Sands Point easier spot for Be Your Best
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Coming off a cross-country trip in which she ran second in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, Be Your Best returns home seeking her first graded stakes victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point Stakes for 3-year-old fillies scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on turf at Aqueduct.
Though she also was entered in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, Be Your Best will run in the Sands Point, trainer Horacio De Paz said. De Paz said the field at Keeneland came up much tougher than did the Sands Point.
In hopes of beating the rain that seems to come every Saturday this fall, the New York Racing Association has carded the Sands Point as race 2 (1:09 p.m.).
De Paz was happy to hear about the early placement of the Sands Point, not wanting to run on a course that has too much give in it.
“I wouldn’t say she totally dislikes it, how much give is in it. I guess we’ll find out,” he said.
Be Your Best, who won the P.G. Johnson at Saratoga at age 2, is coming off a solid second-place finish, 2 3/4 lengths behind Anisette, in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. Anisette, who was winning her fourth consecutive race, got a dream run along the rail in the stretch while Be Your Best had to go four wide. Anisette, facing older horses, came back to run a solid second to favored Didia in the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive last weekend at Santa Anita.
“We lost to obviously the best filly in the race,” De Paz said of the Del Mar Oaks. “It was an honest effort on her part.”
Be Your Best has run three times this year. She came off a lengthy layoff to run within a neck of Prerequisite in the Grade 2 Wonder Again. She came back in four weeks and finished last in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational. In addition to running back too soon, Be Your Best was much closer to the pace than she prefers.
Manny Franco will ride Be Your Best from post 4.
Eternal Hope, trained by Charlie Appleby, shipped to the United States from England to win the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational here Sept. 16. In that race, Eternal Hope was off slow and had to deal with a runaway pacesetter but got up narrowly over Neecie Marie, who also is back in this spot.
Jamie Spencer is back to ride Eternal Hope, who breaks from post 7.
Neecie Marie, who won a Pennsylvania-bred stakes at Parx Racing in August before her runner-up finish in the Jockey Club Oaks, will break from post 5 under Abner Adorno.
Leave No Trace, the Grade 1 Spinaway winner in 2022, is seeking a new surface to find her old form. Leave No Trace has finished last in both of her starts this year. She did breeze well once on the turf during the Saratoga meet.
Soviet Excess, Quarrel, Root Cause, Highland Grace, Stephanie’s Charm, and Alpha Bella complete the field on turf.
Essaouira, Amanda’s Folly, and Ichiban are entered to run only if the race is transferred to the dirt.
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