Versatile Big City Dreamin, R Naja face off in Crank It Up

Big City Dreamin has already visited several venues in her brief racing career, making her five starts at five different tracks in two countries and for three trainers.

She will call Oceanport, N.J., her latest frontier as she figures among the likely contenders in the $60,000 Crank It Up Stakes, a five-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Big City Dreamin won her debut at Keeneland in April 2016, earning a spot in Wesley Ward’s contingent for the Royal Ascot meeting, where she finished 16th in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

The front-running filly returned from that adventure to post an eight-length score in an allowance/optional claimer on Presque Isle’s synthetic surface. However, she was subsequently transferred to Chad Brown and finished fifth after leading in the Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga in her only start for that barn.

Transferred to Brad Cox, who is enjoying a solid spring in Kentucky, Big City Dreamin made her first start for her new trainer, and her first since August, a winning one, leading at every call to win an allowance/optional claimer going five furlongs on the Churchill Downs turf by 2 3/4 lengths on May 18.

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Big City Dreamin posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 83 in that Churchill victory, easily the top last-out number in this field.

R Naja posted a 76 Beyer in winning the Star Shoot Stakes going six furlongs on Woodbine’s Tapeta, a victory that gave the Michael Stidham trainee a trifecta of sorts, as she is a winner on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces. Big City Dreamin has also displayed this versatility.

R Naja has won her last two races on the lead, appearing to have found her best running style, and is likely to give Big City Dreamin company on the front end. Big City Dreamin is ideally drawn in post 3 under Eddie Castro, with R Naja breaking from post 9 in the field of 11 with Mitchell Murrill in the irons.

Deer Valley gets back to turf after running seventh in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes last out. In a pair of sprints on turf, the filly has a maiden win and a runner-up effort by a nose to R Naja in an allowance/optional claimer at Fair Grounds.

Who’s the Lady, also likely to be a pace factor, won her first four starts, all at six furlongs on dirt, before finishing 11th in the Miss Preakness.

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