Miss Mary Nell finally gets some softer company

Miss Mary Nell, a 3-year-old filly trained by Carlos David, has spent the last two months squeezing water from stone against daunting Florida-based rivals. She may finally catch a break as the likely favorite in a $57,000 allowance on Friday at Gulfstream Park.

After two straight victories earlier this year, David reluctantly entered his filly against male runners in a $58,000 allowance in May, where she was a well-beaten runner-up behind Iron Hand, who won his next start as well, completing a four-race streak on synthetic for trainer Jose D’Angelo.

In June, Miss Mary Nell switched to turf for the $75,000 Martha Washington, where she outran her 14-1 odds as the runner-up behind two-time stakes winner Starship Impulsive. The Steven Dwoskin filly has not trailed a step in her last three starts and left Miss Mary Nell well behind in the race for second that day.

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It’s certainly been tough sledding for David’s filly lately, but in Friday’s race there won’t be any local juggernauts or rising stars. Miss Mary Nell will be the one to beat, a clear standout in the field of six fillies. She will cut back slightly to a mile and 70 yards on synthetic, the conditions for all three of her victories since December.

“Filly’s doing good,” David said. “She ran good in the stakes behind the favorite after running second against the boys the time before. I expect her to win this race.”

Three others in the allowance field on Friday have stakes experience, but they have all finished behind Miss Mary Nell the last time she faced each of them.

Special Aviator, winner of the $75,000 Our Dear Peggy in her second career start, has not won a race in six starts since for trainer Rohan Crichton. After coming up a head short behind Miss Mary Nell in April, she had her own encounter with Starship Impulsive in the $80,000 Honey Ryder, finishing six lengths behind in fifth. She was the 7-5 favorite in a first-level allowance/optional claimer last month but finished fourth.

Starship Melody, a filly trained by Heather Smullen, also lost a photo to Miss Mary Nell in March before winning a statebred allowance in April. She met David’s filly again in the Martha Washington last time out and finished fifth.

La Gioconda has not won since her October 2024 debut, but the Gustavo Delgado filly has made solid efforts on all three surfaces. In March, she was a distant third-place finisher in the $110,000 Sophomore Fillies on dirt at Tampa Bay Downs. The month before, she finished well behind Miss Mary Nell in a statebred allowance on synthetic, her last start on the Gulfstream Tapeta.

Miss Mary Nell also will have the chance to welcome a pair of newcomers to the division Friday. R Pretty Kitty will make her first start on synthetic for Saffie Joseph Jr. after two starts on dirt, while Bojaca Blessing will return to the surface for D’Angelo after winning a maiden special weight on turf last time out.

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