Earhart finally ready for stakes debut
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Unbeaten and unchallenged Earhart is finally cleared for takeoff in her stakes debut. Now based at here at Turfway Park, she will make her first start away from Woodbine in Friday night’s rescheduled $125,000 Likely Exchange Stakes, a race for fillies and mares going one mile on the Tapeta.
The Likely Exchange was originally carded for Jan. 11, part of an entire racing week’s worth of racing scrapped due to a winter storm. Kentucky was hit with another blast of arctic air to start the week, pushing Wednesday night’s scheduled card at Turfway to Sunday afternoon. Temperatures were expected to climb back into the 30s for the weekend.
A potential carryover would heat up Friday’s card. Turfway was scheduled to start the racing week on Thursday with a carryover of $114,706 in the jackpot pick six.
Much of the original lineup remains for the redrawn Likely Exchange. The race originally had an overflow field of 13, with one also-eligible. The only entrants not coming back in the race are Catmint, Peignoir, and also-eligible Katie’s Checkride.
The newcomer is Mohawk Trail for trainer Kelsey Danner, who is having a solid Turfway season. The mare was a Grade 3 winner at Woodbine in 2023 and stakes-placed at Tampa Bay Downs last year. She comes in off a stalking third-place finish in a one-mile allowance/optional claiming race on Jan. 3 at Tampa. Mohawk Trail posted a 90 Beyer 10 months ago, finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Honey Fox at Gulfstream Park.
Earhart, a 4-year-old trained by Josie Carroll for LNJ Foxwoods, has made both her starts going seven furlongs on Woodbine’s synthetic main track. She won her Nov. 9 debut by 6 3/4 lengths under a hand ride, besting a next-out winner while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 86. She upped her Beyer to a 96 – the best in this field – while dominating an allowance/optional-claiming race by 11 lengths on Dec. 7.
Earhart will travel an extra furlong while going two turns, but a mile should be well within her scope. The filly is by French sire Siyouni, whose progeny include major route winners Sottsass, St Mark’s Basilica, Laurens, and Paddington. Her dam Aviatress also won at a mile.
Earhart has breezed four times at Turfway in preparation for her stakes debut, including three consecutive five-furlong works. Her most recent work came on Jan. 16, when she was second best of 13 that morning.
Earhart will break from post 3 under Luis Contreras, and her speed should keep her out of traffic in what will be a full field of 12.
Everland will need someone to be able to stay with Earhart early and set up her late run. She looks to be getting back on track now that the season is underway at her favorite course.
Everland won three times at Turfway in the 2023-24 season, including a victory in the Bourbonette Oaks. She proceeded to contest graded stakes competition on both dirt and turf through the year for Eric Foster.
In her return to Turfway, the filly was a good second to multiple stakes winner Dana’s Beauty in the My Charmer Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 14.
She’s Fancy is a very lightly raced 5-year-old who appears to have found her form. She made one start in 2022 for Graham Motion before being away from the races for more than two years. She has been steadily on the work tab since late August for Chris Davis and scored a sharp, six-furlong maiden win on Dec. 12 at Turfway with an 88 Beyer.
The mare’s pedigree suggests she could handle more distance. She’s a daughter of the versatile classic sire Uncle Mo and is out of the Tapit mare Tapitry, who was graded stakes-placed at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
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