Little Alexis gets more ground in Sunrise
Little Alexis has the goal of a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and the bit of added ground she picks up Sunday at Gulfstream Park in the $60,000 Sunrise could help the talented runner nail down her first victory of the year.
Little Alexis will be moving to 6 1/2 furlongs one start after finishing a fast-closing second in the $60,000 Orange Blossom Handicap over six furlongs at Gulfstream.
“I’m happy the race is going to be 6 1/2 furlongs,” said trainer Carlo Vaccarezza. “It’s a little too short for her, the six furlongs.”
Little Alexis should go favored in a field of seven fillies and mares that includes Best Behavior, who was fifth in the Grade 2 Inside Information at Gulfstream last out, and Joann’s Wildcat, who had won three straight races leading up to her fifth-place finish in last month’s Orange Blossom.
Sunrise Stakes, race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Little Alexis (Last 3 Beyers: 87-74-86)
◗ She is a winner at the Sunrise distance, having captured the $75,000 Cash Run last July at Gulfstream.
◗ Little Alexis brings the best company lines into the Sunrise. She was third to Sweet Reason in last year’s Grade 1 Test at Saratoga, fourth to eventual champion Untapable in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx, and ninth to eventual champion Judy the Beauty in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint.
“She’s a quality filly,” said Vaccarezza, who also is the principal owner of Little Alexis through Little Dreams Racing. “If things go well Sunday, we have a few options, like the Princess Rooney and the Ballerina. We’ll try to [target] some Win and You’re In races and go to the big dance. But she’s the one who’s going to tell me where we need to point her based on the way she performs.”
◗ Vaccarezza looks for a strong performance Sunday given the effort from Little Alexis in the Orange Blossom, a race in which she checked twice, he said, and was only beaten a length. It was her first race since the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 1.
“I think she will run big,” he said. “She’s doing excellent.”
Best Behavior (Last 3 Beyers: 67-66-91)
◗ She was part of the pace early in the Inside Information and will be shortening up some in distance from the seven-furlong race run March 21.
◗ Best Behavior boasts a 4-for-10 record over the main track at Gulfstream, among her wins the $108,000 Glass Slipper on Dec. 6.