After nearly a year off, Social Fortress returns for new barn in Weather Vane
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Social Fortress will make her long-awaited 3-year-old debut for new trainer Guadalupe Preciado in the $100,000 Weather Vane Stakes on Saturday at Laurel Park. The front-running filly is leaping right back into stakes company off a layoff of nearly one year.
“She looks like she’s ready to go,” Preciado said. “We’re going to see what we’ve got.”
In three starts for Jamie Ness last year, Social Fortress quickly established herself as a juvenile filly to watch. After an 11-length maiden victory at Delaware Park, she took a similarly commanding early lead in her stakes debut and kicked away to win the $200,000 Sorority at Monmouth Park by seven lengths. She made her final start as the 4-1 third choice in the Grade 1 Frizette at Saratoga, where she finished third behind runaway winner Scottish Lassie.
After taking the winter off and briefly returning to training in March, Social Fortress did not appear again until Preciado began training her at Parx Racing in July. She has not missed a step since and has been working phenomenally well ahead of her return, most recently completing five furlongs in 58.40 seconds on Sept. 12.
“She’s got a lot of speed,” Preciado said. “I think she can be close to the pace, any way she wants it. One thing about her is that she’s fast.”
Preciado said that he was not concerned about the far outside post in the six-furlong Weather Vane on Saturday, but a few scratches will likely help his filly regardless. Todd Pletcher said that he will not run the maiden Endorse, while Lou Linder Jr. said that he intends to keep Volleyballprincess at Parx for the $150,000 Liberty Bell on Saturday.
Brittany Russell has the only two last-out winners in the field of eight 3-year-old fillies and could break through with either lightly raced contender.
Maida will make her stakes debut after commanding victories at Laurel and Delaware in her last two starts. A fourth-place finish in a muddy debut at Pimlico is the only blemish on her three-race record, and Sheldon Russell will return to ride her for the first time since her 9 1/2-length maiden victory in June.
Brittany Russell’s other filly, Conquerthosewecan, wilted on the front end in the $125,000 Miss Disco at Colonial Downs, but she returned to allowance company in August and earned a career-best 82 Beyer Speed Figure. Jevian Toledo will regain the mount after riding her twice in her juvenile season.
G W’s Girl, a filly trained by Greg Compton, will make her second start off a short layoff in search of improved form. While most of the contenders will likely run on or near the lead, her stalking style could give her an advantage if she can run back to her sharpest performances. After two impressive stakes victories at Oaklawn Park to kick off her 3-year-old campaign, she struggled in graded stakes attempts at Keeneland and Pimlico in the spring and finished third by 8 3/4 lengths in $100,000 Tyson Gilpin at Colonial last month.
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