Bond Princess needs to show the old spark
MIAMI There dont figure to be any takers when six 3-year-old fillies, five of them with $100,000 price tags on their heads, start in Fridays $18,200 allowance feature at Calder.
There was a time when $100,000 would have seemed like a bargain for one member of that group, Bond Princess, whose career began so auspiciously with a 9 1/2-length maiden win here last summer. The asking price at that point in her career was many times the claiming price this daughter of Trippi will race for in Fridays six-furlong headliner. Unfortunately, the first start has turned out to be the best for Bond Princess, who has since gone winless in five outings.
Bond Princess did finish third in each of the opening two legs of the filly division of the 2007 Florida Stallion Stakes and fourth in the series finale, although she was favored in those first two races and finished far behind winner Calico Bay in the finale, the 1 1/16-mile My Dear Girl. She was transferred to trainer Barry Crofts barn for her 3-year-old campaign, which opened with a sixth-place finish on the turf in the one-mile Lulus Ransom here on May 18.
Recent maiden winner Amazing and the improving Dubai Majesty figure to provide Bond Princess with her stiffest competition. Amazing cruised to a 1 3/4-length victory when she was finally able to relax on the lead against maiden special weight opposition on May 18, and she again looks like the controlling speed in Fridays main event.
Dubai Majesty is the only two-time winner in the field, having graduated for a $50,000 claiming price here at 2 and dominated $25,000 conditioned claimers by 7 3/4 lengths earlier this spring. She finished a well-beaten second to Saratoga Tango under much more modest optional claiming and allowance conditions on May 18.
Meadow Touch, Girl Glitter and La Tetanic complete the lineup.
Some notable workers
Wednesdays work tab was relatively light but did feature several of the more prominent members of the local racing community.
Multiple Grade 3 winner Delightful Kiss, who finished a late-running second making his 2008 debut in the Blazing Sword Stakes on May 24, breezed a half-mile in 47.80 seconds for trainer Pete Anderson. Mambo Meister, winner of an overnight stakes in his last start, went the same distance in a more leisurely 50 seconds, while Rockerfeller, a candidate for the $100,000 Ponche Handicap on June 14, breezed a half-mile in 48.40.
* Apprentice Paco Lopez closed the gap atop the jockey standings after riding three winners on Sundays card, and was to begin Thursdays program just three victories behind the leader, Manoel Cruz. Ariel Smith and Manuel Aguilar were deadlocked for third.