OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Tom Morley hopes a midsummer break does for Paula’s a Star what it apparently has done for her male counterpart in the barn, One Nine Hundred. Paula’s a Star, who went 1 for 6 with a stakes placing against males as a 3-year-old, makes her 4-year-old debut in a first-level allowance race that goes as race 2 on Thursday’s 10-race Aqueduct program. Paula’s a Star, a 4-year-old daughter of Tapiture, showed more promise than she delivered in 2025. Morley put her away after a fifth-place finish in a first-level allowance race at Saratoga on Aug. 24. Morley had put away One Nine Hundred following a win in an allowance race at Saratoga last July. While One Nine Hundred ran well in defeat in his return, he came back with a solid allowance win that resulted in a 104 Beyer Speed Figure in his seasonal debut on Jan. 9. “I think these fast dirt sprinters can sometimes, when they’re real young, string together a handful of races before they need a bit of a break,” Morley said. “She wasn’t doing as well as she could be doing out of Saratoga.” Paula’s a Star got 45 days off before resuming training in the fall. “She’s been working fantastically. It’s a big, good group of fillies, but I’m excited to get her 4-year-old campaign started,” Morley said. “She’s bigger and stronger. We’ll find out Thursday if she’s faster.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Though Paula’s a Star is coming off a layoff and the weather has been quite difficult for training the last two weeks, Morley credited the job the New York Racing Association track maintenance crew has done with getting the Belmont Park training track in proper shape. “Hats off to NYRA. They have done everything possible to accommodate training in incredibly difficult circumstances,” Morley said. “They have produced a fantastic track to train over.” Bella Cleopatra is in from Florida for George Weaver, who was looking for a bit of an easier spot for the 4-yer-old filly’s return off a near 11-month layoff. Bella Cleopatra is a Florida-bred daughter of Vekoma who when last seen was finishing second to Win N Your In in a Florida-bred stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Win N Your In won an open allowance at Tampa on Jan. 7. Bella Cleopatra is catalogued in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale in Lexington on Feb. 9. Romantic Dancer, second in two races 14 days apart for trainer Rick Dutrow, is back in this field and gets the services of apprentice Yedsit Hazlewood. Trainer Linda Rice has the pair of Sarir and Will Not Be Swayed in this spot. Sarir was a length behind Romantic Dancer when both were well beaten by Lucille Ball in a Jan. 2 allowance. Will Not Be Swayed is coming off a starter-allowance win here on Dec. 31. Roman Grace and Soloshot complete the field. ◗ Merica’s Back and Fireballin give trainer Mike Maker a pair of top contenders in race 6, a New York-bred first-level allowance at six furlongs. Merica’s Back was beaten a neck in this condition with trouble on Dec. 7. Fireballin, unraced since a third to a pair of next-out winners last June 28, is newly gelded. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.