Trainer Butch Reid, Jr. said Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stable's reigning champion 2-Year-Old Filly Vequist is aiming towards a late summer/fall campaign that may include a start at Saratoga.
Reid said the main target for Vequist is the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion, a 1 1/16-mile test for sophomore fillies on September 25 at Parx.
“She's been training lightly down at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and she'll be coming back to my barn at Parx in the next 10 days,” said Reid, Jr. “We're looking forward to a fall campaign with her and have our eye on the Cotillion. I could see us possibly getting her a start at the end of Saratoga. We're excited to get her back in action.”
A dark bay daughter of Nyquist out of the Mineshaft mare Vero Amore, Vequist graduated at second asking with a 9 1/2-length romp in the Grade 1 Spinaway in September at Saratoga. The talented filly followed with a second to Dayoutoftheoffice in the Grade 1 Frizette in October at Belmont before turning the tables on that foe with a two-length score in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Keeneland.
Vequist has been on the shelf since finishing ninth in her seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Davona Dale in February at Gulfstream Park.
Reid, Jr has nominated a pair of unraced fillies owned by LC Racing to the $150,000 Astoria, a 5 ½-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies on Thursday, June 3, including Disco Ebo and Mainstay, who is a half-sister to Vequist.
“One of them will definitely come, but I'm not sure which one just yet,” said Reid, Jr. “They've put up a maiden race here [at Parx] and I'm thinking one will go in there. It's tough to ship and start in a stakes race first time out, but sometimes you have to take a chance.”
Reid said Mainstay, by Astern, is stockier than Vequist.
“She's a different horse than Vequist. She's a little shorter and a little more stout,” said Reid, Jr. “She has more of a sprinter type body where Vequist was long and languid and has a big, giant stride on her. This filly is a little more compact and speedier. She has a good turn of foot and I think she's a top-quality filly. We'll have some fun with her.”
Maintstay, bred in Kentucky by Swilcan Stables, breezed in company with Disco Ebo through their first three timed works at Parx before Reid Jr. said he was forced to separate them.
“They were very competitive and it was a really good match,” said Reid, Jr. “They went through their early paces together and then I was trying to get them to slow down a little bit, so I separated them for their last couple of breezes. We're very fortunate with this group. We're excited about our 2-year-olds this year.”
In her two works since being separated from Disco Ebo, Mainstay posted a bullet half-mile in 47.03 on May 15 at Parx and followed up with a sharp five-eighths from the gate in 1:00.02 on May 22 on the same track.
Disco Ebo, by Weigelia, is out of the Disco Rico mare Katarica Disco, who has produced eight winning foals to race, including stakes winners Fat Kat and Smooth B, who are full siblings to Disco Ebo.
Also among the talented family are Disco Rose, third in the 2015 Grade 2 Demoiselle at the Big A, who posted a record of 36-4-9-4 with purse earnings of $449,280; and the stakes-placed Pink Princess, who boasted a ledger of 66-16-19-7 with purse earnings of $572,135.
“There's four of them that made over $400,000 that are full brothers and sisters to her and I've had them all,” said Reid Jr. “Disco Rose was graded stakes placed in New York and made over $400,00 and Pink Princess made over a half-million. It's been a good family for us and we've taken nearly $2 million out of that mare. She's been very good to us and this one looks like she'll fit into that line as well.”
Disco Ebo, bred in Pennsylvania by St. Omer's Farm, worked a half-mile in 47.01 from the gate on May 19 at Parx and followed with another half-mile in 48.93 on May 26.
Reid Jr. said he will likely enter Susan C. Quack and Christopher J. Feifarek's Beren in Sunday's $100,000 Paradise Creek, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores on the Widener turf.
The Pennsylvania homebred captured the six-furlong Gold Fever last out on May 9 at Belmont. By Weigelia, Beren is out of the multiple graded stakes winning Diamond mare Silmaril.
On June 17, 2006, Weigelia set a then Belmont inner turf course record for six furlongs of 1:07.04 in an allowance optional-claiming event.
“Beren is doing very well and we're thinking about entering him in the Paradise Creek,” said Reid, Jr. “His father held the track record at six furlongs on the turf for a while, so we may come up this weekend and try him on the turf. If it rained off, that wouldn't hurt either.
“Both the father and mother turf,” added Reid, Jr. “The mother is out of a Diamond stallion and he gets nothing but turf horses. We have to try him on it before the summer is over, so we may as well try it now.”
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