Top connections get their 3-year-olds started in Gowell

As the calendar turns to a new year Wednesday, Thoroughbreds in the Northern Hemisphere also officially turn a year older. Turfway Park wastes no time getting to its slate of 3-year-old stakes, as the $125,000 Gowell Stakes, for sophomore fillies sprinting six furlongs, features on a special holiday card with a first post of 1 p.m.

The powerhouse Godolphin operation had highlights in Turfway’s 3-year-old program last year, as did trainers John Ennis and Eric Foster. Ennis saddled Epic Ride to win the Leonatus Stakes before finishing second in the John Battaglia Memorial to Godolphin’s Encino. Meanwhile, Foster had a pair of solid sophomore fillies, with Maxisuperfly winning the Cincinnati Trophy before being defeated by stablemate Everland in the Bourbonette Oaks.

All of those connections start their Turfway 3-year-old campaigns right off on Wednesday. The Ennis-trained My Lil Punky and Godolphin homebred She’s All Charm, trained by Eoin Harty, are among the morning-line favorites in the Gowell, while Foster trains and also co-owns longshot Les Is Best.

She’s All Charm has been well-beaten in her two prior stakes tries, but owns some of the best Beyer Speed Figures in this field of seven. She earned a 73 in her debut sprinting on the Ellis turf, then finished sixth in the Untapable at Kentucky Downs. She won an allowance race on the Keeneland turf, matching her 73 career-best, but was most recently eighth in the Tepin at Aqueduct. Without two strong races back-to-back yet, she is perhaps at the upward point in her form cycle.

The only entrant to earn a better figure is Keyana, who posted a 78 Beyer with a maiden win at Keeneland. She has made all her starts to date on dirt.

She’s All Charm is one of three in this field with stakes experience; Wisconsin Gal was eighth in the Ed Brown on dirt against colts, while My Lil Punky was seventh in the Grade 2 Golden Rod, trying two turns on dirt. She bounced back with an allowance/optional-claiming win going this six-furlong trip on Dec. 13 at Turfway, defeating two in this field – runner-up Grace On Grace and Hidden Quarry, who was fifth.

Les Is Best, still a maiden, rounds out the field. She was most recently second, but demoted to third for interference, in a Turfway maiden.

Wednesday also officially marks the start of a new Turfway meet. The Holiday meet concluded with the end of December, and Wednesday opens the winter/spring meet, which runs through March 29, with Kentucky Derby and Oaks points races a highlight of this stand.

Mike Maker led the trainer standings at the Holiday meet, with seven wins to six for Larry Rivelli. Gerardo Corrales led all jockeys with 14 wins, to 11 each for Luan Machado, Irving Moncada, and Fernando De La Cruz. Machado rides Les Is Best in the Gowell, while De La Cruz has the mount on Grace On Grace.

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