Heavenly Sunday makes successful surface switch in off turf Mrs. Revere

Trainer Brad Cox was asked Wednesday if Heavenly Sunday would contest the $300,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes were the race moved from turf to the main track. Cox wavered, then said “probably.” The Mrs. Revere was taken off turf Friday afternoon, Heavenly Sunday stayed in the race, and the filly answered the surface switch with a strong affirmative, posting a five-length victory under Florent Geroux.

Breaking from the outside post going 1 1/16 miles around two turns, Heavenly Sunday crossed over to sit a couple paths off the rail and about 1 1/2 lengths behind Callie’s Grit, who set splits of 23.95 and 48.81. Heavenly Sunday moved to contest the lead around the far turn, had the lead before the quarter pole, and widened her advantage from the head of the homestretch to the finish. Beach Walkn came from fourth to nab second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of Make the Boys Wink, who made a move at the three-furlong marker that had flattened out by the eighth pole.

:: DRF's Black Friday Sale: Get 20% off (almost) everything in the DRF Shop. Code: BF2023

Heavenly Sunday clocked 1:44.69 over a fast track and paid $4.82 as the favorite. Hay Stack, Bling, and Watch This Birdie were scratched.

Churchill has been taking races off a turf course said by some to be unsafe for about two weeks. The Cardinal Stakes on Thursday was run on turf, but grass racing was cancelled Friday for the last three days of the meet. The Mrs. Revere is a Grade 2 but will be subject to review by the North American Graded Stakes Committee owing to the surface switch.

Cox trains Heavenly Sunday for William Harrigan’s Miacomet Farm, and the 3-year-old filly, by Candy Ride out of Alien Giant, by Giant’s Causeway, was bred in Kentucky by the Randal Family Trust.

Heavenly Sunday had made her first eight starts on turf. Friday’s dirt experiment was a success.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.