Jody's Pride gets campaign rolling in Busher

Eschewing a chance to avenge her narrow loss to Just F Y I in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies four months ago, Jody’s Pride kicks off her 3-year-old campaign in Saturday’s $200,000 Busher Stakes at Aqueduct with an eye toward getting to the Kentucky Oaks in two months.

After winning her first two starts – both in races scheduled for the turf but run on dirt – Jody’s Pride came within a neck of Just F Y I in the Juvenile Fillies last November at Santa Anita. Jody’s Pride wintered in Florida with the idea of kick-starting her campaign in Saturday’s Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park. With Just F Y I running there, Jody’s Pride was re-routed here.

The Busher and the Davona Dale, which goes off about 45 minutes before the Busher, are both run around one turn. They both offer their top five finishers qualifying points (50-25-15-10-5) toward the May 3 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Jorge Abreu has been pleased with how Jody’s Pride progressed over the winter.

“She’s always been pretty mature with a good head on her, I’ve just seen a big change in her body,” Abreu said. “She looks so much stronger. It looks like that time off did her pretty well.”

Jose Lezcano will ride Jody’s Pride from post 6.

Gin Gin won the Busanda Stakes going 1 1/8 miles around two turns. Trainer Brad Cox is running her here because he didn’t want to wait another month for the Grade 3 Gazelle, the next 1 1/8-mile race in New York for 3-year-old fillies, which will be run on April 6.

“The track can be fairly demanding up there sometimes with the deeper track, so I do like her one turn,” Cox said. “She showed enough speed to where she can be involved [going] one turn if she needs to be.”

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Trevor McCarthy rides Gin Gin from post 2.

Princess Mayfair, a clear second in the Busanda, turns back to a one-turn mile. Trainer Steve Chircop is removing blinkers from the filly’s equipment.

Chircop said he’s hoping to get Princess Mayfair to relax in a race where there appears to be ample speed. He also said Princess Mayfair dug in when Gin Gin passed her in the stretch of the Busanda and wishes his filly would have seen her sooner.

Aofie’s Magic, who is 4 for 4, is cross-entered in Tuesday’s $75,000 Main Line Stakes at Parx Racing. Trainer Dave Dotolo said the filly will run in the Busher.

“If we have hopes of going any further she has to run against this type of horse,” Dotolo said. “She’s done everything I’ve asked her to do and she does it easy.”

Carmelina, trained by Butch Reid, has won sprint stakes at Colonial Downs, Penn National, and Laurel.

Regulatory Risk comes in off a maiden win for Chad Brown. Sicilian Princess finished second in her lone start, a maiden race at Turfway Park.

The Busher goes as race 7 and is the first of four stakes that end the 10-race program.

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