The Princess Looney
This feature race for this weekend in Florida is The Princess Looney (G1), which will take place Sunday evening. The Grade I event will be held over three-quarters of a mile on the dirt with a scheduled post time of 8:00 PM EST. The race is open to fillies and mares, three years of age and up who will all be in contention for the total prize purse of $750,000. With clear, but overcast skies all week, the fillies and mares will be going over a fast track at post time. The race this year has drawn a total of eleven horses, let’s take a look through the contenders.
- Bordavia (IRE) – fermanaghfarms4 – W. Cahill – 5/1
Coming into the race off of two consecutive wins and drawing the inside rail, this five-year-old bay mare is by Calyx and out of the Grade I winning broodmare Partizan Belgrade, who has produced two graded winners, including this mare. The Irish-bred mare’s most recent start was in Canada this past April in The Oh Henry (G2) at six and a half furlongs. Near last out of the gate at the start, she started to make her move towards the midway point of the race. In the stretch she took over the lead to win by a length while setting a speed figure of one hundred nine. Prior to this she also won an allowance race over the same distance in Ireland over a sloppy dirt course. The mare is also a listed stakes placed over the turf.
2. Hearing Sevens – haskell99 – H. Desitter – 9/1
Looking for her first graded win, the four-year-old daughter of Audible came close in her most recent race. This start came this past April in Kentucky during The Virginia Madison (G2) at seven furlongs. The filly went straight out to the lead out of the gate and held onto to the front running spot until the final furlongs where she was overtaken to finish second, back by one and a quarter lengths and setting a speed figure of one hundred nine, equaling a lifetime best speed figure. The filly also recently finished fourth here in Florida during The Hurricane Ben Handicap (G3) at six and a half furlongs.
3. Noche Magica (GB) – cardshaack2 – J. Seldon – 10/1
Returning to graded company this weekend, this light-grey four-year-old is lightly raced with just ten career starts. By Sea The Moon, the filly is already a Grade I winner. Her most recent start was this past May during a listed stakes race in New York over six and a half furlongs. She came out of the gate and settled just off the pace early, moved into third midway through the race, but then started regressing in the stretch to cross the wire in sixth. She would set a speed figure of one hundred two for the race. Her most recent win was in February during The Rancho Dash (G1) at six furlongs in Pennsylvania. She would be sent to the lead in the race out of the gate and was never headed, going on to win in gate to wire fashion by half a length.
4. High Hrothgar (GB) – simsters19 – E. Cerda – 7/1
After beginning her racing career on the turf, the connections of this five-year-old bay mare found she has a talent for running on the dirt as well late in her three-year-old season. Out of top turf sire Kingman, her dam, Paarthunax, only ran five times, but that did include a win over the dirt. The most recent win for the bay mare was in her most recent start, coming this past April in Japan during The Selurnivek (G1) at five furlongs. The mare took the field from gate to wire in the sprint, winning by a length and a half while setting a speed figure of one hundred five. The race was the mare’s graded stakes debut.
5. Drive To Kentucky – vautour – J. Drozd – 7/1
A scratch bred filly by Fiber Sonde, the four-year-old light grey filly has made fourteen career starts, winning ten of these races and finishing off the board only twice. Her most recent start was in May in Kentucky during The Humane Distaff (G1) at seven furlongs. The filly took off out of the gate sharply and went straight to the lead. She maintained that position until the final furlongs where she was overtaken by late closers to cross the wire in fourth, setting a speed figure of one hundred seven. Her most recent win came in her prior start, an allowance race over the same distance in Maryland which she took in gate to wire fashion.
6. Nuka Sassy (AUS) – xmonster2 – D. Raymond – 8/1
In her third consecutive graded start this weekend, the four-year-old brown filly is by the late Lonhro and out of the listed stakes winning broodmare Sassy Liz. Her most recent start was in Canada during the All The Way May Stakes (G1) over seven furlongs. Off the pace out of the gate in seventh early, she would be urged to make her move midway through the sprint, ultimately going on to cross the wire in third, setting a speed figure of one hundred seven. Her most recent win was in February during a listed stakes race at six furlongs in Kentucky. Facing a smaller field in this race, she set out of the gate towards the middle of the field. She would go on to win the race by a length, setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred twelve.
7. Velo Silver City – xfactor8 – B. Bennington – 21/1
Making the first graded stakes start of her career, this chestnut mare is the oldest in the field at nine years of age. The mare has thirty starts under her belt including twelve wins. After breaking her maiden, she has raced exclusively at the allowance and claiming level. The mare’s most recent race is her first for her new owner after being claimed for a $3,500 tag. This most recent start came in an allowance race in Kentucky over six furlongs. The mare broke out of the gate and settled just off the pace in third. She was overtaken by other runners early in the race, leaving her to finish fifth in the five-horse field. The mare set a speed figure of eighty-seven. Her most recent win came in Iowa during a claiming race with a $15,000 tag over six furlongs. The chestnut mare took the field from gate to wire in the race, winning by a quarter length and setting a more impressive speed figure of one hundred one. She will be going off as the morning line longshot.
8. Wearing Rags – hoosier8 – V. Jennings – 7/1
The five-year-old mare will be making her twentieth career start this weekend. The bay mare most recently started in March in her native Kentucky during the Platinum Filly Sprint (G2) over six furlongs. She came out of the gate in the gate and settled just off the front runner in second. She maintained this position until coming into the stretch and making her move to challenge for the front. She went by the other filly to win by a quarter length, setting a speed figure of one hundred six. This was the mare’s second graded win, the first coming in April of last year during The Oh Henry (G3) at six and a half furlongs in in graded stakes debut.
9. Devil’s Routine – smurf – J. Sands – 15/1
Making her graded stakes debut on Sunday, this five-year-old mare will be making her graded stakes debut. The daughter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is lightly raced with fifteen career starts. The mare is coming into the race off two consecutive wins, the most recent of which was in a listed stakes race in Ohio over five and a half furlongs. The mare was sent out of the gate to settle towards the middle of the pack early. The mare was urged to make her move in the latter stage of the race, just before going into the stretch. She would go on to win by a quarter of a length, setting a speed figure of one hundred three. The race before her listed debut she won an allowance race in Kentucky at six furlongs.
10. Sunset Station – thezoo8 – K. Banner –4/1
Post time favorite and returning to graded company this weekend, the five-year-old roan mare is one of the more experienced runners in Sunday’s field with a total of twenty-eight career starts. Sired by Constitution and out of the HOF and Grade I winning broodmare Clark County, the most recent start for the mare came in a listed stakes race across the country in California over six and a half furlongs. Well off the pace early, the mare started to advance early on the other runners. She was let all the way out down the stretch and went on to just get by at the wire to win by a head, setting a speed figure of one hundred eight. Her most recent graded start was in April during The Bed Of Flowers (G2) at seven furlongs in which she finished sixth.
11. Jack’s Frenzy – fightclub – R. Cerda – 6/1
Last racing in Canada this past May, this four-year-old is a scratch bred sired by War Front. The bay filly will be making her fifteenth career start this weekend. The Kentucky-bred most recently raced in the six furlong All The Way May Stakes (G1) in Ontario. The filly was well off the pace at the start of the race, in ninth out of the gate. Midway through the race she had advanced into fifth place before being let loose in the stretch. The bay filly would come up just short to finish second, off the pace by just three-quarter lengths. The filly set a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred ten for the race. Her most recent win came here in Florida last February during The Hurricane Ben Handicap (G3) at six and a half furlongs. Breaking last out of the gate, the filly ran in the same fashion, though getting the deal done with a quarter length victory.
Flrancho’s Picks:
Win: Jack’s Frenzy
Place: Hearing Sevens
Show: Drive To Kentucky