Little Huntress might make trip from Maryland for Ruthless Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – This Sunday, trainer Brittany Russell ships her talented 3-year-old colt Hello Hot Rod to New York for the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes. Next week, she may send up her talented 3-year-old filly Little Huntress to Aqueduct for the $100,000 Ruthless Stakes on Feb. 7.

Little Huntress, a daughter of Frosted, was a 14-length maiden winner on Dec. 27. The race was her second start, and it followed a narrow debut loss a month earlier.

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“Sometimes when they win like that it’s hard to tell what they beat,” Russell said. “We had a feeling that day she was going to show up and give us a big one. We thought first time it was an honorable effort – she was inside and got run down. She’s a big filly who we thought might need a run, and she definitely took a step forward off that first run.”

On Friday at Laurel, Little Huntress worked a half-mile in 48 seconds, the fastest of 15 drills at the distance. Russell said she is considering running Little Huntress in the Ruthless or the Wide Country Stakes on Feb. 13 at Laurel.

◗ Bella Aurora, the upset winner of the Interborough Stakes here Jan. 18, has been retired and will be bred to newly crowned Horse of the Year Authentic, trainer Michael Trombetta said Friday. Bella Aurora, a daughter of Carpe Diem owned by Country Life Farm, won 4 of 12 starts and banked $223,140.