Pipsy ships in to make U.S. debut in Soaring Softly

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Pipsy, coming off two solid wins in Ireland, makes her U.S. debut and first start for trainer William Walden in Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly Stakes scheduled for six furlongs over Aqueduct’s outer turf course.

An overflow field of 13 for turf and one main-track-only filly was entered for the Soaring Softly, a race that would be limited to 10 starters on turf. Trainer Wesley Ward said Friday that Baraye will scratch from the race, which allows the also-eligible Caress to draw into the field.

Pipsy and the two-time North American stakes winner Amidst Waves were entered to run in the $250,000 Limestone Stakes at Keeneland on April 12. But they both scratched when the race came off the turf due to rain.

There is some rain in the forecast Sunday in New York, but with the rails out 24 feet it seems highly likely this race will stay on turf.

Pipsy, an Irish-bred daughter of Kodiac, went 2 for 3 in Ireland, with a maiden win over soft turf at The Curragh in September followed by a minor stakes win over the synthetic surface at Dundalk in October. She was purchased for more than $900,000 at the Tattersalls December mare sale by John Sykes’s Woodford Thoroughbreds.

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“We bought her thinking she’d be fine on firm ground, but obviously she won over soft going when she broke her maiden at The Curragh,” Walden said “Her action kind of lends to soft ground. I think she’ll handle it just fine. I’m confident in her.

Pipsy showed speed in her two wins in Europe, but Walden expects her to be a stalker on Sunday.

“Over there, she looked a little keen like she got a little aggressive with the rider, we have not seen that from her in the mornings,” Walden said. “She does have a really good turn of foot. We worked her on the grass here a couple of times, but I don’t know if she’s got that 21-and-3, 21-and-4 type speed.”

Walden has Flavien Prat to ride from post 8.

Amidst Waves, trained by George Weaver, went 3 for 6 as a 2-year-old with victories in the Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Bolton Landing at Saratoga. She was beaten a nose by Committee of One in the Indian Summer Stakes at Keeneland before she found herself in tight quarters in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita and finished 10th of 12, but beaten only four lengths.

Weaver had planned on running her in the Limehouse, but now winds up in this spot after that race came off the turf.

Weaver also trains Caress, whose lone turf try came in an allowance race where she finished fifth.

Trainer Christophe Clement entered both El Terreno and Marco T. in the Soaring Softly. Clement said he would only run El Terreno on firm ground. Marco T., who just won a maiden race on May 2, would need two more scratches to draw into the race.

El Terreno has made all three of her career starts over synthetic, winning her first two before finishing last as the odds-on favorite in the Melody of Colors Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 24.

“She ran four furlongs and stopped. She was a little distressed after the race, I don’t know why,” Clement said. “She needs firm turf. She’s very fast.”

Joel Rosario is named to ride El Terreno.

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Kodiac Wintergreen, trained by Rusty Arnold, finished second to Amidst Waves in a Belmont Park maiden race last June before winning her maiden at Saratoga. She ended her juvenile campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Juvenile Fillies Turf going one mile at Kentucky Downs.

In her 3-year-old debut, she finished third in the off-the-turf Limestone Stakes at Keeneland.

Tiger Belle, Buttercream Babe, Kairyu, Golden Ghost, and Independence Avenue complete the field on turf. Artemis Sound is an also-eligible for turf while Value Area is the lone main-track-only entrant.

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