Surface switch a winning strategy for Ms Meshak

The last time Ms Meshak went turf to dirt, she won a restricted stakes at odds of 5-1 at Gulfstream Park.

Winless in five starts since that race last July, Ms Meshak will make that same turf-to-dirt transition Sunday when she runs in a second-level/optional $62,500 claiming event that serves as the feature on Gulfstream’s 12-race Easter program.

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Gulfstream is the only track conducting a live program Sunday, and first post is shortly after noon Eastern.

Though Ms Meshak has not won in 8 1/2 months, three of her last five starts came in stakes. The last time she raced in an allowance on dirt, Ms Meshak finished second to the five-time stakes winner Blamed here on Feb. 8. In that race, Ms Meshak appeared to be getting a nice setup for her off-the-pace style, but the speedy Blamed, despite taking early pressure, was too good.

Sunday, Ms Meshak should get a similar contested early pace with several front-running types signed up in this 10-horse field, including Guacamole, who pressed Blamed in that Feb. 8 allowance before fading to fourth.

Joe Orseno trains Ms Meshak.

“With her, it’s about the first quarter,” he said. “Let her relax the first quarter, sit close to them without asking, and she’ll be fine.”

With Christian Torres sitting the proceedings out due to the coronavirus situation, Orseno has named seven-pound apprentice Alberto Burgos on Ms Meshak, who breaks from post 3. Burgos has ridden a winner for Orseno.

Flat Awesome Jenny had a three-race winning streak snapped when she finished third in this condition on March 25. She got off poorly that day and tried to circle widest of all in the stretch before flattening out, finishing eight lengths behind the front-running winner, Liza Star.

“Hopefully this Sunday we get a better start,” trainer Kelly Breen said. “It looks like there’s plenty of speed in the race. She can come and make one move. She seemed to have come out of her last race in good order.”

Two starts back, on Feb. 20, Flat Awesome Jenny won a first-level allowance, beating Freudian Finish, who came back to win her next start and who is in this field.

Dylan Davis takes over for Paco Lopez on Flat Awesome Jenny, who breaks from post 2.

Lopez winds up on Baccarat Fashion, who goes first off the claim for Mike Maker. Baccarat Fashion had run in three consecutive stakes before Peter Walder dropped her in for this same $62,500 price on Feb 26. In that race, a four-horse field, Baccarat Fashion chased dueling leaders but never made an impact, finishing third, 7 1/4 lengths behind the winner, W W Fitzy, who came back to win a second-level allowance by eight lengths on April 3.

Sunday’s race marks the seasonal debut of the 3-year-old Naked Avenger, a New York-bred stakes winner for Tim Hills last fall at Belmont. Naked Avenger has not run since finishing second in the Maid of the Mist Stakes at Belmont last Oct. 19.

Todd Pletcher has the uncoupled entry of Guacamole and Varanasi, who is showing a trio of bullet works at Palm Beach Downs for her first start since last August.

Just Ain’t Right, Take Charge Eh, and Gray Owl complete the field.