Girl Named Charlie wires Miss Liberty Stakes
?q=100)
Third-year trainer Lindsay Schultz had two wins and a second from three stakes starts during the 2023 Monmouth Park season, and she is 1 for 1 this year after Girl Named Charlie went wire to wire in the $100,000 Miss Liberty Stakes on Sunday.
Under Fernando Jara, Girl Named Charlie broke alertly and made the lead without having to work. She went her opening half-mile in a tepid 49.14 and proceeded to run her final 2 1/2 furlongs in 28.74. That was third-fastest among eight Miss Liberty runners, and two who came home slightly quicker were too far behind to make any impact. Up by 1 1/2 lengths at the stretch call, Girl Named Charlie won by 1 1/4 lengths, running 1 1/16 miles over a firm course in 1:40.94.
The horses who raced second and third behind her throughout the Miss Liberty finished that way, Alpha Bella coming back on favored Tax Implications, who moved into second at the half-mile pole but was outkicked to the wire, losing second by 1 3/4 lengths to Alpha Bella. Girl Named Charlie, a 4-year-old daughter of Maclean’s Music and the Dynaformer mare Dynarama paid $9.60 as the third choice.
:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.
“Fernando Jara rode her forwardly out of the gate and got her to settle really well,” said Schultz, who trains the filly for Jerry Caroom and Jeffery Lambert. “Obviously, it worked out. She’s a nice filly and plenty capable. She’s pretty versatile. If you let her get into a good rhythm, she’ll fire.”
Girl Named Charlie won a minor stakes during the winter of 2023 while trained by Tom Amoss. Sunday’s performance and a high-level allowance win last month in a nine-furlong Keeneland turf contest mark the peak of Girl Named Charlie’s career. The filly in both starts fell into very fortunate trips, but Schultz, now 4-3-1 in her Monmouth stakes career, had her ready to make the most of them.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.