Half-siblings out of Havre de Grace entered in back-to-back races

You’re not seeing double.

Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year, will be represented by two of her foals in back-to-back races Thursday at Gulfstream Park.

River Front, a 4-year-old colt by War Front, is entered in the seventh race, a first-level allowance at a mile on turf. Graceful Princess, a 3-year-old filly by Tapit, goes in the eighth, a first-level allowance for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs. Both horses are homebreds for Whisper Hill Farm and both are trained by Ralph Nicks.

River Front will be making his two-turn and turf debut against nine others, including Timmy M., the possible favorite off a runner-up finish in an optional $75,000 claiming race July 4 at Gulfstream. River Front won a maiden special weight at a one-turn mile in his third start May 19 at Gulfstream and has raced once since, finishing third in a first-level allowance at the same distance at the track on July 21. Nicks said there were a couple of reasons to move to turf.

“He’s by War Front, and the timing of races and races available had something to do with it,” Nicks said. “If he wasn’t by War Front, he probably wouldn’t be in there. War Front’s offspring seem to run just as well on the turf as the main track. It doesn’t hurt to try him.”

War Front is getting a strong 17 percent winners on turf, according to statistics from Daily Racing Form.

As for Havre de Grace, the earner of $2.5 million made her mark at two turns, with her Horse of the Year campaign including a win over males in the Woodward. Nicks looks for River Front to take to two turns.

“I think he’ll be fine,” he said. “When he broke his maiden, he just kept trying. He’s got a lot of try to him.”

Edgard Zayas has the mount from post 7.

Graceful Princess is part of an eight-horse field that includes Bella Tormenta, who could go favored as she seeks to win her third straight race. Graceful Princess will be adding blinkers off a sixth-place finish in a first-level allowance Aug. 10 at Saratoga.

“I worked her in blinkers the other day and she worked well,” Nicks said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Graceful Princess breezed a half-mile in 47 seconds Sept. 1 at Saratoga, with the move the fastest of 74 at the distance. She will break from post 6 under Reylu Gutierrez.

“We’ve got an outside post,” Nicks said. “Hopefully, we won’t have to get in a hurry the first part of it and she’ll come running.”

Graceful Princess won her career debut in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga last September.

◗ Rene E. Mendez, a jockey-turned-trainer who was based in Florida, died Sept. 7 in Daytona Beach, according to Gulfstream. He was 84. Mendez, who retired from training in 1996, launched his riding career in the 1950s. He started training in 1975. Mendez was a native of Cuba. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Janet, as well as son Michael, and daughter Michele Blanco. Blanco is a past president of the Turf Publicists of America.