Aqueduct: Martin liking new filly's chances

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Five evenly matched fillies and mares square off at Aqueduct in Thursday’s $75,000 Break Through overnight stakes at six furlongs.

Carlos Martin will have the strength-in-numbers angle working in his favor, as the Brooklyn-born trainer sends out the uncoupled duo of D’princess and Promise Me a Cat.

Last year, D’princess ran at six tracks in California before closing out a 12-race campaign with stops at Turf Paradise and the Fair Grounds. When she resurfaced at Gulfstream to win a $25,000 optional claimer in pace-pressing style, Martin claimed her for new client Gregory Schwartz.

“I’ve only had her a few weeks, but she seems like a nice, hard-knocking filly,” he said. “Her numbers are competitive, so we thought it was worth a shot to take a look at this race.”

After reaffirming a dislike of sealed wet tracks in the Langhorne Stakes at Parx Racing nine days ago, Promise Me a Cat comes back quickly and returns to the Big A’s main track, where she won twice from as many starts in 2012.

“She got third just on class, because she just spun her wheels and never really picked up her feet,” said Martin. “She won here last year around this time, and we’re looking forward to getting her back on a fast track.”

The most accomplished entrant is Singlet, who counts four stakes among six career victories for Tony Dutrow, including the Garland of Roses here last fall and the Ruby Rubles last time out.

Singlet, who totes 123 pounds and gives five pounds to all, makes full use of the conditions, which restrict entry to those who have never won a stakes or who have started for a claiming price. Singlet ran once for a claiming price – when she won her debut at Saratoga in a $150,000 maiden claimer.

Well Kept posted two second-place finishes at the winter meet, including a decision over Promise Me a Cat. This Leah Gyarmati-trained filly was in tough last time against the unbeaten Cluster of Stars.

Burban makes her second start off a layoff for Eddie Kenneally, and gets some class relief after flattening out in the recent Grade 2 Inside Information at Gulfstream – her first start since back-to-back allowance wins at Churchill Downs last May.

Before the Inside Information, the only filly to have finished in front of Burban was champion sprinter Groupie Doll.