Mother Friendly Memorial
A field of six three-year-old fillies will head to the post in this week’s D.C. feature, the 1 3/16 miles Mother Friendly Memorial. The race commemorates retired mare Mother Friendly, who won the 2000 edition of the Florida BB Sprint Championship (Grade II) as well as six listed stakes races. Despite the relatively small size of the field, the race should be a good one. Every filly running deserves to be in the race and could pull off a win under the right circumstances. 1 – The amazingly consistent Lucera (7/2) started off her career with a win on turf and performed well in her subsequent starts on the same surface, finishing second in allowance company four times in a row. Last month she tried dirt for the first time and relished the change, winning easily and surpassing her previous best speed figure by a considerable margin. She should be a tough competitor now that she’s running on her preferred surface. 2 – Chalina (7/2) has plenty of talent and her record proves it: In ten starts, she has finished off the board only once. Only one other filly in the race (Banjo Attack) has gone as fast as her. She regressed a bit in the Virgin Bubble Challenge last time out, but still held on for second. If she runs to the best of her ability there’s no question she can win Saturday. 3 – With a whopping seventeen starts, Their Pegasus (2/1) is by far the most experienced filly in the race. She has three stakes victories to her credit, but has struggled when facing graded company, most recently in the Grade III Jockey Guild Stakes. She looks evenly matched against the rest of the Mother Friendly field and should be in the mix. 4 – Final Pairing (5/2) is well primed to make this start her first stakes placement or even stakes win. Although it took her four tries to break her maiden, she had a sparkling allowance debut in early March and has never run below a 90 speed figure since then. She also has the services of L. Jenkins, D.C.’s top jockey. 5 – The longest shot on the board, Heart of Sorrow (8/1) had a solid but not spectacular career as a turf runner. Much like Lucera, she woke up after a change to dirt. If she maintains her previous dirt form, she could hit the board here, but she’ll need to take it up a notch to win. 6 – Banjo Attack (7/1) shares the highest career speed figure in the field with Chalina, but unfortunately this caliber effort from her appears to be the exception and not the rule. Low-ranked rider T. Howard may hinder her. My picks: 1 (Lucera) – 4 (Final Pairing) – 2 (Chalina)