Aye a Song faces males again in West Virginia Futurity
Aye a Song lost a heartbreaker in the Tri-State Futurity, missing by a neck and suffering the first loss of her four-race career. She’ll be a heavy favorite to make amends Saturday night at Charles Town in the $50,000 West Virginia Futurity.
Aye a Song, bred, owned, and trained by John McKee, is one of four fillies in the seven-horse West Virginia Futurity. She began her career with a maiden win in June at Charles Town, then won the Rachel’s Turn and the Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders’ Classic. She sprinted clear in the seven-furlong Tri-State Futurity but was joined from the outside by the favored Bullets Fever, a colt, leaving the half-mile pole. The two went head and head to deep stretch before Bullets Fever inched ahead.
With Bullets Fever not in Saturday’s field, Aye a Song should be very tough in the seven-furlong Futurity. Her regular rider, Christian Hiraldo, will be aboard.
Both Aye a Sing and Bullets Fever were sired by Fiber Sonde, a 10-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song who stood for $1,000 this year at Beau Ridge Farm in Kearneysville, W.Va., which stands four stallions.
Charitableprincess comes into the Futurity off a 5 1/2-length maiden win at Charles Town and is the likely second choice. Trained by James W. Casey, Charitableprincess has improved in each of her three starts but will need to take another step forward here. Antonio Lopez rides.
Laurel: Youth vs. experience
The second-level optional-claiming feature for fillies and mares at Laurel Park on Saturday matches two 3-year-olds who have spent much of the year on the sidelines and two veteran runners who are searching for their form of old.
E Dubai’s Humor and Rocky Policy started their careers with two wins each last year. E Dubai’s Humor then finished second in the Smart Halo Stakes last November. She didn’t race again until two weeks ago, when she showed early speed in an optional-claiming turf sprint before weakening to finish seventh.
Rocky Policy, owned and trained by Robert Leaf Jr., finished second, beaten a neck, in the Maryland Million Lassie while making her third career start in October 2014. She started twice more before being given a lengthy break.
E Dubai’s Humor, trained by Donald Barr, will return to the main track in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint and is especially dangerous because of her good early speed.
Eddy Gourmet and Classy Coco are both 5. Eddy Gourmet won the Conniver Stakes at Laurel by 7 3/4 lengths in March but has been off the board in her last two starts. Trainer Hugh McMahon is dropping her in class here and has entered her for the optional $32,000 claiming price.
Classy Coco won the 2014 Maryland Million Distaff but is winless since. She finished seventh in this year’s Distaff and has since been transferred to trainer Mike Trombetta.