Mott takes two swings in turf feature

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, in the midst of an outstanding meeting this winter at Gulfstream Park, will have two excellent chances of adding to his already impressive stats when sending out Alwayz Late and Runaway Rockette against six other 3-year-old fillies in Wednesday’s $52,000 allowance feature. Carded at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, the race shares top billing with a five-furlong turf dash with similar conditions that goes as the sixth event on a 10-race program.

Mott enters the week with 21 victories from 76 starters during the session, putting him fifth in the standings in total wins, fifth in purses earned, and second behind only Danny Gargan in win percentage at 28 percent.

Among the more recent of Mott’s 21 wins was a come-from-behind 1 1/4-length maiden special weight triumph on Feb. 14 by the steadily improving Alwayz Late, a well-bred daughter of Animal Kingdom, who earned a career-best 77 Beyer Speed Figure when making her 3-year-old debut. The win came in the fourth start and second at 1 1/16 miles for Alwayz Late, who figures to relish the extra distance she’ll have to work with when stepping up against winners.

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Runaway Rockette also enters the race with one win in four lifetime starts, her maiden victory coming in her turf debut going a mile last fall at Keeneland. She came out of that effort to finish second behind recent graded stakes winner Con Lima in her juvenile finale and local bow on Dec. 12. She was a bit of a disappointment kicking off the new year when sixth here Jan. 10.

The most intriguing member of the field is Lady Traveler, who tries grass for the first time off a late-running second-place finish in the Grade 3 Forward Gal at seven furlongs five weeks earlier. Trained by Dale Romans, Lady Traveler is by above-average turf sire Quality Road out of the mare Ask the Question and a half-sister to $2 million earner and multiple Grade 1 grass winner Heart to Heart, who captured the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf as a 7-year-old three seasons ago.

Traffic Lane, a winner of her only previous start on grass, figures to receive plenty of backing as the likely controlling speed from the rail for leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. and leading trainer Todd Pletcher. Staying the distance may be the big question for Traffic Lane, a daughter of Outwork, who makes her local debut while returning to the turf off a tiring fourth-place finish in the nine-furlong Busanda on Jan. 24 at Aqueduct.

The stakes-placed Double Blessed, exiting a maiden win going nine furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs in her 3-year-old bow, Marlborough Road, and Viburnum round out the well-matched lineup.

The speedy Field Day will make her first local appearance and should be the favorite in the sixth race while returning to turf off a third-place finish trying 5 1/2 furlongs over a sloppy track at Fair Grounds one month earlier. Trained by Brad Cox, Field Day owns far and away the highest Beyer Speed Figure in this lineup, an 84 posted for a second-place finish over the Fair Grounds turf course on Jan. 18.

Dr. Duke, a game maiden winner in her last start, should press the early issue from the rail, while the multiple stakes-placed Sky’s Not Falling will likely try to reel the leaders in from off the pace in her 3-year-old bow. No Que No, Rockstar Ro, and Mr Tingles complete the compact field.