Breeding could make the difference in Tomboy
School Board Prez and Barefoot Gypsy are sure to attract plenty of money in Sunday’s first turf stakes of the season at Belterra Park, the $75,000 Tomboy for statebred 3-year-old fillies. But based on pedigree, there may be better options for horseplayers in the 1 1/16-mile race, which was rescheduled from last weekend when the Cincinnati track was closed for resurfacing of the main oval.
None of the nine entered in the Tomboy has ever raced or worked on turf.
School Board Prez is making her season debut after winning three stakes and being honored as champion Ohio-bred 2-year-old filly last year. Barefoot Gypsy is unbeaten in two starts, both for high-profile trainer Wesley Ward.
Although School Board Prez and Barefoot Gypsy have good credentials on dirt, they don’t have much in their bloodlines suggesting that they will adapt well to grass racing. In contrast, La Quebrada and Harlee Honey have positive turf influences in their pedigrees.
La Quebrada, who won her only start by nearly 15 lengths sprinting on dirt at Belterra, is a daughter of Quebrada Shiner, who won 7 of 16 starts and $257,352. She captured a pair of six-furlong turf-sprint stakes and was second by a head in another, all in New York.
La Quebrada’s sire, More Than Ready, has produced 29 winners (16 percent) from 210 starters in turf routes for 3-year-olds.
Harlee Honey is out of the mare Absolute Nectar, whose foals have gone 5 for 12 on turf. Harlee Honey, never worse than third in four starts, is a half-sister to California Nectar, who won a second-level optional claimer on turf at Del Mar and was second in the one-mile Valentine’s Dancer at Santa Anita.
Harlee Honey’s sire, Harlan’s Holiday, has produced 39 winners (17 percent) from 222 starters in turf routes for 3-year-olds.
School Board Prez was supposed to make her turf debut last November at Churchill Downs, but that first-level optional $75,000 claimer was shifted to the main track. She is 3 for 3 against Ohio-bred competition.
Barefoot Gypsy won her career debut in February and followed up by winning the six-furlong Southern Park at Mahoning Valley in late March.
Older horses prep for Sydney Gendelman
A full field of 12 older Ohio-breds will get some much-needed experience on turf in the fifth race Sunday, a $25,000 allowance at one mile on turf. The race is a prep for the 1 1/16-mile, $75,000 Sydney Gendelman Memorial Handicap on June 11.
The five horses in Sunday's field with previous turf experience are a combined 2 for 26. The other seven will be making their first starts on grass.
Among the most intriguing entrants are Shakeyogroovething, an 11-year-old who was second, beaten just a half-length, as a 31-1 longshot in the 2012 running of the Gendelmen at River Downs, and the 5-year-old mare Hope's Frog Song, who outran her 54-1 odds to get second in last year's Vivacious for fillies and mares while making her turf debut.