Gulfstream Park: Hot pace could set up My Pal Chrisy in Awesome Feather Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The shorter the race, the faster the pace.

Five and a half furlongs may not be ideal for My Pal Chrisy, but given all the speed in the $75,000 Awesome Feather Stakes, things might just fall into place for the classy mare.

“Sometimes it’ll really set up good for a closer when there’s a ton of speed in against them,” said Marty Wolfson, who trains the bay 6-year-old mare for the Miller Racing LLC of Myron Miller.

My Pal Chrisy, with Jose Gonzalez to ride, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Awesome Feather, the ninth of 10 races Thursday at Gulfstream Park. By far the leading earner in the field with a career bankroll of more than $780,000, My Pal Chrisy has been a model of consistency throughout her career, particularly since Wolfson assumed her training last summer. She has a steady off-pace run that should serve her well in case the fractions are too hot as she turns back slightly in distance from a runner-up finish as the favorite in the Jan. 18 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint.

“She’s pretty durable and she stays kind of fresh,” Wolfson said. “I didn’t want to run her in the Hurricane Bertie [on Sunday] against Heart Stealer [whom Wolfson trains] and Groupie Doll. This just seemed the right kind of spot for the mare.”

My Pal Chrisy will face opposition with speed aplenty. Those faster ones in a field of 10 include Five Star Momma (post 2, Abdiel Jaen), a gate-to-wire winner of three straight sprints before being caught in the final yards of her last start in a Laurel Park stakes; R Free Roll (post 8, Kendrick Carmouche), fourth in the Sunshine Millions Fillies and Mares Sprint behind My Pal Chrisy; and Angel’s Glory (post 4, Jilver Chamafi), Flower Spell (post 5, Kent Desormeaux), and Wildcat Lily (post 9, Jose Alverez) all of whom figure extra-sharp off lengthy layoffs.

Munnings Sister (post 3, Luis Saez), not unlike My Pal Chrisy, stands to benefit from an early free-for-all and could find herself in a good spot once they straighten for home.

The Awesome Feather is named for the champion filly who went 10 for 11 in a spectacular racing career and won such major events as the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Gazelle. She was purchased by Gulfstream Park owner Frank Stronach for $2.3 million after capping her championship 2-year-old season of 2010 with a Breeders’ Cup win and is now part of the Adena Springs broodmare band.

One allowance (race 5) and a starter allowance (race 3) also are on a Thursday card that starts at 12:40 p.m. Eastern. The Awesome Feather goes at 4:33.