Mott sends Socially Selective north for the Interborough
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Bill Mott appears to have a surplus of talented female sprinters in his barn.
Three will be in action Saturday, two at Gulfstream Park in the Grade 2, $215,000 Inside Information Stakes, one at Aqueduct in the $150,000 Interborough Stakes. Of the three, the reason Mott chose to send Socially Selective to New York was quite logical.
“She’s never won a stakes,” Mott said. “I just thought that was a good spot.”
Indeed, Socially Selective could very well be the one to beat in the Interborough, which drew a field of seven but is expected to lose at least one horse as trainer Linda Rice said she plans to scratch Just Music.
Socially Selective, a 5-year-old daughter of Speightster, has three wins and three seconds from six career starts. In 2023, she finished second in the Purple Martin Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Last month, in her first start following a nine-month layoff, Socially Selective finished second, three-quarters of a length behind Mystic Lake, in the Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Mystic Lake is running in Saturday’s Inside Information against the Mott-trained pair of Nic’s Style and Sterling Silver.
“I thought it was great,” Mott said of Socially Selective’s race in the Sugar Swirl. “You had to like it. She got beat by a decent filly.”
Saturday, Socially Selective drew the outside post and will be ridden by Sahin Civaci. She has the speed to be on or sit just off the pace.
Dame Cinco, who has not been out since June, won her last two starts for trainer Rick Dutrow before going to the sidelines. Dame Cinco, who will be ridden by Lane Luzzi, has recorded five of her seven career wins at Aqueduct.
While Rice will scratch Just Music, she does plan to run St. Benedicts Prep, who will be making her third start of the month. On Jan. 2, St. Benedicts Prep won an allowance race at Aqueduct in front-running fashion. Last Saturday, St. Benedicts Prep came from off the pace and was beaten just a nose by Ms. Bucchero in the What a Summer Stakes at Laurel Park.
“It’s a small field, I think she looks very competitive in there, and we get to run on a track that she’s won on and be ridden by a rider that’s won on her,” Rice said.
Jose Lezcano rides St. Benedicts Prep from the rail.
Caldwell Luvs Gold, a winner of two New York-bred stakes, is coming off a half-length allowance win going seven furlongs on Dec. 12 at Aqueduct.
“I thought it was a really, really good run that she gave, dug in,” said Dustin Dugas, assistant to trainer Brad Cox. “Really happy with the way she’s coming into this.”
Luis Rivera Jr. rides Caldwell Luvs Gold from post 2.
Scalable, who won the Monmouth Oaks going 1 1/16 miles last summer, most recently finished third in the Grade 3 Comely on Nov. 30. She is cutting back to a one-turn race for the first time in seven starts.
Cara’s Time, winner of the Iroquois Stakes for New York-breds two starts back, completes the field.
The Interborough goes as race 3 on a nine-race card that begins at 12:40 p.m.
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