Bank Sting earns graded stakes start
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer John Terranova is weighing a graded stakes opportunity for Bank Sting after the New York-bred won the $150,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational on March 6, her third consecutive stakes victory.
Terranova said Bank Sting, who is 7 for 9 overall, would be nominated to the Grade 3,$150,000 Distaff on April 9. If he feels that race is too close back or the race is coming up too strong, he could wait for the Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian going a mile at Belmont Park on May 8.
“It’d be nice to give her a shot at a graded stakes,” Terranova said Friday. “She came out of the race really well.”
Terranova had Bank Sting entered in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher Stakes last July at Monmouth Park. The filly acted up pre-race and was scratched after a gate mishap. She was off for the remainder of the summer. After finishing fifth in the Empire Distaff, Bank Sting won a pair of restricted stakes before taking the Heavenly Prize, earning a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
◗ Sail By, winner of last year’s Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes, is targeting the $100,000 Memories of Silver Stakes here on April 24 for her 3-year-old debut. Sail By has worked twice at Belmont for trainer Leah Gyarmati. She had previously worked three times on the farm before rejoining Gyarmati.