Calling her a 'filly for the future,' the connections of stakes-placed Malleymoo are set to step her up for her season and graded-stakes debut in Saturday's $175,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The 1 1/16-mile Sweetest Chant for fillies on the turf is among five graded-stakes for 3-year-olds on a 12-race program headlined by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the next step on Gulfstream's road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1.
Post time is 11:50 a.m.
Rockingham Ranch, David Bernsen, Talla Racing and JWS Racing's Malleymoo was a popular winner of her debut last fall in a 7 ½-length maiden special weight on the all-weather surface at Dundalk in Ireland, a year after fetching $112,000 as a yearling at Keeneland.
The daughter of turf champion English Channel made her stateside debut Dec. 10 in the 7 ½-furlong Wait a While over Gulfstream's turf, hesitating at the break but uncorking a late rally that saw her run second by a length to undefeated Junipermarshmallow.
“She came out of the race in great shape,” trainer Jack Sisterson said. “We just felt she's a filly for the future and we didn't want to overrace her early in her campaign, so we let her climatize more. Sometimes you see those European horses run well first time off the plane and have a bit of a bounce the second time, but we've given her time to get over that and she's doing really well.
“We've just run her the once under our care but she won coming from off the pace at Dundalk and she probably is a filly that is going to come from off the pace, but probably not as far as last time,” he added. “Typically, the Europeans can kind of miss the break first time in the country, and that's what happened to her. Julien [Leparoux] rode her perfectly, didn't panic, saved ground and let her finish up well. We're really happy with the way she ran.”
Despite the loss, Sisterson was encouraged with effort shown by Malleymoo, who will retain the services of Leparoux breaking from Post 3 in a field of nine.
“It's a great post,” Sisterson said. “There seems to be a little bit of speed in there. I'm sure Julien will be aware that she broke a little bit slow last time but won't be trying to send her out there. He'll let her get a comfortable break and not be too far back like the last race.
“[Junipermarshmallow] is potentially a very good filly. She's two-for-two, and with a cleaner break we could have been right there with her. We won't take anything away from Mallyemoo. We'll let her break on her own. I think she's a filly that we'll try to relax in behind and finish up well,” he added. “She's a very classy filly around the barn and on the track, and she's got the physical looks and the talent to go on and be a graded-stakes filly.”
While Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is keeping Junipermarshmallow in the barn he entered the pair of Alpha Bella and Cairo Consort. Don Alberto Stable's Alpha Bella exits a gutsy neck maiden special weight triumph going one mile Dec. 11 at Gulfstream in her fourth start and first on the grass.
“It was a good win last time, so we decided to step up and give her a chance in here,” Pletcher said. “We kind of had [turf] in the back of our mind. She has quite a bit of turf in her pedigree and it seemed like she took to it. The distance shouldn't be a problem.”
Cairo Consort won the Catch a Glimpse and was second in the Natalma (G1) at Woodbine last summer and fall before being purchased privately by Repole Stable and Town and Country Racing and pointed to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), where she ran third. The Cairo Prince filly was a popular half-length winner of the one-mile Ginger Brew Jan. 7 at Gulfstream under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
“I thought it was good. Irad seemed to think he had a little something left in the end,” Pletcher said. “It was a good effort and hopefully she takes a step forward again. She continues to be a straightforward, professional filly.”
Ortiz rides Cairo Consort back from Post 7 and Luis Saez has the call on Alpha Bella from Post 5.
Miacomet Farm's Heavenly Sunday is entered to make her stakes debut after winning each of her first two starts by 9 ¾ combined lengths. The daughter of Candy Ride broke her maiden sprinting 7 ½ furlongs Sept. 27 at Horseshoe Indiana before capturing a one-mile allowance Oct. 28 at Keeneland.
Rounding out the field are Bulsara, a last out winner on Turfway Park's all-weather surface in mid-December; Metaphysical, an off-the-turf maiden winner Dec. 26 that ran second in a grass allowance Jan. 12, both at Gulfstream; Padma, entered for her grass debut off a runner-up finish in the one-mile Cash Run Jan. 1 at Gulfstream; multiple stakes-placed Stephanie's Charm, second by a half-length to Cairo Consort in the Ginger Brew; and Sweetlou'sgotaces, winner of the one-mile Tepin on the Aqueduct turf Nov. 27 in her most recent start.
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