More Than a Party to stalk in Ana T. Handicap

More Than a Party will retire to the breeding shed at the end of the current season. But the stakes-winning New Jersey-bred showed she’s not ready to call it a career just yet after defeating a good group of allowance horses in her last start.

More Than a Party will try to add another stakes win to her résumé as the starting highweight and likely favorite in Friday’s $50,000 Ana T. Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The seven-furlong overnight stakes for fillies and mares could serve as a prep for the Grade 2 Princess Rooney on July 1.

First post Friday is 2:15 p.m. Eastern.

More Than a Party, a homebred daughter of More Than Ready owned by Richard Malouf and trainer Eddie Broome, has won 8 of her 20 starts. She was sidelined for nine months while recuperating from a knee chip suffered last spring in defense of her title in Monmouth Park’s Open Mind Stakes, and has shown steady improvement in her three starts since returning to the races in February.

“The first time I brought her back, I ran her on the turf because there wasn’t anything else for her,” Broome said. “The second time, she stumbled badly out of the gate and grabbed a quarter, but ran a pretty good race to be third, all things considered. Last time, everything worked out perfect. I was a little worried about the seven-eighths because it was her first time she’d ever gone that far on dirt, but she got to sit outside the other speed horse and was actually pulling away from her at the end.”

More Than a Party will carry 120 pounds in the Ana T., conceding from 2 to 9 pounds to her seven rivals.

Concealedwithakiss was the inside speed in More Than a Party’s last race. On Friday she will get to break outside More Than a Party. Concealedwithakiss, a 10-time winner, is expected to vie for the early lead with Balada, who steps up off a wire-to-wire 5 3/4-length conditioned-claiming victory over a wet track four weeks ago and breaks from the rail.

An honest pace would enhance the chances of late-running Lirica, who rallied to defeat mid-level starter allowance foes going seven furlongs May 17, and Patriotic Diamond, who makes her first start since December.

Miss Away, who matched her career-best Beyer Speed Figure finishing second against optional-claiming opposition in her last start, figures to attract plenty of support and is another who’ll likely be lurking just off the early leaders. She owns a win at the distance.

:: Get PPs for Friday's card at Gulfstream Park

Key Contenders

More Than a Party, by More Than Ready
Last 3 Beyers: 81-73-68

◗ Although she engaged in an early duel with Concealedwithakiss in her last start, Broome said he told jockey Luca Panici he’d like to have her back a bit off the pace Friday.

“I’m hoping the inside horse and Concealedwithakiss will go and that Luca can get her to the outside and just sit right off those two early,” Broome said. “She’s already proven she can win from off the pace if need be.”

Concealedwithakiss, by Political Force
Last 3 Beyers: 78-70-58

◗ She’s winless in five starts since opening the year with a 3 1/4-length starter allowance win at seven furlongs Jan. 22.