Lady Edith due for better luck in Floral Park
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Lady Edith has lost her last three starts, but one couldn’t say she’s run poorly in any of them.
“She’s been a bit unlucky,” trainer Christophe Clement said.
Clement hopes a change of venue and a change of rider changes Lady Edith’s luck Sunday when she heads a seven-horse field entered in the $150,000 Floral Park Stakes going six furlongs over the outer turf course at Aqueduct.
Lady Edith encountered traffic in the Intercontinental and Caress – both Grade 3 stakes – and then was wide in the Smart N Fancy at Saratoga. Her combined margin of defeat in those three races was 3 1/4 lengths.
Lady Edith, a 4-year-old daughter of Street Boss, will have a new rider Sunday, with Joel Rosario replacing Trevor McCarthy. Lady Edith breaks from post 2.
“She’s a little bit tough to ride because she’s a little bit anxious, but I like her,” Clement said. “If she could switch off a little bit mentally, she could reach the level we’re looking for.”
Clement won last year’s Floral Park with Too Sexy, who will be looking for a repeat victory. Too Sexy has only run twice this year, most recently finishing seventh in the Smart N Fancy at Saratoga going 5 1/2 furlongs.
“I’ve been trying to run her six furlongs,” Clement said. “She’s much better six than five and a half.”
Dylan Davis rides from post 3.
The New York-bred Kept Waiting enters the Floral Park off a three-quarter-length victory in an open-company third-level allowance on Sept. 29 at Aqueduct. Prior to that, she finished seventh, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by a loose-on-the-lead Robin Sparkles, in the Caress at Saratoga.
“Five and a half at Saratoga was too short for her, they just go too fast up front for her,” trainer Robert Falcone Jr. said.
The allowance was six furlongs, a distance at which she is 2 for 2 on the Aqueduct turf, including an allowance win last December. Kept Waiting also is 3 for 3 with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard. Ortiz rides Sunday.
Falcone is hopeful Kept Waiting’s stalking style gives her an advantage over the late-running Lady Edith.
“If she runs her race we’ll get the jump on her,” Falcone said. “She’s got to go around us.”
Trainer Michael Trombetta has the uncoupled entry of Spun Glass and Can’t Buy Love entered in the Floral Park. Spun Glass has won three of her last four, including restricted stakes at Laurel Park and Colonial Downs. Can’t Buy Love won a second-level allowance at Aqueduct in April, but is winless in five starts since.
Igloo, trained by Jonathan Thomas, set the pace and was third in the License Fee Stakes on May 1 at Belmont Park. She hasn’t run since a fourth-place finish in a second-level allowance June 22 at Delaware Park.
Queen Sheba, on the also-eligible list for an allowance here Saturday, was entered back in this spot. Frank’s Rockette heads a trio of horses entered for the main track.
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