Joya Real should be flying late in Klassy Briefcase

A trio of runners exiting the The Very One, a Preakness Day stakes at Pimlico, has a lot of the bases covered in the $60,000 Klassy Briefcase at Monmouth Park on Sunday.

The Klassy Briefcase, named for the New Jersey-bred sprinter who won 18 of 42 starts in the Mid-Atlantic in the late 1980s and early ’90s, is a 5 1/2-furlong turf race for fillies and mares that begins in Monmouth’s infield sprint chute.

Joya Real, Aquinnah, and Jewel of a Cat finished second, in a dead heat for third, and fifth the last time they all met. Joya Real is a deep closer, Aquinnah comes from just off the pace, and Jewel of a Cat has developed into a front-runner.

Joya Real, 6, found her calling last summer when trainer Kathleen DeMasi began sprinting her on turf. She won an optional claimer at Parx and the Fort Monmouth Stakes, then missed by a head in the $200,000 Turf Amazon at Parx despite breaking slowly.

Joya Real’s The Very One start marked her season debut. DeMasi said Joya Real’s training had been compromised by winter weather, but she thought Joya Real would run well. She was right.

Joya Real came flying in that race to finish three-quarters of a length behind the top sprinter Ageless. With that race behind her and two recent Parx works, Joya Real should be ready to give her best Sunday.

Key contenders

Joya Real (Last 3 Beyers: 93-91-86)

* Her close-from-the-clouds style makes things difficult, but she is 4-2-2-0 in her most recent races. Joe Bravo will be aboard for the first time.

Jewel of a Cat (Last 3 Beyers: 89-50-89)

* She will take this field a long way on the front end. Although post 1 is only 1 for 17 in turf sprints at this meet and posts 3, 4, and 5 are each 4 for 17, that is too small of a sample to affect my handicapping. If she breaks sharply, she can cut the corner from the chute to the backstretch and take the shortest path around.

* She went wire to wire to win the $75,000 Ladies Turf Sprint in February at Gulfstream Park for trainer Ben Perkins Jr.

Aquinnah (Last 3 Beyers: 91-84-81)

* Her stalking style will give jockey Trevor McCarthy lots of options from post 8.

* She won the $60,000 Sunset Stakes at Gulfstream in April for trainer Jane Cibelli.

Lady Shipman (Last 3 Beyers: 87-80-92)

* She is the most lightly raced entrant, having made just seven starts, and is the only 3-year-old in the field. This will be her first start against older runners. She is a three-time stakes winner.

* Five for seven in her career for Kathleen O’Connell, she is exceptionally fast and will test Jewel of a Cat on the front end.