Foxy Cara should get right setup in sprint

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though she has found the winner’s circle just once in 15 starts, Foxy Cara has rarely failed to put forth an honest effort, finishing in the money in 11 of those starts.

Given the proper pace scenario and the right field, Foxy Cara could find the winner’s circle again Thursday in a six-furlong first-level allowance for New York-bred females that serves as the feature on a pedestrian eight-race card at Aqueduct.

It took Foxy Cara 13 tries before she won her maiden on Feb. 24. In two subsequent tries against winners, she finished fourth behind repeating winner Little Linzee on March 16 and then third, beaten just three-quarters of a length by Athena Beach, on April 18. For Athena Beach, that was her fifth win from seven career starts.

In that April 18 race, Foxy Cara dropped back to last, then had to rally nine wide and just missed second by a head to Newsdley, who is among her five rivals on Thursday.

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“She always tries, she always gives an effort,” trainer Mitch Friedman said of Foxy Cara. “She was such a late developer. You look at her now, she’s gotten so much taller and put so much weight on and she’s running consistently well.”

Eric Cancel, aboard for Foxy Cara’s lone win, gets back aboard Thursday, just the third time he has ridden the filly.

Her running style is such that Foxy Cara needs pace. Newsdley was part of the pace in that April 18 race, which helped set things up for her stablemate. Ashburn Alley showed speed when winning her debut by 3 1/2 lengths on Oct. 21 in her one and only start.

That October race proved productive, as five of the fillies that finished behind Ashburn Alley have come back to win, three of those horses winning twice.

Trained by Kelly Breen then, Ashburn Alley was moved to Tom Morley by her owners – Robert Hahn, Emcee Stable, and Two Eight Racing – over the winter.

Morley isn’t thrilled about running the 3-year-old Ashburn Alley against older fillies in her first try off the layoff, but he said he preferred the six furlongs of this race to the seven furlongs of a recent allowance restricted to 3-year-olds.

“Honestly, I think she’s a three-quarters filly, so we opted to wait for this,” Morley said. “The frustrating part is we are drawn against older horses. It’s a big ask for a 3-year-old filly to take on these bigger, older mares. We’re looking to get the season started and see where we go from here.”

The potential for a wet track may aid Ashburn Alley, as her debut victory did come over a sealed, sloppy track.

Voleuse has run well twice in open starter-allowance company since Rudy Rodriguez claimed her for $25,000 in February. Voleuse ran second, beaten a neck, in the mud on March 7, before winning over a fast track on April 7.

Perpetual Praise, another who likes to be forward, is making just her third start against New York-breds.

Big Hazel, second behind Perpetual Praise in a $25,000 claimer in January, completes this field.

The race goes as the second of eight races on a card that begins at 1:05 p.m.

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