Little Journey gets class relief in Boiling Springs Stakes

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Little Journey and My Miss Sophia find easier spots Monday at Monmouth Park. The Labor Day card features 11 races starting at 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

Little Journey drops into the Grade 3, $100,000 Boiling Springs Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf.

My Miss Sophia also finds softer company after battling Grade 1 fillies in her last two outings, including a second-place finish to Untapable in the Kentucky Oaks.

The lone 3-year-old in the field, My Miss Sophia headlines the $75,000 Lady’s Secret for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
The Boiling Springs, originally scheduled for Saturday, did not initially fill. It was brought back for Monday and attracted eight fillies going 1 1/8 miles. One of a number of former Meadowlands Racetrack stakes that now reside at Monmouth, the Boiling Springs should be an ideal fit for the French-bred Little Journey.

This will be her third start in the United States for trainer Chad Brown. Two starts back, she was third in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita and most recently ran seventh in the Grade 2 Lake George at Saratoga.

Little Journey is the only filly in the race with graded stakes experience.

Mary n’ Eileen owns the distinction of being the only U.S. stakes winner in the race, although it came against Indiana-breds last month in the First Lady Stakes. It was the third straight win for the only locally based filly in the field.

Trainer Pat McBurney didn’t have the Boiling Springs on his radar screen for Mary n’ Eileen but reconsidered when the race was rescheduled. This would be the first grass start for the daughter of Indy King.

“She doesn’t have a great turf number [258 on the Tomlinson ratings], but there is some turf in the family,” McBurney said. “We may scratch, as the race got bigger and tougher than we thought. But there was no other race around for her to run in before going back to Indiana in October, so it might be a nice spot to try turf in our own backyard. And there is rain in the forecast, and that would really help us.”
In the Lady’s Secret, My Miss Sophia holds the class edge with her Grade 1 experience.

McBurney sends out Lucky Rag Doll, who has a few advantages of her own. The 4-year-old is graded stakes-placed over the track, with thirds in last year’s Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks and in the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher in July.

“She’s graded-placed twice now, so to win a stakes race would help her as a broodmare when her career is done,” McBurney said. “She could not be doing any better, and she gets to play in her own backyard.”

Lady’s Secret (race 9)

Key contenders

My Miss Sophia (Last 3 Beyers: 69-100-93)

* Finds a softer spot after consecutive Grade 1 stakes.

* Breezed four times at Saratoga in August in preparation for her first start since running poorly in the Acorn on the Belmont Stakes undercard as the 4-5 choice.

Lucky Rag Doll (Last 3 Beyers: 72-85-65)

* She holds the home-court advantage, as nine of her 11 starts have come here, including all three victories.

Boiling Springs (race 10)

Key contenders

Little Journey (Last 3 Beyers: 79-80-83)

* She looks to rebound from a disappointing seventh in the Grade 2 Lake George at Saratoga. The class drop here should spark a revival.

* Her two career victories came in France at this 1 1/8-mile distance.

Mary n’ Eileen (Last 3 Beyers: 78-80-68)

* She beat Indiana-breds last time out, making her the only winner of a U.S. stakes in the field.