Velvet Sister has most upside in Sunday allowance

Velvet Sister makes her sophomore debut in a first-level allowance race for fillies and mares restricted to New York-breds that headlines the nine-race card at Aqueduct on Sunday. Despite being the lone 3-year-old in the field, she looks like the one to beat in the six-furlong dash, which drew six horses and goes as race 8 on a nine-race card that begins at 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by Steven Asmussen, Velvet Sister showed plenty of potential with a 9 3/4-length romp when she debuted in an open maiden special weight race at Belmont Park on June 10. She broke sharply under Joel Rosario, and after being under pressure for a half-mile drew off while in hand.

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The impressive performance earned the daughter of Bernardini a shot in the Grade 3 Schuylerville at Saratoga where she finished fourth to Little Birdie at six furlongs.

Velvet Sister came back to finish second in back-to-back New York-bred stakes at Saratoga and Belmont.

She chased the winner, November Rein, the whole way in the four-horse, $186,000 Seeking the Ante on Aug. 27 and then came from a stalking position to be the runner-up to Classy Edition in the Joseph A. Gimma on Sept. 24. Classy Edition closed out her 2-year-old campaign with a victory in the $100,000 Key Cents at Aqueduct, and in her only start this year was second to Kathleen O. in the Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park.

Velvet Sister will be making her first start since she finished fourth in the $250,000 Maid of The Mist for New York-breds while stretching out to a middle distance for the first time in the one-mile race Oct. 30.

Velvet Sister seemed to handle a muddy track okay in the Joseph A. Gimma and the sloppy surface in the Maid of the Mist. The weather forecast for New York on Sunday calls for rain.

Velvet Sister can fire fresh, and could be tough to run down if she breaks on top from the rail with Jose Lezcano riding. A half-sister to My Boy Tate, who has won multiple New York-bred stakes and earned more than $700,000, Velvet Sister races on Lasix for the first time Sunday.

Peak of Chic is stepping up in class, but she owns the best last-race Beyer Speed Figure of 67 and showed a new way of going in her one-length victory over a track rated muddy at Parx in an $8,000 starter race March 9. With Luis Ocasio riding for owner-trainer Louis Linder Jr., Peak of Chic rallied from last to win the 5 1/2-furlong race.

In was the first time in her 14-race career that Peak of Chic passed horses in the stretch. In her three previous victories, she took them all the way.

Peak of Chic will break from the outside post with Dylan Davis up.

The James Begg-trained Pretty Clever is eligible to move forward off a third-place finish in her first start this year in a similar race March 18.

Blame It On Mary could be dangerous if she shakes loose early for trainer Edward Barker. In her lone victory from 13 starts, the daughter of Blame romped in the slop in a New York-bred maiden special weight race last April. She tired after forcing the pace in a first-level race for New York-breds in her only start this year on Feb. 11.