My Girl Corey back for more in Treasure Coast Handicap

Anyone looking for a real handicapping challenge, and the potential for some juicy payoffs, need look no further than Saturday’s $50,000 Treasure Coast Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The one-mile overnight stakes on turf drew a full field of 14 fillies and mares led by the Marty Wolfson-trained duo of 122-pound highweight Inside Out and her uncoupled stablemate King’s Ghost.

Although the Wolfson duo figures to attract considerable support, there is a laundry list of other contenders led by My Girl Corey, a popular winner of a pair of races over the local turf course last winter for trainer Chad Brown and now back in south Florida in the barn of Ralph Nicks.

My Girl Corey rallied from midpack to capture a statebred optional-claiming race in her 2017 debut, then returned seven weeks later and came from much farther behind to defeat a good field of entry-level-allowance types by nearly five widening lengths on March 18.

“She’s a Florida-bred and is probably a notch under what’s running in New York right now,” Nicks said when asked what brings My Girl Corey back from New York for the summer. “She’s settled back in here fine and is doing real well. The key on Saturday will obviously be the pace and especially the trip with 14 of them in there.”

Inside Out fell just short with her furious late bid to finish second, beaten a half-length by Susie Bee, in the Christmas Past Stakes in her most recent appearance May 27 while continuing to maintain top form over her last four starts.

King’s Ghost joined Wolfson’s stable after being privately purchased following an allowance win at Fair Grounds last winter. She also exits a sharp effort, a popular neck victory under high-level starter-allowance conditions on June 17.

Royal Jewely and Temple Fur, second and third behind King’s Ghost last month, will get another crack at that rival in the Treasure Coast. Royal Jewely set the pace before succumbing grudgingly that day, while Temple Fur split rivals turning for home before coming up a bit short with her final bid.

Mizz Money is a Grade 3 winner coming off her best performance in more than a year when rallying to a popular second-level optional-claiming win in her local debut. But she’s been idle since that outing on May 19 and figures to be compromised by having drawn the far-outside No. 14 post.

The speedy R Kinsley Doll figures to keep the pace honest but is a giant question mark while trying turf for the first time. R. Kinsley Doll is by the top dirt sprinter Big Drama. Her dam, Honest Gold, finished off the board in all three of her turf starts and has yet to produce a winner over the surface.

KEY CONTENDERS

Inside Out, by Colonel John
Last 3 Beyers: 87-83-85

◗ The Christmas Past turned out to be a key race, with third- and fourth-place finishers Somethingelse and Bitacora returning to run first and second several weeks later in the Ginger Punch Stakes and King’s Ghost, an also-ran, bouncing back to win her next start as well.

My Girl Corey, by Warrior’s Reward
Last 3 Beyers: 84-84-91

◗ She finished fifth in her last start June 1 at Belmont Park while competing under second-level allowance/optional-claiming conditions and facing stakes-caliber competition, including race winner Off Limits, who has placed in stakes.