Filly and mare races kick off Saturday stakes action

It’ll be ladies first Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where three straight $100,000 stakes for fillies and mares will directly precede the Fort Lauderdale and Harlan’s Holiday on a terrific 11-race program at the South Florida track.

All three filly-mare stakes are longstanding Gulfstream fixtures being run within about an hour of each other: the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl (race 6, post 2:30 p.m. Eastern), the My Charmer (race 7, 3:00), and the Grade 3 Rampart (race 8, 3:30). They’re carded as the opening legs in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 6-11), which had a growing jackpot of nearly $300,000 before racing began Thursday.

Here’s a quick rundown of each:

Sugar Swirl

Heavenhasmynikki was prominent to the quarter pole of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint before she suddenly beat a steady fade to finish last, beaten 31 lengths by winner Covfefe.

“She got the thumps,” said co-owner Ron Paolucci, referring to a hiccups-like condition caused by a spasming of the diaphragm. “It was unfortunate because she was on the muscle, ready to go.”

Duly regrouped by trainer Bob Hess Jr. in the six weeks that have passed, Heavenhasmynikki returns as part of a well-matched field of nine in the 38th Sugar Swirl, a six-furlong race that also figures to have the 3-year-olds A Bit of Both and Meadow Dance among the betting favorites.

Heavenhasmynikki showed her quality by winning the Grade 3 Vagrancy at Belmont Park in May. Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard the Majestic Warrior filly when she breaks from post 9 in looking to improve on her 8-for-16 record.

“I told Tyler to get tied on extra good because she’s ready to rock and roll,” said Paolucci.

A Bit of Both, a winner in four of five career starts over the local surface, will be making her graded-stakes debut. She is trained by Jason Servis. Meadow Dance, shipping in from Kentucky for Brad Cox, most recently was second to Grade 1 winner Mia Mischief.

Other contenders include Lady’s Island, who got a 101 Beyer Speed Figure in a two-back romp at Saratoga, and Stormy Embrace, a six-time Gulfstream winner whose bankroll of $718,543 tops the field.

My Charmer

Mitchell Road, winner of the Grade 3 Gallorette on Preakness Day at Pimlico, probably can be forgiven for finishing eighth in her last start. That was in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland in early October, after which the filly regrouped under trainer Bill Mott and his assistant Kenny McCarthy, first at Churchill Downs and more recently at Payson Park.

A five-time winner from 10 starts, Mitchell Road surely will be a solid favorite when she brings a sizable class edge to this 35th running of the My Charmer, a one-mile turf race named for the dam of the legendary Seattle Slew. Jose Ortiz will be aboard Mitchell Road from post 1 in a field of 10.

Altea, from the powerhouse Chad Brown stable, figures as the second wagering choice after breaking an 11-race losing streak dating to July 2017 by winning a first-level allowance over the Aqueduct turf in her most recent outing. Munchkin Money is an outside consideration.

Rampart

Earlier this year, Ian Wilkes had hopes for Molto Bella as a potential Kentucky Oaks filly, but it wasn’t to be. A minor knee injury sustained in a February race at Fair Grounds forced Wilkes to stop on her, after which the Violence filly returned last month at Churchill with an ultra-sharp victory that should make her one of the favorites in the 41st Rampart.

“She was very impressive coming back, which was nice,” said Wilkes. “She’s gone on to train well since we sent her down to Florida, so we’re excited about what’s ahead.”

With Brian Hernandez Jr. in from New Orleans to ride, Molto Bella will break from post 6 in a field of 11 entered in the one-mile Rampart. The main opposition could come from Baccarat Fashion, who earned a 97 Beyer in her most recent start and is trained by Peter Walder, or Cookie Dough, a stakes-seasoned 3-year-old making her first start in four months when returning to the care of Stan Gold after three starts for Kiaran McLaughlin.