Nancysaidso figures to be top choice in 2-year-old allowance

One downside to having precocious 2-year-olds winning maiden races early in the season is the long wait to get them back into action again. That wait finally ends for South Florida-based maiden winners on Thursday with the first non-maiden event of the year for juveniles, a 5 1/2-furlong optional-claiming dash that lured a field of six fillies to vie for a $47,000 purse.

Nancysaidso figures to be a prohibitive favorite for trainer Michael Yates exiting a wire-to-wire 5 1/2-length victory over Catherinethegreat, who flattered the effort in her next start with arguably the most impressive maiden win of the meet, for which she received an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.

Nancysaidso finished second after setting the pace in each of her first two starts before her breakthrough performance on May 26. That day, Yates gave the homebred daughter of Cajun Breeze the full makeover, both Lasix and blinkers. She also stretched out to five furlongs for the first time while racing over a sloppy track.

“All of the above,” said Yates, when asked if it was the blinkers, Lasix, or added distance that propelled Nancysaidso to her impressive maiden win. “And naturally it really made me feel good to see that filly we beat come back and run such a big race like she did.”

Nancysaidso has been in front from the outset in all three of her races, but Yates said he doesn’t believe she needs the lead to be effective. Emisael Jaramillo, aboard for the maiden win, rides Nancysaidso on Thursday.

“I actually put her behind two horses when I worked her prior to her first start,” Yates recalled. “She also got trapped down on the rail by another pair of workers from another barn who broke off at the same time. She ate a lot of dirt, and when she finally came through on the inside near the eighth pole, she really took off. She’s quick, so I’m sure she’ll leave there quickly on Thursday and I’ll just leave it up to Emisael after that.”

Yates, like several with horses in the field, is using Thursday’s race as a prep for the upcoming Florida Sire Stakes series, which kicks off next month with the $100,000 Desert Vixen for 2-year-old fillies.

“I’m definitely using this race as a stepping-stone for the Sire series,” said Yates. “I’m pretty excited about her and I don’t think the added distances in the series will be any problem. In fact, I think it will be to her favor.”

Yates has had considerable success with his babies this year. He’ll also have maiden winner Cajun Embers among the favorites in Friday’s main event, which has similar conditions to Thursday’s feature and drew six colts and geldings.

“I wanted to have as many of my 2-year-olds ready early, to get some racing into them prior to the Sire Stakes,” said Yates. “For young horses, nothing beats experience and seasoning.”

Nancysaidso is one of only two members of the field to have won going farther than 4 1/2 furlongs. The other is Snowzilla, an Arindel homebred, who captured her maiden at second asking under a $50,000 claiming tag on May 31.

The remainder of the lineup comprises Sweetsweetsweet, C. A. C. Chaquira, First Time Proud, and Global Beauty Coco. All six starters in the race are Florida-breds.