Hey Bertie in good spot as Soaring Softly moves from turf to dirt

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A highly competitive 10-horse field of 3-year-old fillies was assembled for Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly Stakes at Saratoga when it was scheduled for six furlongs on the turf.

But after 2.24 inches of rain fell in the Saratoga area Friday into Saturday morning, the decision was made to move all of Sunday’s scheduled turf races to the dirt while moving the Grade 1 Manhattan and Grade 1 Jaipur from Saturday to Sunday and run only those races on the turf. The distance of the Soaring Softly will be 5 1/2 furlongs.

While the Soaring Softly figures to amass plenty of scratches, one filly who will stay in the race is Hey Bertie, who won her maiden in January at Fair Grounds on the dirt in a race that had been scheduled for the turf.

“She’s already won on the dirt, the surface should not change affect her,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “She’s already shown she can handle the dirt.”

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Hey Bertie, a half-sister to the four-time stakes winner Brilliant Berti, comes out of a second-place finish in the Take the A Train Stakes, going six furlongs on the turf on May 10 at Aqueduct. She ran into a little traffic on the far turn and in the stretch had to dive back to the inside in the Take the A Train after a hole closed that Javier Castellano was prepared to go through between horses. She was beaten a neck by Love Cervere, who rallied down the center of the Aqueduct turf course under Joel Rosario.

Castellano rode Hey Bertie for the first time in the Take the A Train and DeVaux believes that experience may help him work out a smoother trip on Sunday.

“I definitely think he knows her now,” DeVaux said. “It wasn’t a troubled trip, but it took him a little time to learn about her. She definitely has that on her side.”

It remains to be seen which of the 10 horses entered for the turf stay in the Soaring Softly. Yougottahavehope, who won her career debut on dirt by 5 1/2 lengths last August versus New York-breds, figures to stay in for trainer Horacio De Paz. She has twice run in turf stakes, finishing third in both the Grade 3 Matron and the Stewart Manor last fall at Aqueduct.

Fortuna Mia, trained by Linda Rice, figures to stay in as she has never run on the turf in eight career starts.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. entered Rojo Rita to run only if the race is moved to the dirt. She won her debut last November on dirt by 16 lengths at Gulfstream. In March, Rojo Rita finished second in the Any Limit Stakes on dirt at Gulfstream.

Among those whose connections will have decisions to make regarding the surface switch are Love Cervere, Saturday Flirt, Brindi, Make Haste, Cloe, Spirited Boss and Abientot.

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