Dream Central goes for hat trick in Statue of Liberty Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After winning stakes at seven furlongs and 1 1/16 miles in her last two starts, Dream Central will try to successfully split the difference when trying a mile for the first time on turf in the $150,000 Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Stakes series on Thursday’s 10-race program at Saratoga. The restricted Statue of Liberty is for 3-year-old fillies.

Dream Central has come out of nowhere to become a star in her division after having gone winless in her first six starts. Dream Central won for the first time in the seven-furlong NYSS Cupecoy’s Joy on June 19 at Belmont Park before returning to win the 1 1/16-mile Suzie O’Cain here July 20.

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Dream Central used similar strategy in both races, rallying from off the pace and getting up in the final strides. She won the Cupecoy’s Joy and Suzie O’Cain by a neck and a head at odds of 39-1 and 9-1, respectively.

“She wants to sit right off them, let them go to the front, and then make one run at them,” trainer Gary Sciacca said. “She’s a fighter. She fights to the end.”

Although Jose Lezcano was aboard Dream Central in both her wins, he has taken the call in the Statue of Liberty on the less experienced but promising Busy Morning for trainer Jorge Abreu. Sciacca reached out to Hall of Famer Javier Castellano to replace Lezcano in the Statue of Liberty.

Busy Morning has had Lezcano in the saddle for her two starts, rallying from midpack to finish third going a mile in her debut before turning back to six furlongs to win her maiden by six lengths June 25 at Belmont. Both races were on turf. The 75 Beyer Speed Figure she earned in her maiden win is the top last-out Beyer in the Statue of Liberty field.

Although idle for nearly two months, Busy Morning has not missed a beat in the morning prepping for her stakes bow, having posted six works during that span, including five furlongs in 1:02.60 over the Oklahoma turf course on July 29.

The second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the Cupecoy’s Joy – Robyn and Eli, Royal Dancer, and Howdyoumakeurmoney – get another shot at Dream Central on Thursday.

Robyn and Eli is one of three maidens in the lineup. She finished second in her first three starts, including the Cupecoy’s Joy when she rallied from last to miss by a neck in her stakes debut. She finished ninth as the 6-5 favorite when dropping back against maidens here July 16.

Finger Lakes invader Eros’s Girl also figures to garner some respect as the only three-time winner in the field, although she has never raced on turf. Eros’s Girl won the six-furlong Niagara Stakes on July 4 at Finger Lakes. She returned July 25 and finished second, beaten a neck by 6-5 favorite Galaxina, making her two-turn debut in the New York Oaks.