Captainsdaughter the new face in rescheduled Franklin Square Stakes
The $100,000 Franklin Square is now a plus-one affair.
The original nine entrants from last Saturday’s Franklin Square – postponed when the card was canceled due to extreme cold – are back this Saturday, joined by Captainsdaughter. The Franklin Square, a 6 1/2-furlong race for 3-year-old New York-bred fillies, shares billing on the card with the $100,000 Jazil Stakes.
Trainer Russell Cash did not enter Captainsdaughter last week because the race was coming back 17 days after she finished second in the Parx Futurity, a race for open-company 2-year-old fillies. The extra week prompted Cash to at least enter Captainsdaughter this time.
In her previous starts against New York-breds, Captainsdaughter finished second twice at huge prices, behind Classy Edition in the Key Cents and Venti Valentine in the Maid of the Mist. Captainsdaughter did beat New York-bred maidens at Belmont.
Cash has been a bit perplexed why Captainsdaughter gets out of the gate so well and then drops to the back of the pack. But she has come with consistent late runs.
“She does double work – starts off in the front, falls to the back, and then comes back again,” Cash said. “She’s going to come from out of it, short or long.”
Edwin Gonzalez, up from Florida to ride Twelve Volt Man in the Jazil, is named to ride Captainsdaughter from post 10.
Leeloo and Thinking It Over are each coming out of a solid maiden victory. Leeloo’s win, by 7 1/4 lengths, came in her second start. In her debut, Leeloo broke a touch slowly, was rushed up by Kendrick Carmouche, and flattened out late. She finished sixth, beaten two noses for fourth.
Leeloo drew the same post 6 she had last week.
Thinking It Over was a 1 1/4-length debut winner in an off-the-turf race on Nov. 12 at Aqueduct. Trainer Ray Handal liked the fact his filly had the outside post that day to avoid having mud kicked back in her face. Handal was happy when Thinking It Over drew the outside again last Saturday. On the redraw, however, Thinking It Over drew post 3.
Shesawildjoker, the lone stakes winner in the field, went from post 2 to post 9. Shesawildjoker won the Shesastonecoldfox Stakes at Finger Lakes. She finished a neck behind Captainsdaughter when the two were second and third behind Classy Edition in the Key Cents Stakes.
Sandy’s Garden went from post 8 to the rail. She will have a new rider as Jose Ortiz replaces Jackie Davis, who was named to ride the filly last week. Davis rode Sandy’s Garden to a 20 3/4-length victory on Oct. 12 at Finger Lakes, but was moved off the horse for Manny Franco in the Maid of the Mist on Oct. 30, when she finished sixth.
Sterling Silver was a debut winner of a Nov. 21 maiden race that produced three next-out winners, including Leeloo. Sterling Silver lugged in a touch in the stretch, something trainer Tom Albertrani attributed to immaturity.
Moam, Thin Legs, Flip My Id, and Meraviglioso complete the field.