Bootleggers Wife looms large in Freedom of the City Stakes
Bootleggers Wife paid $2.50 when she won the $51,850 Bird of Pay Stakes at Northlands Park on Sept. 4. She will be a short price again in the $50,000 Freedom of the City at Northlands on Friday. The one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies drew six horses, but Bootleggers Wife appears to be in a class by herself.
Post time for the first race of the final Friday card of the meet is 6:30 p.m. Mountain, and the Freedom of the City is race 8 at 9:46.
Trained by Tim Rycroft, Bootleggers Wife has been perfect so far. She won her first two races, including the $55,550 Princess Margaret, by a combined 17 3/4 lengths. Her margin of victory in the Bird of Pay was 2 3/4 lengths, but she was much the best, with jockey Shannon Beauregard gearing her down in the final sixteenth.
Bootleggers Wife also showed that she can rate when she came from just off the pace in the Bird of Pay. She drew the outside post for Friday, and with plenty of speed in the field, Beauregard likely will put her into a stalking position early.
“One thing nice about her is that you can put her anywhere you want,” said Rycroft. “She is training really well coming up to the race, so I expect her to run another good race. There are some nice fillies in the field though.”
The main threat appears to be Onestaratime, who is coming off an easy win over fellow Freedom of the City contender Leena in the $50,000 Sturgeon River for trainer Greg Tracy.
KEY CONTENDERS
Bootleggers Wife (Last 3 Beyers: 54-55-63)
◗ By multiple Grade 1 winner Leroidesanimaux, she is the first foal out of La Chica Sensual, who won the $400,000 My Dear Girl Florida Stallion Stakes going 1 1/16 miles, so she should be able to handle a middle distance.
Onestaratatime (Last 3 Beyers: 45-27-26)
◗ She has improved since Bootleggers Wife beat her by 11 3/4 lengths in the Princess Margaret.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: She will be ridden by leading rider Rico Walcott, who over the past five years has won with 56 percent of his mounts from Tracy in 2-year-old non-graded stakes races at Northlands.
Imageofperfection (Last 3 Beyers: 51-30-37)
◗ She is coming back pretty quickly after romping in a $12,000 claiming race for non-winners of two last Saturday.
◗ This will be her first start for trainer Dale Saunders, who claimed her out of her winning race.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years at Northlands, Saunders has a 26 percent strike rate with claimed horses running back the first time.