Dwoskin trying new tactics with Starship Bonita

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Another multiple stakes-winning filly who showed big speed at Gulfstream on Saturday morning is Starship Bonita. The Florida-bred worked five furlongs in company with two stablemates in 58.49 seconds over a glib track in her first serious move since launching her 3-year-old campaign with a third-place finish in the seven-furlong Sophomore Fillies Stakes on March 25 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“I’m not so sure it was as much a case of her needing a race as her not handling the track as well as I’d have liked her to in her last start,” said Steve Dwoskin, who trains Starship Bonita for the Starship Stables of Laurence Leavy. “I thought she went into the race dead fit, she just didn’t perform as well as I’d have expected her to.”

Starship Bonita, a daughter of Gone Astray, has raced strictly against statebreds throughout her brief career. As a 2-year-old, she won two of the three legs of the Florida Sire Stakes series here last summer – the seven-furlong Susan’s Girl and the 1 1/16-mile My Dear Girl.

“I’m going to take her back to Tampa next month for another statebred race, but this time going a mile and 40 yards,” said Dwoskin. “I’ve trained her a little different for this start. I let her get a little schooling on Saturday, putting her in behind horses, letting her take some dirt, and then looking for her to finish strong. She’s the type of filly who can rate, and whenever the rider pushes the button, she goes.”