Patricia Ann faces easier in search of black type in Garland of Roses
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After runner-up finishes in stakes to a pair of very good female sprinters, Patricia Ann may be well-spotted to win her first black-type event in Sunday’s $150,000 Garland of Roses Stakes at Aqueduct.
Patricia Ann, a 4-year-old daughter of Enticed trained by Carlos Martin, was beaten 3 1/2 lengths by R Disaster in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom here on Sept. 27 and then was second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Weigh the Risks, in the Pumpkin Pie on Nov. 8. Weigh the Risks has won four of her last five starts. R Disaster has a 7-6-0 record in 13 career starts. Neither one is in the Garland of Roses.
“Hopefully, we don’t have any R Disasters or Weigh the Risks in here,” Martin said.
There are two open-company stakes winner in this field – Volleyballprincess, who won the Ruthless here in February by 10 lengths but hasn’t won since, and Sunday Girl, who won the Correction in March but is winless since.
Patricia Ann hasn’t won since capturing an allowance race in January. She was off until July after that, but her two best races have come in the Gallant Bloom and Pumpkin Pie. In the latter race, Patricia Ann was chasing the pace and then had Weigh the Risks come to her outside under a hold. Patricia Ann ran with Weigh the Risks until deep stretch before giving way grudgingly.
“She’s never trained better,” Martin said. “Her weight is good, her attitude is good, we had a few little starts and stops along the way but I think right now she’s really, really in good form mentally and physically.”
With the Angels and Sunday Girl are a pair of New York-bred stakes winners coming back on relatively short rest. With the Angels, trained by Linda Rice, suffered her first career defeat in six starts when she finished second in an allowance race last Saturday.
At 2, With the Angels went 4 for 4 with three New York-bred stakes victories.
Sunday Girl caught a sloppy track and had to try to navigate seven furlongs when she finished sixth as the 2-5 favorite in a division of the New York Stallion Series two weeks ago. Turning back to six furlongs with the expectation of a dry track figures to aid Sunday Girl’s chances.
Tricky Temper, a multiple New York-bred stakes winner, is back on dirt after two runs over synthetic surfaces. Tricky Temper finished third at 34-1 in the Presque Isle Masters before finishing seventh, beaten only four lengths, in the Bessarabian at Woodbine on Nov. 8.
The Big Calhouna, a Rick Dutrow trainee who seems to prefer seven furlongs; Reliable Lady, a first-level allowance winner at Churchill Downs for Fernando Abreu; and Hold Your Breath, who comes in off a sharp allowance win at Parx for trainer John Servis, complete the field.
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