Large field likely for Princess Rooney; small cast for Smile Sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher has never been a big fan of the Summit of Speed and typically has declined to ship horses from New York to South Florida to compete in the event amid the summer heat.

But one perk of his decision to keep a string stabled locally following the Gulfstream Park championship meet is that he already has horses acclimated to the hot conditions. A case in point is My Miss Tapit, who will run in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney, the highlight of the Summit of Speed card on June 30 and a Win and You’re In event for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

My Miss Tapit is a lightly raced but promising 4-year-old filly who is perfect in her three starts at Gulfstream Park. She returned from an eight-month layoff to score a 6 3/4-length allowance win here April 18.

“We decided to keep her down there and point for this race after her last win,” said Pletcher, who won the 2008 Princess Rooney with Game Face. “She obviously loves that track, runs well fresh, and it looks like a good opportunity to get some black type on her résumé. Winning the race and getting the Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup would just be a bonus.”

My Miss Tapit has been working regularly at Palm Beach Downs since her allowance victory and will be ridden once again by Tyler Gaffalione.

My Miss Tapit and stablemate Ivy Bell were among the 22 fillies and mares nominated to the seven-furlong Princess Rooney, a list topped by Curlin’s Approval, who won this race impressively last year. Among the other prominent nominees is the Brad Cox-trained pair of Golden Mischief and Pinch Hit, along with the Ron Moquett-conditioned trio of Swing and Sway, Torrent, and Treble. Cox won the 2016 Princess Rooney with Spelling Again.

“We’ll definitely send one of our three down there,” said Moquett, who, like Cox, is stabled at Churchill Downs. “The Win and You’re In is very appealing to us.”

Moquett said Swing and Sway is probably the least likely of the three to ship since she’s a New York-bred and has opportunities there.

“Treble looks like she’s rounding back to her best form at the present time, while Torrent is a weird trip or two away from being a multiple graded stakes winner,” he said.

Treble breezed four furlongs in 48.40 seconds at the Churchill Downs training center on Wednesday, her first work since finishing second in the Grade 3 Winning Colors at Churchill Downs on May 26.

The multiple stakes winner Ms Locust Point already has shipped here for the Princess Rooney, while She Takes Heart earned herself a start in the race with a sizzling five-furlong work in 58.76 seconds at Gulfstream last Saturday.

The imposing presence of X Y Jet likely will lead to a short field for the Grade 3 Smile Sprint, which lost its Win and You’re In status for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint this year. X Y Jet is coming off a second-place finish behind Mind Your Biscuits in the Dubai Golden Shaheen and has won his last five starts at Gulfstream Park, including a trio of graded stakes.

The locally based duo of Classic Rock and Mo Cash, who is now trained by Aubrey Maragh, are expected to run, while Chief Cicatriz could make the trip from Kentucky, according to racing officials. Chief Cicatriz has won three of his last four starts and is coming off his best performance, a 6 1/4-length triumph in the Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs earlier this month.

The Princess Rooney and Smile Sprint are the highlights of the Summit of Speed card, which also includes the Carry Back for 3-year-olds, the Azalea for 3-year-old fillies, and the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint. Entries will be taken next Wednesday.