Addition of blinkers has been big help for Where's My Ring

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Where’s My Ring hopes to find her first career victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct.

Winless in seven starts, Where’s My Ring is coming off a second-place finish to the unbeaten Kinza in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes on March 9 at Santa Anita. Entered in last Saturday’s Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn, Where’s My Ring was scratched as her connections, including trainer Val Brinkerhoff, believed the Gazelle might be an easier spot to obtain qualifying points to the May 3 Kentucky Oaks. The Gazelle offers its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10) qualifying points to the May 3 Kentucky Oaks, which is limited to 14 starters.

Brinkerhoff also likes the 1 1/8 miles of the Gazelle over the 1 1/16 miles of the Fantasy.

“She acts like she wants to run a little farther,” Brinkerhoff said.

Where’s My Ring’s last two races, including a half-length defeat to Ultimate Authority in a one-mile allowance race, have been her best efforts and have come since Brinkerhoff equipped the daughter of Candy Ride with blinkers.

“She gets a little better positioning during the race,” Brinkerhoff said. “Before, she didn’t break good, always behind, got in trouble, just always in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Jose Lezcano rides Where’s My Ring from the rail.

Life Talk, who ran fourth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies – Where’s My Ring finished eighth – ended her 2-year-old campaign with a victory in the Grade 2 Demoiselle, like the Gazelle, a 1 1/8-mile race at Aqueduct.

Sent off the 2-5 favorite in the Suncoast Stakes on Feb. 10 at Tampa, Life Talk was in contention until the three-eighths pole before backing up to last.

Trainer Todd Pletcher didn’t have a satisfactory explanation for the result, but is adding blinkers to Life Talk’s equipment and bringing her back to Aqueduct.

Pletcher acknowledged that Life Talk’s front-running Demoiselle victory came over a speed-favoring track.

“She did what we asked her to do; hoping getting back there is what she’s looking for,” Pletcher said.

Trainer Brad Cox has the pair of Gin Gin and Barbratina in the Gazelle. Gin Gin won the Busanda here at 1 1/8 miles in January before finishing third behind Jody’s Pride in the one-mile Busher on March 2.

Barbratina returns to dirt after two tries over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface, including a runner-up finish behind Maxisuperfly in the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes.

Carmelina won the Gin Talking Stakes at Laurel in December and was second to Jody’s Pride in the one-mile Busher here March 2. Trainer Butch Reid said the 1 1/8 miles may be “the outer reaches” as far as distance goes, so running here is a bit of an experiment.

“I always thought speed could be dangerous first time around two turns, going a mile and an eighth, so we’ll give it a shot,” Reid said.

Regulatory Risk did not care for the sloppy track when she finished fifth in the Busher, trainer Chad Brown said.

“She’s better than that,” Brown said. “The jury’s still out how much quality is there. She trains like she’s a quality horse. I need her to step up in race like this. Win or lose, put in a competitive effort in there.”

Whocouldaskformo, Princess Vino, Six Pack Senorita, and Munny Grab complete the 10-horse field.

Bay Shore

Maximus Meridius, fourth in the Grade 3 Gotham, will be looking for a different type of trip when he cuts back to seven furlongs in the $150,000 Bay Shore Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.

Maximus Meridius found himself dueling on the lead in the Gotham and ultimately giving way to finish fourth, beaten 4 3/4 lengths behind Deterministic, who is likely the favorite in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial later on Saturday’s card.

Reid said having the rail in the Gotham forced jockey Mychel Sanchez “to send him out of there. . . . He made the lead and he kind of waited on horses. Mikey likes him a lot better if he has something in front of him to keep his attention and give him something to chase after.”

Reid said he is opening up the blinkers a little more on Maximus Meridius to make him a little more aware of what’s happening around him.

Maximus Meridius breaks from post 4.

Classic Joke, Shea D World, and Ridgewood Runner figure to be forward factors in the race.

Proprietary Trade was a front-running winner of a maiden race in the mud March 7, a much-improved effort from his fifth-place finish in a maiden at Gulfstream.

“He didn’t handle Gulfstream at all. He ran to his works the second time I ran him,” said Brown, who also runs Reasoned Analysis, a maiden winner going a one-turn mile here Feb. 25 in his third career start.

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Eliminate, trained by Todd Pletcher, was an off-the-pace winner of a maiden race here in February before finishing ninth of 11 in the slop in the Gotham.

Distaff

Fingal’s Cave, who has won 5 of 6 career starts, and Hot Fudge, who has won her last five starts, head a small but competitive field in the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Stakes for females at seven furlongs.

Fingal’s Cave, a New York-bred daughter of Carpe Diem, came off a 432-day layoff to win the Bay Ridge Stakes for statebreds on Dec. 28. Not wanting to train through the winter in New York, the decision was made to send Fingal’s Cave to the farm for a few months before re-engaging this spring. Thus, she enters this spot off a 100-day layoff.

“If she could run like that at a mile the way she ran that day – we were obviously really happy about it – I have no concerns about this,” trainer David Donk said. “She’s had some nice breezes. She’s fit enough, that’s for sure. I think it’s a question of we need to find out how good she is.”

Hot Fudge began her winning streak in June but was given several months off because trainer Linda Rice didn’t like the way she was training.

The time off did Hot Fudge well as she’s won all four starts off the layoff, including the Garland of Roses, Interborough, and Correction stakes.

Rice also sends out Ain’t Broke, who has won four of her last five starts.

Apple Picker, winner of the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie; Royal Poppy, a recent allowance winner; and Shidabhuti, the 2023 Busher winner, complete the field.

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