Russell ready to unleash stakes runners

After a slow January hampered by weather, Brittany Russell is poised to unleash a barn full of live stakes runners in the coming weeks. The parade will begin with Complexity Jane and Sultry Lass in the Nellie Morse Stakes at Laurel on Saturday.

The trainer said Wednesday that Complexity Jane, a three-time stakes winner last year, is “doing great” ahead of her 4-year-old debut. In November, the filly returned from a three-month break and rattled off two straight victories in a pair of $100,000 stakes at Laurel. She is the likely favorite on Saturday.

Her new stablemate, Sultry Lass, will make her first start for Russell after running once off an $80,000 claim for Tom Amoss. In that start in December, she finished sixth behind Complexity Jane in the Carousel.

Russell’s business this month extends well beyond the Nellie Morse, as 3-year-old colt Balboa could go in any number of directions after a runner-up finish in the $150,000 Jerome on Jan. 3. Russell has already nominated him for the $100,000 Miracle Wood at Laurel on Feb. 21, and it would not be surprising if the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct the following week is also in play.

Dazzling Dame, the winner of the $150,000 Busanda at Aqueduct on Jan. 3, has since returned to Fair Hill and recorded a published four-furlong workout on Jan. 23. Russell reported no issues with the 3-year-old filly and said she is doing “good,” with added distance being a potential goal in the future.

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