Lynch, Pletcher send fillies south for Our Dear Peggy Stakes
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It will be several weeks before trainers Brian Lynch and Todd Pletcher ship the bulk of their stables south for the winter. But the two northern-based horsemen have sent in a couple of promising 2-year-old fillies likely to vie for favoritism going a mile on turf Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the $75,000 Our Dear Peggy Stakes.
Lynch will be represented in the Our Dear Peggy by the undefeated Storm’s Wake. Pletcher will counter with Miss Picky, who gets some class relief after finishing a tiring 10th earlier this month in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at Aqueduct.
Storm’s Wake is perfect in two starts, having won her debut going 5 1/2 furlongs over turf on Aug. 24 at Ellis Park and an entry-level allowance race against males when stretching out to a mile at Churchill Downs five weeks later. She rallied to narrow decisions, winning her races by margins of a half-length and a head, respectively.
“She’s 2 for 2 and certainly on the right track,” said Lynch, who trained Storm’s Wake’s four-time Grade 1-winning sire Oscar Performance. “She’s a filly who touted herself from the get-go and was able to get it done the first time.
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“There weren’t a lot of options for her against fillies after that, so we ran her against the boys. She showed a new dimension by coming from far back and was able to put her head down on the wire at the right time.”
Lynch said he also didn’t have many options for his filly’s stakes debut, which is what ultimately led him to send Storm’s Wake south for the Our Dear Peggy.
“There was a race for her at Aqueduct, but you take the chance of running into bad weather,” Lynch said. “We winter base down there anyway, so she can go straight to her barn at Palm Meadows after she runs Saturday.”
Nik Juraez, who has been aboard Storm’s Wake in both starts, will travel to South Florida to keep his regular seat aboard the filly.
Miss Picky, a Repole Stable homebred by Uncle Mo, has made all three of her starts on turf, winning her maiden in wire-to-wire fashion by four lengths at second asking on Aug. 29 at Saratoga. That performance prompted Pletcher to give her a graded stakes opportunity in the Miss Grillo. Miss Picky prompted the early running before tiring.
Vita Mia is the most accomplished of the local contingent, having registered a win and two seconds in her last three starts. She finished second, beaten less than a length, as the 6-5 favorite in the one-mile Hallandale Beach on Sept. 26. Vita Mia will be trying to transfer her good form to the grass, as the daughter of Engage will be making her turf debut.
Spirit Doll is another who will be trying grass for the first time. Like Miss Picky, she won her maiden at Saratoga, overcoming an eventful trip to register a popular victory going six furlongs over the main track when launching her career Aug. 7. In her only other start, Spirit Doll was eased to the wire after showing brief speed in the Grade 1 Spinaway.
Spirit Doll is one of two fillies trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. entered in the race along with Dandona, a game and very popular winner at first asking going a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta here Aug. 31. Dandona is by Tiz the Law and a half-sister to Spartan Queen, who has registered a win and four seconds in eight starts on turf.
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