Battle Bling ready to rumble in Obeah with an eye to next month's Del Cap

Battle Bling, fourth beaten 4 1/4 lengths by Pauline’s Pearl in the Grade 1 La Troienne on May 6, gets class relief Wednesday as the morning-line favorite in Delaware Park’s $150,000 Obeah.

The Obeah, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares, is the local prep for the Grade 2, $500,000 Delaware Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on July 9. Battle Bling’s trainer, Rob Atras, said that he would “definitely consider” that race if Battle Bling performs well in the Obeah.

Battle Bling was claimed by Atras for $62,500 out of a runner-up effort Dec. 19 at Aqueduct.

“Michael Dubb [co-owner along with Gandharvi Racing Stables] reached out and asked if I’d be interested in claiming the horse,” Atras said. “She’s a good-looking filly and we were hoping she could run at that level or in the overnight stakes over the winter, and it worked out really well.”

Battle Bling lived up to expectations by winning her first start for Atras, the Ladies on Jan. 16 at Aqueduct. She then placed second in a pair of stakes there, the Heavenly Prize on March 6 and the Top Flight Invitational on April 10. Battle Bling was beaten less than a length in both of those starts.

Atras tested Battle Bling in the La Troienne against Pauline’s Pearl and three-time Grade 1 winner Shedaresthedevil.

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“I thought the pace was just a little soft,” Atras said. “I was hoping for them to come back more. We were hoping she would run third.”

There isn’t much speed in the Obeah, but Atras noted that Battle Bling did stay relatively close in the Ladies.

“Hopefully, we can get a sharp break and be in position,” he said.

Miss Leslie, claimed for $25,000 by trainer Claudio Gonzalez out of a maiden win at Laurel Park in November 2020, has won five stakes, including last month’s Serena’s Song at Monmouth Park. She finished a neck behind Battle Bling in the Ladies. Gonzalez believes stretching Miss Leslie out to two turns allowed her to flourish.

Gonzalez was thrilled with Miss Leslie’s bullet half-mile breeze on May 27 at Laurel.

“She’s ready for the race. Today, I took her to the track and was really happy with her,” he said.

Trainer Brittany Russell sends out Hybrid Eclipse, who is unraced since a win in a second-level allowance with a $35,000 claiming option on Feb. 21 at Laurel for trainer Linda Rice. Hybrid Eclipse has trained steadily for her return.

Russell mentioned that Hybrid Eclipse has been “quite forward” in her training and that she wouldn’t be surprised if the filly “pops out of there and put herself right into it.”

“She’s been ready to go for a while,” Russell said. “We tried to enter her a couple of times, but it’s tough to get a ‘three-other-than’ to go here at the moment.”

Flight to Shanghai finished third, beaten five lengths in the Serena’s Song. She will likely set the pace.

“She’s training good, she’s healthy, she’s ready, it’s just a big question of whether she’s good enough,” trainer Jane Cibelli said.

Moma Tiger and Pettigo Girl also are entered.