Nostalgic out to prove in Demoiselle she's more than just a number
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Visually, Nostalgic looked extremely impressive winning her debut by 7 3/4 lengths at Belmont Park on Oct. 22. But when the speed figures came back from the race, it didn’t seem so impressive. Nostalgic received just a 48 Beyer Speed Figure for a final time recorded as 1:47.36 for 1 1/16 miles.
“If you’re a sheets guy or a Beyer guy, it’s a little discouraging to see what kind of number she produced,” said Bill Mott, the trainer of Nostalgic. “Just to watch it, it looked good to me, and the rider liked it.”
Nostalgic, who will be ridden by Jose Ortiz, will make her second start in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro should be able to handle the 1 1/8 miles, and doesn’t meet an overpowering field. Magic Circle and Nest, second and third in the Tempted Stakes, are back in the Demoiselle. Miss Interpret, winner of the off-the-turf P.G. Johnson Stakes, but eighth-place finisher in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland, is one of two stakes winners in the field. Venti Valentine, winner of the Maid of the Mist for New York-breds, is the other.
Tap the Faith, a good-looking debt winner going a mile, and the maiden Full Count Felicia round out the field.