All fillies a factor in Cicada

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct drew only a field of five 3-year-old fillies, but none are dismissed easily.

Three of the five are stakes winners, including Cofactor, who won the Smart Halo Stakes at Laurel last November. Cofactor does have to rebound from a disappointing result in the Gin Talking Stakes last December, also at Laurel, where she seemed to be tugging hard early at her rider and was basically finished at the five-sixteenths pole.

“Not the best of trips,” trainer Kelly Breen said, “but she’s ready.”

Cofactor, a daughter of The Factor, has won at Monmouth, Keeneland, and Laurel. She has won from on and off the pace. She will break from post 3 Saturday under Dylan Davis.

“She’s shown versatility to come from off the pace a little bit,” Breen said. “I thought she was going to be a speed-oriented horse. There is some speed in this race. We should be able to sit.”

Two Sixty, a daughter of Uncaptured trained by Mark Casse for Gary Barber, also has shown versatility, winning stakes around one turn and two turns. Like Cofactor, she is coming off a disappointing race, finishing fifth in the Suncoast Stakes on Feb. 8 at Tampa. The Suncoast was run at a mile and 40 yards.

“I know she won the one big race going long,” said Casse, referring to the My Dear Girl Stakes at Gulfstream Park last fall, “but I think she’s probably a little better sprinter.”

Two Sixty, who won the Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs going seven furlongs, breaks from post 2.

Spanish Point ships in from Florida, where she won the House Party Stakes on Nov. 30 at Gulfstream Park before finishing third in the Glitter Woman on Jan. 4. In the Glitter Woman, Spanish Point raced three wide and was under the whip by the top of the stretch.

“I thought she still put up a good effort to get a piece of it and she definitely gained some racing experience, which should benefit her going forward,’’ trainer Jorge Abreu told NYRA publicity.

Spanish Point will break from the rail under Manny Franco.

Miss Marissa is turning back to six furlongs after finishing fourth in the Wide Country Stakes going seven furlongs on Feb. 15 at Laurel. In her only previous start at six furlongs, Miss Marissa finished second to British Idiom, the eventual 2-year-old filly champion, in a maiden race at Saratoga.

Trainer Jim Ryerson is hoping that cutting back to six furlongs “will sharpen her up a little bit.”

Eric Cancel rides Miss Marissa from post 4.

Ilchester Cheetah has won five races for trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer, including an allowance race here Feb. 21.

She is most productive when racing on the front end. She will break from post 5 under Jose Lezcano.

The Cicada is carded as the third race on Saturday’s nine-race card that begins at 1:30 p.m.