Highway Star tries out for BC Filly and Mare Sprint in Gallant Bloom

ELMONT, N.Y. – The Gallant Bloom may have lost some of its marquee names, but it still has a Star.

Highway Star, the under-appreciated but ultra-consistent New York-bred filly, will try to convince her connections she deserves a shot in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint when she heads a field of six entered in Sunday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Gallant Bloom at Belmont Park.

Highway Star, a daughter of Girolamo trained by Rodrigo Ubillo for owners/breeders Chester and Mary Broman, has a record of 7-1-2 from 12 starts. Surprisingly, she has been favored only once, that being a year ago in a second-level New York-bred allowance she won by 2 3/4 lengths.

Highway Star figures to vie for favoritism Sunday with Carina Mia and Lucy N Ethel, from the high-profile barns of Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher, respectively.

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Highway Star is 4 for 5 at Belmont, with her lone loss a third-place finish behind Songbird and Paid Up Subscriber in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps going 1 1/16 miles in June. Eleven weeks later, she ran a bang-up second, a head behind By the Moon, in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga. By the Moon as well as the multiple Grade 1 winner Paulassilverlining were nominated to, but not entered, in the Gallant Bloom.

“She needed a race before the Ballerina, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing anything in between,” Ubillo said. “She runs good with time anyway, it worked out.”

In the Ballerina, Highway Star, ridden by Angel Arroyo, chased By the Moon all the way behind a rather pedestrian pace.

“She could have been on the lead,” Ubillo said. “Angel was holding her that day, it probably was a mistake. After you run the race, you can pinpoint things.”

Highway Star, who breaks from the rail Sunday, will likely have to run down Lucy N Ethel, a speedy sort who makes her first start in 11 months and first for Pletcher. Lucy N Ethel is 4 for 5, with victories last year in the Grade 3 Old Hat at Gulfstream and the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga, a race she won at odds of 22-1.

Lucy N Ethel finished last in the Grade 2 Run Raven last October at Keeneland and hasn’t been seen since.

Carina Mia, who won the Grade 1 Acorn last year, finished third in the Grade 1 Ballerina in her second start for Brown. Prior to that, she won the Shine Again Stakes by a neck over Going for Broke.

“Just a lack of pace probably cost her the win last time,” Brown said. “I thought she ran well in both starts for us.”

Quezon, second in this race last year, Abstatootly, and Friend of Liberty complete the field.

The Gallant Bloom goes as race 5 on a nine-race card that begins at 1:30 p.m. and also includes the $125,000 Ashley T. Cole and $125,000 John Hettinger, turf races for New York-bred males and females, respectively.

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Key contenders

Highway Star, by Girolamo
Last 3 Beyers: 94-91-96

◗ Is for 4 for 5 at Belmont Park, including a victory in the Grade 2 Ruffian in May.

◗ Overall, she is 7-1-1 in nine starts around one turn.

Lucy N Ethel, by During
Last 3 Beyers: 36-95-83

◗ Looms the primary speed of the field under John Velazquez from post 6.

◗ Makes her first start in 336 days.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over last five years, Pletcher is 50 for 170 with a $1.68 ROI in dirt sprints with horses returning from a layoff of greater than 180 days. Over that span, he is 0 for 5 in graded stakes.

Carina Mia, by Malibu Moon
Last 3 Beyers: 92-92-90

◗ May have been pace compromised when third, beaten a length in Grade 1 Ballerina.

◗ Is a Grade 1 winner over this track, having won the Acorn last year when trained by Bill Mott.