Hot City Girl pointing to Correction Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Hot City Girl, who won last Saturday’s Broadway Stakes, will get at least one more race and will point to the $125,000 Correction Stakes at Aqueduct on March 18, trainer Linda Rice said Thursday.

Rice said owner Sheila Rosenblum has not committed to racing Hot City Girl the entire year and is taking it one race at a time.

Hot City Girl, the younger half-sister to 2015 Eclipse Award champion La Verdad, earned just a 79 Beyer Speed Figure for her 1 1/4-length victory over fellow New York-breds in the Broadway. She did improve her race record to 7 for 18 and raised her career earnings to $668,150.

Meanwhile, Rice said that High Ridge Road, the winner of the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel last Saturday, is pointing to the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland on April 8. The Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct on April 9 is also possible.

Both races are at seven furlongs. Rice said the decision on where to run would be based on how well High Ridge Road is doing and what the competition looks like in the Madison.

“We’ll run her in one or the other,” Rice said.
High Ridge Road, who beat By the Moon by a neck, earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure for the Barbara Fritchie.

Rice has not yet firmed up plans for Matt King Coal, a second-level allowance winner at Laurel last Saturday. Rice said the Grade 1 Carter at seven furlongs at Aqueduct on April 8 is possible.

“Maybe that’s a little short for him, but we are going to take a look at it,” Rice said. “I think a flat mile is his best distance, but we haven’t been able to get too many races back to back to find out his best.”

Rice said an option could be to run in another allowance race and then try the Grade 3, $200,000 Westchester, a one-turn mile at Belmont Park on May 6, as a potential stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on June 11.

Caledonian targets Bay Shore

Caledonian, the winner of Monday’s $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes, will make his next start in the Grade 3, $250,000 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct on April 8, trainer John Terranova said Thursday.

Caledonian, who outfinished Even Thunder to win by a nose, added the Winkfield to an earlier victory this year in the Lost in the Fog Stakes. He ran in the Winkfield after missing the Gander Stakes for New York-breds due to a pulled hind-end muscle.

“He just keeps continuing to improve,” trainer John Terranova said. “The Bay Shore is usually a whole different group of horses.”

Wonder Gal retired

Wonder Gal, fourth in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie, has been retired from racing, trainer Leah Gyarmati confirmed Thursday.

Wonder Gal, a New York-bred daughter of Tiz Wonderful, was purchased late last year by the Clearview Farm of Bernard and Eamonn Cleary. For them, she won the Ladies Stakes by 13 1/2 lengths before the Barbara Fritchie, where she was attempting to win her first graded stakes.

Instead, Wonder Gal retires with a record of 4-2-6 from 18 starts and earnings of $904,800. She won New York-bred stakes at 2 and 3.

She also was Grade 1 stakes-placed several times, including at 2, when she finished second in the Acorn and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. At 3, she finished second in the Mother Goose and third in the Acorn.
As breeders, Bernard and Eamonn Cleary operate as Clearsky Farm. They bred Arrogate, the 2016 champion 3-year-old male, and were finalists for an Eclipse Award as outstanding breeder.