Sr. Quisqueyano gets summer off

Local favorite Sr. Quisqueyano, who returned quick dividends off the claim with his victory just four weeks later in the Sunshine Millions Classic, will be given the summer off, trainer Peter Walder said this week.

Sr. Quisqueyano rallied to a hard-fought half-length triumph as a 20-1 outsider in the Sunshine Millions Classic. He also was beaten just a neck by Commissioner after a nearly race-long battle in the Grade 3 Skip Away on March 28 but is coming off a somewhat-disappointing sixth-place finish as the 6-5 favorite in the Texas Mile. This winter, Sr. Quisqueyano traveled to the West Coast, where he finished a tiring ninth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap.

“I don’t want to ship him around anymore,” said Walder. “He has a definite affinity for Gulfstream and [Gulfstream Park West], and there’s just nothing much for him around here right now, so he’ll get a break, and we’ll bring him back in the fall.”

Walder haltered Sr. Quisqueyano for Loooch Racing Stable for $62,500, the same price paid to claim City of Weston late this winter. City of Weston also stepped right up with a big win, returning five weeks later to capture the Blue Heron overnight stakes.

“We’re going to try City of Weston in the Smile Sprint,” said Walder. “He’s obviously not a true sprinter – going six furlongs is not his game anymore – but it’s his home track, and it’s one of those ‘Why not?’ deals, since he’s running well enough now to take a shot at it. But once this is over, I can’t wait to stretch him out again since he loves seven furlongs.”

Bridled Heiress returns in sprint

Trainer Terri Pompay won’t make the Princess Rooney Handicap with Bridled Heiress, but she is eager to get the speedy, lightly raced daughter of Wildcat Heir back to the races in Friday’s $42,000 allowance feature at six furlongs.

Bridled Heiress was diagnosed with what Pompay described as a “slight tear” in a tendon after winning an allowance race here last March. The victory was her second straight after finishing second in her debut.

“We gave her a lot of time to rehab,” said Pompay. “We brought her along slow before finally letting her out a notch in her last breeze.”

Bridled Heiress worked five furlongs in 58.86 seconds here Saturday.

“I think she’s a very talented filly. She’s a beautiful mover, does everything effortlessly, and she’s fast, real fast,” said Pompay. “I kept her here to start back to make it easier on her. I didn’t want her to hit the big dogs right away up north. And her last work, it was the kind that makes your heart go pitter-patter.”

Bridled Heiress will face just four rivals in her return, the majority of whom already have stakes experience but are coming off layoffs of their own. Among them are Ultimate Shopper, who makes her first start since joining trainer Ralph Nicks’s barn this spring; the multiple stakes-placed Kipling’s Joy, idle since Nov. 1; and the Grade 1-placed Irish Lute, who has run just twice since October 2013. Recent allowance winner Sunset Silhouette completes the compact lineup.

Off the Tracks shines in debut

Add Off the Tracks to the list of 2-year-old fillies who already have turned in impressive debut wins here this spring. Off the Tracks proved a popular winner of her debut Saturday, overcoming early traffic en route to an easy 4 1/4-length triumph going five furlongs for trainer Roderick Rodriguez.

Off the Tracks is by Curlin and is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Concord Point. Despite her solid bloodlines, she was purchased for a bargain $50,000 out of the 2014 Keeneland September sale.

“She went late in the sale, and I was shocked we got her for that price,” said Chad Summers, racing manager for J Stables. “We knew she was talented right off the bat, and we thought about bringing her to New York to run her in the Astoria first out. But ultimately, we felt it was better to make it easier on her and let her break her maiden first out here.”

Summers said he is considering several options for Off the Tracks’s next start, including the Schuylerville on opening day at Saratoga.

“We’re also looking at a race at Mountaineer and the Cassidy here on Summit of Speed Day, although that one might be coming up a bit too quick,” said Summers.