Rain biggest factor for Blue Sparkler trio
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The key race regarding the $100,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park is the $150,000 Coronation Cup on Friday at Saratoga.
Both races are turf sprints restricted to 3-year-old fillies, and three horses entered in the Coronation – Love Appeals, My Sweet Affair, and Bosserati – also are in the Blue Sparkler, where they likely would be the top three betting choices.
The cross entries result from a very wet forecast Thursday into Friday at Saratoga; if as much rain falls as has been forecast, the Coronation easily could be rained onto the main track. But things don’t look much better weather-wise around the Jersey Shore, where storms with heavy rain are also forecast Friday and Saturday. It’s entirely possible the Blue Sparkler goes with a short field on dirt.
Love Appeals already has missed one recent intended start, the May 27 Soaring Softly Stakes at Belmont, from which she was scratched, trainer Christophe Clement told Daily Racing Form’s David Grening, after Clement wasn’t entirely satisfied with Love Appeals’s condition the morning of the race. Love Appeals, a Moyglare Stud Farm homebred by Speightstown, would be entering new territory going 5 1/2 furlongs in the Blue Sparkler.
After starting her career in two short turf routes over the winter at Gulfstream, she was cut back with good effect to six furlongs, easily winning a first-level turf allowance in late April. Love Appeals did get a sweet trip that day but powered through her final furlong in 11.68 to easily best Sweetlou’sgotaces, a solid filly.
Bosserati and My Sweet Affair finished one-two in the $100,000 Stormy Blues, a June 18 turf sprint at Laurel. While Bosserati won by a half-length, she had a better trip than My Sweet Affair, leading while racing in the clear. My Sweet Affair was pinched at the start, winding up fifth of six around the turn before easily turning in the race’s fastest final furlong. My Sweet Affair also had just hit her best stride when she switched back to the wrong lead, which cost her at least a touch of momentum. The filly was coming off a flat performance at Churchill, where she ran well below the form of her three other starts.
Bosserati runs on the front end and has gone 3 for 3 since being switched to turf. At Monmouth, she’d run headlong into a serious pace rival, Lady Irvine, who has gone two for two in turf sprints, both at Monmouth, but beat only modest opposition in her recent allowance win.
Dream Concert, with two wins and a second from her four starts, all on dirt, will look to many like the right horse if the Blue Sparkler gets moved to the main track, but a second Clement entrant, Plentitude, holds some appeal on both turf and dirt. Bred and owned by the China Horse Club, Plentituide is the second foal to race from the mare Yellow Agate, also trained by Clement. Twice taken to yearling auctions, Plentitude failed to meet reserves of $90,000 and just $42,000 before winding up as a racing prospect with Clement. She was a determined dirt debut winner in a Tampa Bay maiden race and overcame a tricky trip capturing a first-level turf allowance at Belmont, where Plentitude zipped her fifth of six furlongs in 11.43.
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