She's Country gets another soft spot for return; $154K pick six carryover
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – She’s Country won two of her three starts as a 2-year-old. Some would say she found the right spot both times.
The horses she defeated in her career debut at Saratoga last August are a combined 5 for 48 since, mostly in the low-level claiming ranks. The horses she beat in the Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct last November are a combined 1 for 18 since, the one win being by Cosmic Candy Girl in the Suzie O’Cain Stakes here last month.
In Wednesday’s $150,000 Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Series for 3-year-old fillies, She’s Country may have found another ideal spot to make her seasonal debut. Two of the nine entrants would be coming back in less than a week and another is a first-time starter. The only other stakes winner in the field did so sprinting.
Despite her 279-day layoff, She’s Country is likely a horse those chasing the pick six carryover of $154,119 will be leaning on heavily. With only eight races Wednesday, the pick six will begin in race 3.
She’s Country, trained by George Weaver, was entered in the $500,000 Fifth Avenue division of the NYSS on dirt last December but scratched and needed time off. She’s Country only shows five workouts for her return, but Weaver seems convinced she’s plenty fit.
“I think it takes less fitness anyway to get one back on the grass. I’ve had too many horses run huge races on the grass with not a long string of workouts,” Weaver said. “Obviously, if the race was two weeks later, I’d get two more works into her, but I feel like she’s doing well enough and has enough fitness that she should be in it.”
The white-hot Manny Franco rides She’s Country. Javier Castellano, who rode She’s Country to victory in the Key Cents, is committed to Celtic Dawn in the Statue of Liberty. Celtic Dawn was a sharp winner of the Cupecoy’s Joy division of the NYSS going six furlongs at Aqueduct in June. Celtic Dawn tried to stretch out to 1 1/16 miles in the Suzie O’Cain, was rated in second by Irad Ortiz Jr., and couldn’t catch the loose-on-the-lead 26-1 shot Cosmic Candy Girl.
Trainer Carlos Martin said he made a mistake attempting to rate Celtic Dawn that day. He doesn’t plan to make that mistake again.
“I’m going to let her free run and whatever happens, happens,” Martin said. “I’m not going to be rating her in 48 [seconds] like I did the other day. Kudos to Chris Elliott and Mr. [Jim] Ryerson, they had that filly doing well and she got loose on the lead and got comfortable and that’s all she wrote. Hopefully, we get some redemption here. I’m expecting her to run big.”
Greyjoy was beaten a nose in a $40,000 claimer going 1 1/16 miles here Aug. 12. Trainer John Terranova said it was his plan to wheel her back in this spot and said as long as she’s doing fine she will run.
“She’s eligible for it, why not?” Terranova said. “The mile might even suit her better.”
Trainer Linda Rice will wheel Combat Move back in six days. She has run in two off-the-turf sprints, winning her maiden going 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt Aug. 13.
In other races of note in the pick six sequence:
Race 3: Cravings, Pinky Brier, and L’Eclair look to be the primary contenders in this wide-open starter allowance/optional $75,000 claiming race scheduled for six furlongs on dirt.
Race 4: Gardiner, who won a $20,000 claiming race handily at Churchill Downs in a good time of 1:09.96 on June 21, looks like a potential single in race 4, another starter/optional claimer. Gardiner was claimed that day, but the claim was voided by the veterinarian.
Gardiner ran two good races up here last summer, winning a starter allowance by nearly three lengths.
Race 5: This maiden special weight turf sprint is perilous. Hot Off the Beach ran a good second on debut in May for trainer Rick Dutrow. Sultan Hassan also ran second in his turf debut in June and now gets Flavien Prat.
True Legend was twice a beaten favorite in turf sprints last fall at Aqueduct. He returns a new gelding in his first start since December for Weaver.
Race 6: Sea Vista, another horse who comes off a win and a voided claim in his last start, goes out first time for Michael Trombetta after the gelding was acquired in a digital sale.
South Bend Tom and Big Gain also are contenders in this wide-open heat.
Race 8: Paula’s Choice gets Lasix and blinkers, drops into a maiden claimer, and gets Jose Ortiz in her second career start for trainer Jonathan Thomas. Roasted Reds also gets blinkers and goes first time for Horacio De Paz.
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