Weight shift may help Storied Lady turn tables in Biogio's Rose
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There may be only six horses in Sunday’s $100,000 Biogio’s Rose Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at Aqueduct, but John Morrison, the trainer of potential favorite Saythreehailmary’s, isn’t wrong when he says, “You could make a case for probably every horse in the race.”
Four of the entrants are stakes winners, and the other two are coming off the best races of their career entering the 1 1/16-mile event over the inner track.
Saythreehailmary’s has won back-to-back stakes over the inner track but now is conceding weight to all five of her rivals. In fact, there is a seven-pound weight shift between her and Storied Lady from the Bay Ridge Stakes on Dec. 12, when Saythreehailmary’s beat Storied Lady by 1 3/4 lengths.
Storied Lady, who won the 2014 Bay Ridge, is coming off a second-place finish to Perfect Freud, who got loose on the lead in a second-level allowance race here Jan. 3. Perfect Freud is also in the Biogio’s Rose and likely will attempt to take this field gate to wire under Kendrick Carmouche.
“We’re fast leaving there,” said Perfect Freud’s trainer, Gary Sciacca, who is enjoying a solid winter meet with seven wins. “I’ll leave it up to Carmouche.”
In Perfect Freud’s win Jan. 3, there appeared to be other speed in the race, but Carmouche felt his filly possessed the most early speed and sent her to the front.
In Spite of Mama, coming off a pace-pressing seven-length victory in a second-level statebred allowance for trainer Mike Maker, and Sheriffa, the Linda Rice trainee who stretches out in distance after sprinting last out, are the potential other speeds.
Biogio’s Rose, Race 4
KEY CONTENDERS
Perfect Freud, by Freud
Last 3 Beyers: 86-82-25
◗ After finishing last in a Nov. 20 allowance race with no plausible excuse, per Sciacca, she has won two straight open-company allowance races over the inner track in front-running fashion under Carmouche.
◗ Is 4 for 5 over the inner track, with the only loss being a second-place finish behind In Spite of Mama last March.
Storied Lady, by Read the Footnotes
Last 3 Beyers: 82-80-67
◗ Has gradually improved with each of her three races following a layoff, and if she’s got another win in her, it could be in this spot. Her chances would be enhanced if In Spite of Mama or Sheriffa can put pressure on Perfect Freud early.
◗ Has leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. back aboard for a second straight race.
Saythreehailmary’s, by Repent
Last 3 Beyers: 89-83-83
◗ In career-best form, with two stakes wins and a one-length loss to Sheriffa in a sprint stakes three starts back.
◗ Beat Sheriffa and Storied Lady in the Bay Ridge at this distance and over the inner track Dec. 12.
“I think the whole key for us is going to be Gary’s horse and Maker’s horse and the pace,” Morrison said. “It looks like if either one of those two get an easy lead, they tend to want to stay there. It’ll be a tactical race.”