Wait for Nairobi back in best form for Wintergreen Stakes

Wait for Nairobi, a stakes winner at Turfway Park last year, has been enjoying a productive winter campaign at the Florence, Ky., track. She looks for another local stakes score as she faces a full field, including several others fond of the course, in the $100,000 Wintergreen Stakes for fillies and mares going a mile on Saturday night.

Wait for Nairobi, a 4-year-old Carpe Diem filly who races as a homebred for Hartwell Farm and SF Racing, is trained by Rey Hernandez. The filly followed a local maiden win with a score in the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes going 6 1/2 furlongs in February 2021 at Turfway. She then finished fifth when stretched out to a mile in the Bourbonette Oaks.

After a long break, Wait for Nairobi finished seventh in a Keeneland turf allowance last October. She perked back up at Turfway, winning an allowance sprint in December by four lengths. In her most recent outing, the 6 1/2-furlong Wishing Well Stakes on Jan. 29, Wait for Nairobi stalked the pace, led in the stretch, but was overhauled late to finish second by a length to Lady Edith.

Wait for Nairobi, who prefers to stalk or rally, should have plenty to run into, as Breeze Rider is likely to have quality company up front from the likes of Rogue Too and Fate Factor.

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Breeze Rider has won three of her last four outings, including a stakes score at Turfway for Steve Manly. She owns recent front-running stakes scores in the Joseph R. Peluso Memorial at Fair Grounds, the My Charmer at Turfway, and the Jersey Lilly at Sam Houston. The most recent victory earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 88, the top last-out number in the field.

Breeze Rider has drawn post 4 in the full field of 12 under E.T. Baird.

Rogue Too, like Wait for Nairobi, is emerging from the Wishing Well, where she finished an even fourth for trainer Doug Danner. The 6-year-old mare was at her best when winning six straight races from late 2019 through the first quarter of 2020. Five of those races came at Turfway, culminating with a win in the Latonia Stakes in March 2020.

The mare has one win in 14 starts since then, although she is multiple stakes-placed at Turfway. She was third in the 2021 Latonia and was third in the Likely Exchange Stakes on Jan. 15 before the Wishing Well.

In her best races, Rogue Too has run on or near the lead. She will have to use that tactic from post 2.

Alydiva and Fate Factor, the top two finishers in the Likely Exchange, also are back for more. Fate Factor set the pace before finishing second.