Stakes finale for 3yo fillies

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - After facing graded company in her previous two starts, Stormy Frolic should relish the drop in class when she takes on six other 3-year-old fillies in Sunday's $75,000 Christmas Past Stakes. The 1 1/16-mile Christmas Past is the final stakes race of the 2002 Gulfstream Park meet, which ends on Wednesday.

Stormy Frolic finished sixth after pressing the pace in the Grade 2 Bonnie Miss Stakes on March 15 and fourth, beaten less than five lengths, in the Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes three weeks earlier. She opened her campaign as a 3-year-old on New Year's Day with a resounding 6 3/4-quarter length victory in Calder's Tropical Oaks.

Stormy Frolic worked one mile in an eye-catching 1:41.40 at Calder earlier this month in preparation for the Christmas Past. Trainer Milt Wolfson has tabbed Joe Bravo to ride.

French Satin is the only graded winner in the field. She comes off a wire-to-wire 1 3/4-length triumph in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs on March 17. She finished third, a neck in front of Stormy Frolic, after setting the pace in the Davona Dale.

French Satin figures to face a stiffer challenge for the early lead Sunday than she faced in her last pair, with stretch-out sprinters Charitabledonation, Rate Card, and Four Pennies in the lineup along with the speedy Ciudad de Carson.

Charitabledonation makes only her third career start, but trainer Mark Hennig is confident she will handle the added distance. She comes off a one- length maiden win at seven furlongs here on March 31, when ridden by Edgar Prado.

"I liked the way she improved in her second start and Edgar said she was just starting to run when she crossed the finish line that day, which is encouraging when you've got a horse you want to stretch out the next time," said Hennig.

Rate Card is undefeated in two starts with both her wins coming at Tampa Bay. She has yet to run beyond seven furlongs.

Ciudad de Carson returns to the main track after chasing odds-on favorite Cellars Shiraz to no avail before finishing a tiring seventh in the Via Borghese Stakes on turf earlier this month. She finished a well-beaten second behind Stormy Frolic after setting the early fractions in the Tropical Oaks.

Four Pennies tries a route of ground for the first time after registering a pair of sprint tallies in her last two starts.

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