North County looking at Silverbulletday or Rachel Alexandra next
No, she has not run especially fast, and yes, she has been fairly fortunate, but the filly North County comes into her 3-year-old season a stakes winner who is unbeaten after three starts.
She will risk that record at Fair Grounds in the Jan. 22 in the Silverbulletday Stakes or await the Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Feb. 26, trainer Brendan Walsh said.
North County, by Not This Time, debuted Sept. 27 in an Indiana Grand turf route, winning by four lengths in a visually impressive performance that yielded only a 56 Beyer Speed Figure. Entered during Keeneland’s fall meet in a first-level turf allowance race, North County wound up racing over a sloppy main track, getting a favorable pace setup while decisively defeating five foes.
Stepped up to the $97,000 Untapable Stakes on Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds, North County once again had plenty of pace at which to run, closing steadily to edge past Fannie And Freddie and win by a neck as third-place Cocktail Moments, the heavy favorite, suffered through a terrible trip.
The Untapable produced a 78 Beyer, good but not great, and as of Friday North County had not worked back.
Walsh visited his home country of Ireland over the holidays and was catching up with the winter strings he trains in Florida, at Turfway Park, and at Fair Grounds. Walsh planned to be in New Orleans this weekend, and after he gets a firsthand look at North County, he and the filly’s owners will decide which race to run her in.
“We don’t need to be in a hurry with her,” Walsh said. “I think she could be a nice turf horse, too.”