Trinity Revealed tries to follow in sibling's footsteps in Larkspur

Trinity Revealed has some big shoes to fill on Friday in the $20,000 Larkspur Handicap at Hazel Park, but they will be familiar ones.

A daughter of Equality, Trinity Revealed is a full sister to last year’s Larkspur winner, Comeflywithanangel, who spent the previous two Hazel Park meets as Michigan’s best older female and was the state’s 2014 Horse of the Year. In her first year among the state’s handicap division, Trinity Revealed will aim to be her successor.

Trinity Revealed will be part of an eight-horse field contesting the six-furlong Larkspur, for Michigan-bred fillies and mares. The race kicks off the older female stakes calendar at Hazel Park that concludes with the Michigan Sire Stakes on Sept. 3.

Trinity Revealed, Michigan’s 3-year-old filly of the year in 2015, has done her best work at Hazel Park, winning her last five starts at the Detroit-area track, including last year’s 3-year-old fillies division of the Sire Stakes and the Regret Stakes.

She started the year quietly, with a pair of off-the-board efforts at Thistledown before returning to Hazel Park on June 24 to win a 6 1/2-furlong allowance by 1 /2 lengths, showing off the same signature closing style that made Comeflywithanangel and half-brother Power of Titus multiple Sire Stakes winners.

Jeffrey Skerrett will retain the mount aboard Trinity Revealed after a successful debut in tandem during the filly’s most recent win. Robert Gorham, who also trained Comeflywithanangel, saddles Trinity Revealed for owner Marion Gorham.

The filly’s most likely challenger is stablemate Afternoon Prayer, who finished second in last year’s Larkspur, and comes into this year’s renewal off a runner-up effort in the same Hazel Park allowance won by Trinity Revealed.

Afternoon Prayer has finished worse than second just once in 10 starts at Hazel Park, but hasn’t won since taking the allowance prep to last year’s Sire Stakes almost a full year ago.

Gorham trains Afternoon Prayer for owner Mast Thoroughbreds. Federico Mata will have the mount once again after riding her for the first time in her most recent start.

Afternoon Prayer’s longtime rival Perfect Question returns to square off for a seventh time, dating back to their respective juvenile seasons at Mount Pleasant Meadows three years ago.

Perfect Question trails her foe 4-2 in the lifetime series, most recently finishing fourth in the key Hazel Park allowance on June 24 after locking horns with Afternoon Prayer on the early lead. Shane Spiess owns and trains Perfect Question, and Angel Stanley will ride her.