Gulfstream Park: So Many Ways starting her year

Barbara D. Livingston

So Many Ways has been training for her return at Palm Meadows, where she worked a bullet half-mile in 47.60 seconds on Feb. 14.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – So Many Ways, an undefeated Grade 1 winner who was conspicuous by her absence from last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, will get her 3-year-old campaign off and running when she returns at 6 1/2 furlongs in Friday’s $70,000 Primal Force overnight stakes at Gulfstream Park.

So Many Ways was perfect in three starts for owner Maggi Moss and trainer Anthony Dutrow during an abbreviated 2-year-old campaign that ended following her convincing 2 1/2-length victory over Sweet Shirley Mae in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Spinaway.

“Maggi thought her filly had done enough after the Spinaway and didn’t want to pursue anything further than Saratoga,” said Dutrow. “Had the Breeders’ Cup been on the East Coast it might have made things different. I don’t know if she would have continued forward or not. But because it was in California, it was an easy decision for Maggi to make.”

So Many Ways has been training for her return at Palm Meadows, where she has recorded six works dating back to Jan. 14, including a bullet half-mile in 47.60 seconds on Feb. 14.

“We’re over the moon with her, I really could not be happier with her at the moment,” enthused Dutrow. “I think she’s very close to being ready for her top performance right off the bat.”

Dutrow said neither he nor Moss have picked out anything specific for So Many Ways’ next start, although he said it would definitely be around two turns.

“Maggi and I have not touched on where she’ll run next. She’s declined to discuss it until she sees her horse run Friday,” said Dutrow. “But after this one, we are definitely thinking about two turns. We’ll be ready to make that move at that point. I’m sure we’ll see her back around the end of March or first of April either in something here, Oaklawn, the Fair Grounds, or maybe even New York.”

So Many Ways could have her work cut out to keep her record unblemished in the Primal Force, with her competition to include Fusaichiswonderful, a Group 1 winner in Puerto Rico at 2, stakes winner Vitameta, and the graded stakes-placed Pow Wow Wow.

Fusaichiswonderful was undefeated and untested in five starts at 2 in Puerto Rico before being transferred to trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn for her 3-year-old campaign. A daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus, she has made one start in the United States, finishing fourth after a wide trip behind her odds-on stablemate Kauai Katie in the Grade 2 Forward Gal on Jan. 26.

Vitameta has been freshened since winning the seven-furlong Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 12 in her 3-year-old debut. A homebred daughter of Street Sense, owned by Arindel Farm and trained by David Fawkes, she has won 3 of 5 starts and was also second when she was narrowly defeated by Cor Cor in Tampa’s Sandpiper.

Pow Wow Wow prompted the pace before fading to finish third, a half-length in front of Fusaichiswonderful, in the Forward Gal. Pow Wow Wow also finished a distant second behind Live Lively, winner of the Grade 2 Davona Dale here last weekend, in her only other start at 3.

Carolinaonmymind, Candy Coded Kisses, R Free Roll, and Crumb complete the field.