Aqueduct notes: Princess of Sylmar eyes Gazelle as fifth win in a row

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Todd Pletcher has a pretty strong hand for the Kentucky Oaks with Dreaming of Julia, Unlimited Budget, and Silsita.

Saturday, Princess of Sylmar could earn her spot in the Oaks in the Grade 2, $250,000 Gazelle Stakes at 1 1/8 miles.

Princess of Sylmar has won four consecutive races by a combined 38 3/4 lengths. She won the Busanda by 7 1/2 lengths and the Busher by seven lengths.

She will break from post 6 in this six-horse field that includes Walkwithapurpose, who brings a five-race winning streak into the Gazelle. Walkwithapurprose will break from the rail under Jeremy Rose.

Close Hatches and Watrugonnadorosie, both trained by Bill Mott, Red Hot Tweet and Let Me Entertain U, complete the field.

Clearly Now, Maleeh top Bay Shore

Clearly Now, winner of the Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream last out and Maleeh, dominant winner of the Fred “Cappy” Capossela, top the field of nine entered in the Grade 3, $250,000 Bay Shore Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on Saturday.

The Swale was the first sprint start on dirt for Clearly Now, who had made his first three starts on synthetic before finishing third behind Itsmyluckyday in the Holy Bull going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream on Jan. 26.

He will break from post 8 under Javier Castellano.

Maleeh has won both his starts over the inner track and upset the heavily favored Clawback in the Capossela. Clawback is back in this field and will likely have to use his speed from the rail.

Honorable Dillon cuts back in distance after finishing seventh behind Verrazano in the Tampa Bay Derby. Two starts back, he won the Grade 2 Hutcheson at seven furlongs at Gulfstream.

Retreive, Salutos Amigos, Declans Warrior, The Truth and K G, and Silver Morgan complete the field.

Dubai runners return to N.Y.

With the notable exception of Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom, several U.S.-based runners who participated on last Saturday’s World Cup card returned to New York on Wednesday.

Royal Delta, who finished 10th in the World Cup, Trinniberg, 11th in the Golden Shaheen, and Varsity, sixth in the Al Quoz Sprint, were bedded down in the receiving barn at Belmont where they must spend two days in quarantine.

Royal Delta and Varsity will remain in New York while Trinniberg is scheduled to van to Calder on Sunday, according to Bisnath Parboo, who was at Belmont Wednesday morning.

Alpha, the 2012 Travers dead-heat winner, and Fortify, runner-up in the Hopeful and third in the Champagne, also came to New York for Godolphin Stable.