My Honeychild seeks to build on strong debut

EAST BOSTON, Mass. - On Monday, Anthony Spadea saw Jini's Jet, the promising 3-year-old Massachusetts-bred colt he owns in partnership with Christine Wallace, prance home the easiest kind of winner at 1-10 in the $25,000 Massachusetts Derby. On Saturday, Spadea will again own a strong favorite in a Mass-bred stakes race as My Honeychild, the 2-year-old filly he owns in partnership with Joel K. Logan, looks to make her record 2 for 2 in the $25,000 Amelia Peabody Stakes.

My Honeychild is one of two winners in the field of seven fillies, all registered Mass-breds, that will contest the Peabody's six furlongs. The field includes three first-time starters and two maidens. My Honeychild is the co-topweight at 118 pounds and Dyn Panell will ride.

Spadea and Logan purchased My Honeychild as a yearling for $6,250 from Bill Sienkewicz. Although extremely small in stature, which is why she was inexpensive, the bay is long on determination. She showed that desire in mid-October when she outran a field of open maidens to win her debut by over two lengths in the good time of 1:13 for six furlongs.

A daughter of Stalwart and the Sham mare Tristam Baby, My Honeychild is a half-sister to Oh Sham Baby, who won last year's Peabody.

"We geared her campaign for this race," Spadea said. "Karl [Grusmark, her trainer] has babied her to give her time. She's grown and filled out but she's still small. After this race we're going to turn her out for the winter and give her a chance to grow."

My Honeychild will be fitted with blinkers in the Peabody because Grusmark felt she was trying to bear out in her win. Last week she worked a bullet five furlongs from the gate in 1:02, showing the added equipment didn't affect her speed.

The other winner in the Peabody is Repeat After Me, bred, trained, and owned by former New England mainstay Lori Smock, who now campaigns in the Midwest. Repeat After Me comes in from Hoosier Park where last month she scored over $10,000 maidens in her sixth start.

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