Rainy forecast complicates Wonder Again Stakes

A field of six up-and-coming 3-year-old fillies is scheduled to decide Monday’s $200,000 Wonder Again at Aqueduct, although it may be the weather that proves the determining factor in a race that awards the top three finishers an automatic invitation to the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks on July 6.

The Grade 2 Wonder Again is carded at nine furlongs on the outer turf course, but the forecast for the local area as of press time called for an 80 percent chance of rain and accumulations of as much as a half-inch. The weather is cause for concern for Chad Brown, who entered the trio of Segesta, Grayosh, and Sweet Rebecca in search of a record-setting sixth win in the Wonder Again, as well as trainer Jack Sisterson, who counters with his stakes-winning filly Vive Veuve.

Sweet Rebecca appears to be the strongest of the Brown trio coming into the Wonder Again as she has won both her previous starts, including the Memories of Silver Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths at Aqueduct on April 28. Sweet Rebecca was purchased privately by Resolute Racing and turned over to Brown following a very game debut victory late this winter at Gulfstream Park.

Segesta and Grayosh also won their most recent starts, both doing so against maiden special weight opposition, earning their diplomas just 24 hours apart. Segesta registered a career-best 82 Beyer Speed Figure graduating at Keeneland on April 21, her stablemate a more modest 67 winning for the first time in three outings the following afternoon over a good course at Aqueduct.

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“All three horses are training really, really well although the weather is a big concern,” Brown admitted. “I don’t know how they’ll handle the soft turf if we should get rain as expected and the race remains on.”

With a lack of much pace signed on for the race, Brown sees Sweet Rebecca as perhaps the most likely of his threesome to be on the lead.

“Sweet Rebecca has trained great. She seems of the three to have the most natural speed, and I believe she should be very forwardly placed or potentially on the lead. The other two fillies are a work in progress but they are horses who had great winters and we had high hopes for. We thought they are stakes horses, and here we are.”

Vive Veuve joined Sisterson’s barn late last season after launching her career in Ireland. She won her maiden at second asking for Sisterson over the Gulfstream turf on Feb. 11 before returning to upset the Sanibel Island at odds of 16-1 over the same course seven weeks later.

“She came to us with disappointing form from Ireland, we gave her plenty of time to adapt to America, and she trained like a stakes filly when we put her on the turf at Palm Meadows,” said Sisterson. “We were going to take the more conservative route and run her in an allowance race off her maiden win, but she trained so forwardly, we decided to give her a shot and it worked out well.”

Sisterson admitted the added distance could be an issue for his filly along with the potential of soft footing.

“Nine furlongs is a question mark but she’s moved forward with every start and every work so we decided on this race to see if she can handle the added ground and qualify for the Belmont Oaks,” said Sisterson. “She loved Gulfstream’s tight course and it’s a bit worrisome moving to a different type of turf here in New York, especially with a lot of rain in the forecast. In fact we’d probably scratch if it comes up too soft on Monday.”

Curlin’s Girl, who was third, beaten less than three lengths by Sweet Rebecca following an unlucky trip in the Memories of Silver, and recent maiden winner Sy B round out the body of the race. Both Six Pack Senorita and Golden Decree have been entered for the main track only. Golden Decree is coming off a 32-length maiden-claiming win over a muddy track just 11 days earlier for trainer Linda Rice.

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