Flora Dora wins maiden in My Dear Girl
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Flora Dora entered Saturday’s $500,000 My Dear Girl a maiden and came out a stakes winner after rallying to a 1 1/2-length victory over Enterprising Lady in the final leg of the filly division of the Florida Sire Series. The win was the first of the year for trainer Marialice Coffey.
Flora Dora, a good-looking daughter of First Dude, had made only one previous start, finishing sixth after contesting the pace in a seven-furlong maiden race Sept. 6 at Saratoga. Owned by Coffeepot Stables, she raced on Lasix for the first time in the My Dear Girl.
With the red-hot Matthew Rispoli aboard, Flora Dora rated about five lengths off the early pace of the 8-5 favorite Ballet Diva, who rushed to command into the clubhouse turn. Flora Dora split horses rallying on the final turn, was out-moved by Enterprising Lady entering the stretch, and came on with a rush near midstretch to overtake the leader and win going away.
Enterprising Lady rallied three wide turning for home to wrest command from It’s High Time inside the eighth pole but proved no match for the winner. Silent Prayer passed tired ones to be third. Ballet Diva had little left after six furlongs, weakening steadily to finish sixth in a field of nine 2-year-old fillies.
Flora Dora completed 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:47.22, the final quarter going in a slow 28.06 seconds, and paid $20.40. The win was the 99th of Coffey’s 23-year training career and her first stakes victory.
“This race has been on the radar since the beginning of time, since they broke her,” said Coffey. “She’s a big, very well-within-herself filly. She’s always been very relaxed about everything, so we thought it was worth a try. Even though we didn’t do what we wanted to do at Saratoga, at least we stuck with the game plan, and the rest is history.”
Coffey said she sent Flora Dora to Gulfstream from Saratoga on Monday, and she’s done everything right since her arrival.
“There have been zero setbacks,” said Coffey. “She shipped down very, very well. We trained here, schooled her in the gate. The staff has been marvelous.”