Warsaichi, Isabel Luvs Gold meet again in Niagara Stakes
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Fillies who competed well in stakes last fall as juveniles at Finger Lakes meet in the $50,000 Niagara Stakes on Tuesday. The six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old New York-bred fillies highlights a nine-race July 4 holiday card at the Farmington, N.Y., track that begins at 1:15 p.m. Eastern.
Warsaichi, trained by Chis Englehart, and Isabel Luvs Gold, trained by Michael Ferraro, were first and second, respectively, last September in the Lady Finger Stakes, one of the track’s richer stakes. Warsaichi went on to finish third in the Shesastonecoldfox Stake while Isabel Luvs Gold was fifth in that October race.
Since then, Warsaichi has finished third and seventh in a pair of Finger Lakes allowance races against older fillies and mares – both races won by next-out winners. Isabel Luvs Gold, in her first start of the year, finished a solid second while facing older in a Finger Lakes allowance.
Waitwaitdonttellme has never missed the board at Finger Lakes for M. Anthony Ferraro and was second in last year’s Shesastonecoldfox. She was most recently third behind Isabel Luvs Gold in that June allowance.
Lockbox was an allowance winner at Finger Lakes in May, while local maiden winners Fancypants Juliana and Tumbles round out the field of six. Despite their less-embellished résumés to date, this group does boast some of the highest Beyer Speed Figures in the field.
Fancypants Juliana earned a 74 Beyer while finishing third on debut at Saratoga and then earned a 66 finishing fourth in a maiden last September at Aqueduct. She broke through with a maiden victory in June at Finger Lakes in her first start of 2023 and first for trainer William Bartlett, earning a 38 Beyer for that win.
Lockbox earned a 61 Beyer finishing fourth against open fillies and mares in an allowance/optional-claiming race in March at Aqueduct.
Along with Fancypants Juliana and Lockbox, the only other member of the field to break a 60 Beyer is Warsaichi, who ran a 65 in her Finger Lakes maiden win before a 60 in the Lady Finger.
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