Ianthe, Item give Madrigal two potent players in Donna Freyer Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
The restricted, $75,000 Donna Freyer Stakes was scheduled to be held at Parx on Nov. 12 but was scrapped due to a lack of entries. The Freyer has been brought back this Saturday, and nobody has a stronger hand in it than Penn National-based trainer Rodrigo Madrigal, who has a double-tough stable coupling in the race.
The Freyer, a South Carolina residency stakes, is restricted to horses who have spent at least 90 days in the state. It originally was written for 2-year-old fillies but, because of the calendar change, is now for 3-year-old fillies.
Madrigal has entered a pair of Pennsylvania-breds, Ianthe and Item. Both fillies were bred and are owned by the Arrowwood Farm of Thomas Coulter.
Item, a daughter of Orientate, won the Maryland Million Lassie at Laurel Park in October. She has finished unplaced in her last two starts, the Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies at Penn National and the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship at Laurel.
Ianthe, by Sky Mesa, is not yet a stakes winner but was second-best to the undefeated Rose Tree in the Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies in November. She has since won a statebred allowance at Penn National and is the horse to beat in the 6 1/2-furlong Freyer.
Jeremy Rose has the mount on Ianthe, while Item will be ridden by Tyler Conner.
Passporttovictory, trained by Tom Morley, will be making her first start outside New York. A statebred maiden winner at Saratoga, she comes into the Freyer off a rallying second at 15-1 in a New York Stallion Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 18.
◗ Hard-luck maiden Bertranda may finally have found a field she can handle in race 4 at Parx for trainer James Noble.
In her first four starts, Bertranda has faced Miss Sky Warrior, who has since won the Grade 3 Tempted and Grade 2 Demoiselle; the impressive debut winner Star Studded, who is entered Saturday in an optional-claiming race at Laurel; Ms Locust Point, who romped in last Saturday’s Gin Talking at Laurel; and Modacious, a daughter of Uncle Mo who won her debut by 6 3/4 lengths.