Mythical finds ideal spot in Jersey Girl Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mythical, whose six career stakes wins include easy victories at Saratoga a year ago in the Tremont and Grade 3 Adirondack, figures to go postward a strong choice on Thursday to add to her already impressive résumé in the $175,000 Jersey Girl Stakes. The 3-year-old filly fixture will be decided at six furlongs and lured a field of six that also includes the once-beaten Carmel Coast and stakes winner Goodall.

Mythical won 5 of 6 starts at 2, including the Tremont and Adirondack by a combined margin of 6 3/4 lengths. She suffered her lone setback of the year when finishing a tiring fifth stretching out to seven furlongs for the first time and disputing a torrid pace in the Grade 1 Spinaway.

Mythical, an Arindel homebred by St Patrick’s Day, launched her 3-year-old season on a disappointing note when trapped on a dead rail, again going seven furlongs, in the Grade 3 Forward Gal at Gulfstream Park. She bounced back nicely out of that race, turning back to six furlongs to prove an easy winner of both the Any Limit and Sophomore Fillies Sprint. She showed the ability to rate off the early leaders in both races.

“She obviously likes the track at Saratoga, and the distance of this race is what really made it so attractive,” said Brian Cohen, Arindel’s president and the son of owner Alan Cohen. “At six furlongs, we just think she’s really, really tough.”

Mythical has spent the past month prepping for the Jersey Girl with trainer Jorge Delgado at Monmouth Park, where she’s turned in a series of works that include a bullet three furlongs last Friday in 35.40 seconds.

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“Jorge tells me she’s just jumping out of her skin right now she’s so sharp, and everything just sets up so well for her in this spot,” Cohen said. “She’s got a good post, and this track usually favors speed when it first opens each year, and although she’s settled nicely just off the pace in her last couple of races, I’d be surprised if she doesn’t jump right out of there, breaking on the outside, and wasn’t right up front from the start.”

Carmel Coast, like Mythical, has already shown a fondness for the local strip, having launched her career here with a very impressive 5 1/2-length maiden victory last August for which she earned an 86 Beyer Speed Figure. She was overmatched after engaging in an early pace duel in the Grade 1 Frizette in her only other start at 2 before rebounding in a big way to open her 3-year-old campaign, capturing an allowance by two lengths on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Goodall will shorten in distance and get a little class relief while looking to rebound from a disappointing fifth-place finish when stretching to seven furlongs for the first time in the Grade 2 Eight Belles on May 1 at Churchill Downs. In her previous start, the Steve Asmussen-trained Goodall posted a 94 Beyer when drawing off to a 4 1/2-length victory in the six-furlong Purple Martin Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Paige Turner, second best behind Carmel Coast last month in Kentucky, will attempt to avenge that setback in a Jersey Girl lineup that also includes recent Delaware Park maiden winner Irish Jig and Oscar Bound.

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