in this race, just off the pace in second, before taking over the lead midway through the race and winning by a length.
3. Pinot Blanco (IRE) – cjt1 – J. Piotrowski – 8/1
Another Irish-bred filly will be in the next gate, with this bay three-year-old making her first started against graded company this weekend. The most recent start for the filly was in a listed stakes race in Norway over a turf track rated as good at five and a half furlongs. The filly was placed just off the pace early on and would maintain her position throughout the race, crossing the wire to finish third with a speed figure of eighty-seven. The filly had her most recent win in the start prior, coming in late January over six furlongs in a listed stakes in Denmark. Once again placed just off the pace, the filly found better footing on the firm turf course and powered forward in the stretch to win the race by a quarter of a length.
4. Deep Tuna (JPN) – gotuna – N. Lawton – 11/1
The longshot of Saturday’s race, despite being the only Grade I winner to enter the starting gate this weekend, will be loading into gate number four. The Japanese-bred filly, sired by Deep Sky, most recently started in the Pie Guys Tipping Stakes (G3) at five and a half furlongs in Minnesota. She was forwardly placed out of the gate and settled just off the pace in second but would fade as the field came into the stretch where she would finish sixth at the wire, setting a speed figure of eighty-nine, which was a lifetime best speed figure for the filly. The most recent win for the filly was in Texas during the Freshwater Sprint (G1) at four and a half furlongs, which she won by a quarter of a length after being rated in third at the start. This race would later launch the filly into last year’s Breeder’s Bowl Juvenile Dirt Sprint (G1) where she would finish fourteenth.
5. Neverrallythestars (IRE) – zkingab31 – B. Scott – 9/2
At the midway point of the field for this weekend, the filly is the second to go to the gate in our race this weekend sired by No Nay Never. The filly will be making her first career start aginst graded company but is, so far in her career, undefeated in five lifetime starts. The most recent start for the filly came in her native Ireland during a six-and-a-half-furlong allowance race which she took impressively in wire-to-wire fashion, winning by two with a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-four. All five of the races under the fillies belt have been won gate to wire. This will also be the fillies first start in the United States, after racing predominately in Ireland.
6. Caring Barbara (JPN) – zbarb7 – G. Skaggs – 5/1
Coming off of four consecutive wins, this Japanese-bred filly will be making her first start against graded company. By Bricks And Mortar, the chestnut filly most recently started in a listed stakes race in Pennsylvania over six furlongs. The filly settled out of the gate in fourth early on and took control of the pace midway through the turf sprint, going on to win the race by a length with a lifetime best speed figure ninety-three. Prior to her first start in listed stakes, the filly had previously won three consecutive allowance races, mostly on the Asian racing circuit.
7. Asgard’s Doom (IRE) – icbomber10 – D. Raymond – 4/1
In the seventh slot, this Irish-bred filly has never finished worse than second in any of her six career starts and is by the Hall of Fame winning and multiple graded producing broodmare Network News. The most recent start for the filly was in California during The Red Carpet (G3) over six furlongs. Out of the starting gate and settling back into four early on the bay filly was urged forward in the stretch but came up just short at the wire, crossing in second, just a quarter of a length off the pace with a speed figure of ninety-nine, which was a lifetime best for the filly. Prior to her graded debut she would win a listed stakes in Ohio over five and a half furlongs and three consecutive allowance races.
8. Ryze Switch (TUR) – utahjazz7 – C. Gerhke – 7/1
Nearing the end of our field for this Saturday, this Turkish-bred filly will be going into gate number eight and will be making her graded stakes debut. The filly has only lost once in her career, a total of seven starts to date. The most recent start for the chestnut filly, who will be making her first start in the western hemisphere this weekend, was in a listed stakes race in England over six furlongs on a track rated as good at post time. The fillly would be held off the pace early in fourth but was let loose midway through the race and went on to win by a length with a speed figure of eighty-seven. Prior to this the filly would win another listed stakes race, this time in Spain over six furlongs, in a similar fashion. Her only loss came in another listed stakes race in England where she finished second.
9. Little Artie Kaine (AUS) – buddydex0 – L. Jenkins – 6/1
In the far outside post and the last in our field for this Saturday, the Australian-bred bay filly will be making her third career start against graded company and the second graded start of this year. Like two of the other runners in this weekend’s field, the filly most recently started in California’s The Red Carpet (G3) at six furlongs. The filly was sent out to be forwardly placed out of the gate, second early on. The filly would be caught by late runners who started making their move midway through the race, to ultimately finish in fifth while setting a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-four. The most recent win for the filly was in her prior start, a listed stakes race in Michigan over five and a half furlongs, which she won by a length. The only other stakes start for the filly came as a two-year-old in The Barbara Memorial (G3) at five and a half furlongs, where she also finished fifth.
Flrancho’s Picks:
Win: Asgard’s Doom (IRE)
Place: Never Sea (IRE)
Show: Little Artie Kaine (AUS)