Lynbrook Stakes lures unproven group of fillies
ELMONT, N.Y. – It’s billed as a stakes race, but Sunday’s $125,000 Lynbrook for New York-bred juvenile fillies looks more like a rich maiden race.
Four of the six fillies entered for the six-furlong race are maidens, and three are making their career debuts. Of the two winners, Harlan’s Honor is running back nine days after winning an open-company maiden race at Monmouth, while Jiggin Witit comes off a maiden victory going five furlongs over the synthetic surface at Presque Isle Downs.
Wonder Gal, one of the first-time starters, was purchased for $210,000 by Jeff Treadway out of the Ocala Breeders’ Sale Co.’s March 2-year-old sale and turned over to Leah Gyarmati to train. She is a daughter of Tiz Wonderful – who stands for $7,500 – out of Social Queen, who won multiple Grade 3 turf stakes.
“She’s really well put together, she’s a big, beautiful filly, and she’s trained like a nice filly, too,” said Gyarmati, who last year won the Grade 1 Spinaway with Sweet Reason for Treadway. “She’s had some nice works. She’s very, very intelligent and a classy-acting filly.”
Gyarmati said that considering how few New York-bred maiden races have filled at this meet, she thought this race “would be like a maiden race for a bigger purse.”
Taylor Rice rides from post 6.
The first-time starter Saluda, trained by Michael Dilger, is a daughter of Congaree who sold for $70,000 at last summer’s Saratoga yearling sale. She is out of the winless dam Pronto Pronto, who is a half-sister to the multiple graded stakes-winning New York-bred mare Agave Kiss.
Dilger, who had success last year with the 2-year-old New York-bred male Wired Bryan, said the short field, big purse, and the chance to get stakes-placed early were factors in deciding to run in this spot.
Dilger is not thrilled that Saluda has to break from the rail but noted, “She’s been a good gate horse in the morning; she’ll definitely be quick away from there.”
Jessica’s Ride, another firster, shows solid works over the synthetic surface at Fair Hill for trainer James Lawrence, including a half-mile move in 47.40 seconds Wednesday.
“She exploded in that work, gave me the confidence to go in that spot,” Lawrence said. “I definitely believe it’s worth taking a shot.”
Harlan’s Honor beat open company just nine days ago at Monmouth for trainer Cal Lynch, who has a gaudy 34 percent win rate on the year. Lynch said it’s “not ideal” running Harlan’s Honor back on such short rest but added, “That race didn’t take as much out of her as I thought it would.”
Jiggin Witit, a daughter of Afleet Express, finished sixth in her debut at Presque Isle but was one of four horses to come out of that race and win their next start. Amalia Cox rides from post 4.
Accelebrate, a half-sister to three winners, finished second in her debut at Delaware Park on June 19.