Merry Meadow targets third straight stakes win in Hurricane Bertie

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – South Florida obviously agrees with Merry Meadow.

Trainer Mark Hennig’s decision to stable Merry Meadow at Gulfstream Park for the first time this winter already has paid big dividends. Merry Meadow will seek her third straight stakes victory since shipping down from New York last fall when going postward as the favorite against six other fillies and mares in Saturday’s $150,000 Hurricane Bertie. The Grade 3 dash will be decided at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Merry Meadow, a 5-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes, won the Sky Beauty at Gulfstream Park West in her south Florida debut, then turned in an even bigger effort when rallying to a 1 1/4-length decision over Wildcat Lily in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl here Dec. 13. Both of those races were at six furlongs, although Hennig believes Merry Meadow is even better at the 6 1/2-furlong distance of the Hurricane Bertie.

“Six furlongs sometimes comes up a little short for her and seven furlongs a little long,” said Hennig. “I anticipate this distance will be right in her wheelhouse. When we came down to Florida, the idea was to run her a couple of times down here, and the spacing was good between this race and her last. She does well with time between races.”

Merry Meadow stalked a contested pace to win the Sugar Swirl and figures to get a similar setup Saturday, with Wildcat Lily and More Than a Party likely to square off early.

More Than a Party has won her last two starts, both under optional-claiming conditions, by a combined margin of 10 3/4 lengths while posting a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure in her most recent start.

Wildcat Lily wheels back on just nine days’ rest off an easy 9 1/2-length starter-allowance win but loses her regular jockey, Paco Lopez, who has jumped ship to ride More Than a Party for trainer Eddie Broome.

The Marty Wolfson-trained pair of Centrique and My Pal Chrisy, along with the outsiders Streethomealabama and Galiana, complete the lineup.

:: DRF Live: Watch live handicapping analysis of Saturday’s biggest races, starting at 12:30 Eastern

Key contenders

Merry Meadow (Last 3 Beyers: 97-86-87)

* She must concede four pounds to the rest of the field under the allowance conditions of the Hurricane Bertie.

* She sizzled in a bullet half-mile in 47 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Jan. 31.

“I wanted her to go in 48 or 48 and change, but when she broke off, two horses broke off about four lengths behind her,” said Hennig. “She knew they were there, so she worked more aggressively than normal.”

More Than a Party (Last 3 Beyers: 98-96-83)

* Begins from the rail for the third race in a row and the fourth time in her last five starts, but she’s had no issue with the post, breaking well enough to win each of her three starts while wearing the red saddle towel.

Wildcat Lily (Last 3 Beyers: 95-77-94)

* Matched her career-best Beyer last time but is winless in 13 starts at distances of 6 1/2 furlongs or beyond.

Centrique (Last 3 Beyers: 88-73-85)

* Has turned into the scourge of the starter-allowance ranks after finishing off the board in each of her last three stakes tries, which included a fifth-place finish following a troubled beginning in the Sugar Swirl.

My Pal Chrisy (Last 3 Beyers: 55-86-90)

* Comes off a much-needed outing after being sidelined due to a bout of colic, finishing far back in the Sunshine Millions Distaff while making her first start in 10 months.