Cicada Stakes possible for Stonesintheroad

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Stonesintheroad, the undefeated New York-bred 3-year-old filly, worked a half-mile in 49 seconds Friday morning over Belmont Park’s training track.

Stonesintheroad, a daughter of Bustin Stones, is nominated to next Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. She could run there or in the $200,000 Park Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes going 6 1/2 furlongs here April 20, or in both.

“Our plan was to keep all our options open,” trainer Jeremiah Englehart said. “We’ll look at the Cicada field and go from there. She’s doing very well now.”

Stonesintheroad has won all three of her starts by a combined 14 lengths. On Feb. 23, she won the Franklin Square Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths, coming back 20 days after winning an entry-level allowance race.

“She’s pretty push-button, she likes to run, she’s pretty easy to train,” Englehart said. “She’s a typical Bustin Stones; they like to go.”

Englehart currently has horses in Maryland and South Florida. He said several of his Florida-based horses are getting ready for their return to the races likely in April. That includes Pat On the Back, a two-time New York-bred stakes winner last year who most recently finished fifth in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 1.

Pat On the Back, who won the Empire Classic at Belmont last October, has had two breezes at Palm Meadows, including a half-mile in 48.65 seconds on March 9. Englehart has multiple options with Pat On the Back, including the Affirmed Success for New York-breds at Belmont on April 26, or the Grade 3, $200,000 Westchester, also at Belmont, on May 4. Englehart said he’d love to be able to point Pat On the Back to a race such as the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on June 8.

“If we’re going to take a shot we’d like to do it on a track he loves,” Englehart said. “The Met Mile might be something we target and work our way backward from there.”