Talented shippers meet in headliner

Elena Strikes and Six Queens are up from Florida after winning their seasonal debuts nicely at Gulfstream Park for top connections and will vie for favoritism in Thursday’s $64,000 optional-claiming feature – a misnomer in this case, since nobody is in for the $50,000 tag.

As the lone 3-year-old, Elena Strikes carries 116 pounds and gets six pounds from her four older rivals.

The homebred Elena Strikes was a poorly kept secret when unveiled at Monmouth Park last summer for Stonestreet Stables, winning decisively at odds of 3-10 for trainer Todd Pletcher. After returning to finish a close third in the Schuylerville Stakes, her only subsequent appearance last year was a pacesetting try in the Pocahontas Stakes against Untapable, who has emerged as the favorite for the Kentucky Oaks.

Elena Strikes wintered at Palm Meadows and returned from a six-month layoff March 5 to win by better than seven lengths under John Velazquez, who has a return call Thursday. “She’s a filly who has shown a lot of quality,” Pletcher said. The quality of that comeback win gained significance when runner-up Risque Reality came back to win here last Sunday as the longest shot on the board.

Six Queens, a lightly raced 5-year-old daughter of Bernardini owned by Darley Stable, wintered at Palm Meadows with Kiaran McLaughlin. She was a punctual favorite at even money in her Feb. 21 return and became the fourth next-out winner out of a key race at Gulfstream last April won by Angel’s Glory, who has since won again as well.

Six Queens, a half-sister to multiple turf stakes winner Film Maker, breezed a bullet five furlongs before shipping north last week. She is 2 for 2 with Luis Saez, who returns to New York after enjoying a terrific winter at Gulfstream.

The New York-bred Hot Rendezvous has garnered little respect from bettors, winning four times at 4-1 or better at Aqueduct since last fall for Gary Contessa. She comes off a tough trip behind the odds-on La Verdad in the Broadway Stakes, in which she was off slowest and rallied for second before galloping out strongly past the wire.

“What a neat filly she has become,” Contessa said.

Rounding out the quintet are Love to Score, who adds blinkers for the red-hot Rudy Rodriguez; and Stunning Lady, who earned her top Beyer Figure here last April for Mark Hennig.