Barboza looks to break through with Majestic Lucia in Cathryn Sophia
:quality(75))
Majestic Lucia finished a distant fourth in her last two starts in graded stakes company, but Victor Barboza Jr. is not done testing his 3-year-old filly. The Florida-bred will return from a short break in the $200,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes on Tuesday at Parx Racing.
“At Laurel, good race,” Barboza said Thursday. “At Delaware, good race. At Tampa, good race. At Gulfstream, good race. I have confidence in her at Parx next Tuesday.”
Just as the co-featured $200,000 Smarty Jones serves as the local prep for the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby next month, the Cathryn Sophia is often the final stop before the Grade 1 Cotillion for 3-year-old fillies. Last year, Dry Powder won the prep before finishing second by a neck in the $1 million race.
Coming off a distant fourth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Laurel, Barboza entered Majestic Lucia in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks in June, only for her to finish fourth again by 11 1/2 lengths.
Barboza relented after the second disappointing effort, giving his filly several months to recover and train. He did not lose confidence, however, and since returning to training at Monmouth Park in early July, Majestic Lucia has had several sharp works. She was entered in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on July 25, but Barboza scratched in favor of the Cathryn Sophia, which will be run at a mile and 70 yards.
“I preferred to wait for the race at Parx,” Barboza said. “I think, for my filly, it’s much better to run a mile and 70 yards around two turns. It’s the first experience at the track for my filly, but she’s run very well at different tracks all the time.”
Miss Fulton Gal also was entered in the Monmouth Oaks but scratched. She instead ran in the Grade 1 Coaching Club America Oaks at Saratoga, finishing fifth by 23 1/2 lengths for trainer Mike Gorham. She enters the Cathryn Sophia on three weeks’ rest.
Two key contenders in the Cathryn Sophia, Tap to Open and Ma Sophistication, are coming off first-level allowance victories. Tap to Open got the job done by three lengths at Ellis Park in July for trainer Brad Cox, while Ms Sophistication kicked clear by 4 1/2 lengths at Delaware Park for Jorge Duarte Jr. They will both be going for their third straight victory in the field of six 3-year-old fillies.
“I think she had a little conference after her first win,” Duarte said of Ms Sophistication. “She was a little more relaxed the second time with [Paco Lopez aboard]. She’s done the right transition from sprints to two turns. Paco has a lot of confidence, and we do too.”
Trainer Butch Reid said he tried and failed to find a softer spot for Project Maximus in her 3-year-old debut. He will give her a stiff test off an eight-month layoff.
Mayor’s Mile
Wild Vine, a last-out stakes winner by 6 1/2 lengths, will return from a four-month layoff in the $75,000 Mayor’s Mile on Tuesday. The Jamie Ness trainee has run a mile in his last two workouts and should be right at home at Parx.
“We’ve been training on that track, and he might need another race off the layoff, but I think don’t think so,” Ness said. “I think I’ve got him ready.”
After kicking clear to a dominant victory in the $100,000 Native Dancer at Laurel, Ness originally wanted to try Wild Vine in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May. The 7-year-old gelding needed time off because of hoof issues, however, and did not return to training until July.
In six career starts at Parx, the Pennsylvania-bred gelding has never finished out of the money, but he remains winless in three stakes tries. He could earn favoritism in the field of seven.
Wild Vine’s stablemate Stronsino returned from a year-long layoff in June and won a $56,000 allowance in gate-to-wire fashion at Laurel with a 94 Beyer Speed Figure. Ness said he would have preferred keeping his geldings apart, but Stronsino’s front-running style should not compromise Wild Vine, who is typically a stalking type.
Grand Mo the First, the 18th-place finisher in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, will ship to Parx for his second stakes start as a 5-year-old. The Victor Barboza trainee faded to a distant fourth in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in June.
“I think it’s the best option, racing at Parx at one mile around two turns,” Barboza said. “The last race, he had a little problem in the traffic.”
Trainer Julio Rodriguez took over as the trainer of Offaly Cool ahead of his 6-year-old debut in June, but it didn’t seem to disturb the gelding one bit. Last year’s Mayor’s Mile winner notched his third straight victory in a $55,000 allowance at Parx, earning a 98 Beyer off a 10-month break.
State Representative’s Sprint
The $75,000 State Representative’s Sprint only drew six older males, but the 6 1/2-furlong race is not short on talent. Buccherino, the winner of the race last year, will make his long-awaited return from a six-month layoff.
“Finally, I can run him,” trainer Alfredo Velazquez said. “It’s been hard finding a race for that kind of horse, but now he’s in good shape and we’re ready to go.”
Velazquez said a recurring hoof issue prevented Buccherino from returning sooner, but even after getting him back to full health, it took several months to find a suitable spot. The Florida-bred fan favorite will be going for his fifth stakes victory off the bench.
Ness described the 7-year-old gelding Spikezone as “one of my best horses,” earning 19 victories in 39 career starts. The last-out allowance winner will make his second career stakes start on Tuesday, having won the $75,000 Let’s Give Thanks in November 2024.
Maximus Meridius, the Pennsylvania-bred winner of the $100,000 Banjo Picker last time out, will re-enter open company for Reid. The trainer said he considered shipping the 5-year-old to Saratoga, but he ultimately chose to stay home.
PTHA President’s Sprint
Butch Reid entered three horses in the $75,000 PTHA President’s Sprint, comprising half the field of 3-year-olds. He said he plans to run all three with roughly similar expectations.
Mailata, the 19-length winner of the $75,000 Future Stars male division in December, has only run twice since, losing a pair of stakes by a combined 68 3/4 lengths. He will cut back to 6 1/2 furlongs on Tuesday.
“We threw him to the wolves first time out off the layoff going long,” Reid said. “This is a nice turnback for him.”
While his stablemate has struggled to find his way as a 3-year-old, Flyin Hawaiian has remained in the barn, taking time off after two poor efforts to wrap up his juvenile campaign. He will add blinkers in his 3-year-old debut off a nearly nine-month layoff.
“We’re putting blinkers on him, and he breezed really well out of the gate the other day with the blinkers on,” Reid said.
Connor’s Crew is the only last-out winner of Reid’s trio, having won a statebred allowance by three lengths with a 78 Beyer last month.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.