Monmouth's Blue Sparkler a good spot for D'wild Ride

OCEANPORT, N.J. − A win by D’wild Ride in the $75,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes for filly and mare sprinters Sunday at Monmouth Park would be a get-well card for trainer Joe Orseno after his recent back surgery.

Orseno was moving about remarkably well Friday morning, only two weeks after undergoing a procedure to repair a herniated disc that impinged a nerve.

“They said the nerve was a little angry, but it will come back,” Orseno said.

Friday was Orseno’s first official day back, although he admits to sneaking over a few mornings to watch his horses train, including D’wild Ride.

A 6-year-old mare, D’wild Ride has earned $534,266 in 35 career starts. She has a history of running well at Monmouth, going 2-3-3 in nine starts here. This will be her second start of the meet; she finished third here in the Red Cross Stakes on May 29.

“It’s a good spot for her,” Orseno said. “She took the worst of it the last time she ran. There was a little pushing and shoving going on leaving the gate, and it kind of took her out of her game.”

Orseno said D’wild Ride is “coming up to a good race” and pointed to her half-mile breeze in 47.80 seconds June 19.

The major negative could be another inside post. D’wild Ride drew the rail against six rivals in the six-furlong race with Mike Luzzi set to ride

“She has tactical speed,” Orseno said. “We can kind of do what we want with her. We’ll just see how the track is playing that day and what we want to do.”

The field also includes Bronx City Girl and Feel That Fire, the second- and sixth-place finishers in the Red Cross.

Dances With Ashley comes off the turf, and Vindy City makes her first start since March on the inner track at Aqueduct.

Catch a Thief kept very tough company in her last two races for trainer Tim Hills. She was a distant third behind Awesome Maria in the Grade 3 Sabin at Gulfstream Park in February. That victory was the start of Awesome Maria’s four-stakes winning streak, which includes the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps last weekend. Catch a Thief then finished fourth to Tar Heel Mom, a multiple graded stakes winner, in an overnight event at Belmont Park.