Queen Nekia Looks to Rebound in Added Elegance Stakes
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ftboa.com • Saturday & Sunday, June 27 & 28, 2020 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or email: [email protected] In This Issue: Promises Fulfilled Headlines True North Cordmaker Continues to Prep Tom’s d’Etat Made Even-Money Favorite Participating Owners Approved to Attend Keeneland’s Summer Meet Mean Mary Looks to Intimidate Come Dancing on Her Toes Jockeys Joining Ellis Park Colony Pink Lloyd Streaks to Fourth Straight Florida-bred Queen Nekia/COADY PHOTO Track Results & Entries Gulfstream Park Charts Queen Nekia Looks Florida Stallion Progeny List Florida Breeders’ List to Rebound in Added Wire to Wire Business Place Elegance Stakes Featured Advertisers Berrettini Feed BY BROCK SHERIDAN _____________ In order to do so, however, the 5-year- Bloodstockauction USA old mare will have to vastly improve on FTBOA Queen Nekia, who was claimed for her last effort when she was 10th of 14 in Florida Department of Agriculture $25,000 in December by trainer Saffie the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap won Florida Equine Communications Joseph Jr., will try to continue to add to by Ce Ce at Oaklawn Park on April 18. the return on that investment Saturday at Queen Nekia had a bit of an excuse in the de Meric Thoroughbred Sales Gulfstream Park when the Florida-bred one mile Apple Blossom after she broke Eddie Woods Stables mare goes in the $60,000 Added Elegance poorly and was 20 lengths off the lead at Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply Stakes. Eight fillies and mares, 3-years- the first point of call. RiceHorse Stables old and older have entered the one mile Prior to the Apple Blossom, Queen Six K’s Training & Sales, LLC Added Elegance. See ELEGANCE on page 3 Seminole Feed Back to Top Page 3 Elegance Continued from COVER Nekia had shown steady improvement since finishing third in a $35,000 starter allowance won by Honor Way at Belmont Park on Oct. 16. In her next start and in the race from which Joseph claimed her, Queen Nekia dominated a first conditioned, $25,000 optional claiming race at a mile, winning by six lengths at Gulfstream on Dec. 6. She then stepped up in competition on Jan. 16 into a second tier, $62,500 optional claiming race at Gulfstream in her first start for Joseph and won that mile-and- one-sixteenth event by a length-and-a-quarter. Joseph then asked Queen Nekia to take another big step up in class on Feb. 15 in the Grade 3 Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream and she responded with a solid third-place finish behind Florida- bred winner Cookie Dough before she went to Oaklawn for the Apple Blossom debacle. Queen Nekia is by Harlington out of All Night Labor, by Double Honor and she was bred in Florida by Porter Racing Stable LLC. She now races in the red colors of owner Ken Copenhaver and has won eight of 25 starts with earn- ings of $318,158. Queen Nekia will start from post three and Samy Camacho will ride her for the first time Saturday. Also expected to get plenty of support through the mutuel windows is Nonna Madeline and jockey Edgard Zayas in post one. As a 2-year-old in 2018, Nonna Madeline faced some of the best of her class when second in the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes and fifth Edgard Zayas/COGLIANESE PHOTO in both the Grade 1 Spinaway and the Grade 1 Frizette. She then had 15 months away from the races but returned with a strong five-and-three-quarter-length win in a first level allowance race at Gulfstream Park going seven furlongs on Dec. 19. Trained by Todd Pletcher for Teresa Viola Racing Stables and St. Elias Stable, Nonna Madeline was third to winner Pink Sands in the Grade 2 Inside Information Stakes going seven furlongs at Gulfstream on Jan. 26 and fourth behind winner Sally’s Curlin in the seven furlong Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream on March 14. Most recently, Nonna Madeline was second to Letruska, who she faces again in the Added Elegance, in a top level, $50,000 optional claiming race going a mile-and-one-six- teenth at Gulfstream on April 16. Nonna Madeline is by Candy Ride (Arg) out of Cool Storm, by Storm Bird and she has won two of eight career starts with earnings of $143,800. After defeating Nonna Madeline on April 16, Letruska went on to finish second to Blamed in her next start against top condi- tioned, $75,000 optional claimers going a mile on April 30 at Gulfstream. Nonna Madeline has drawn post one and Edgard Zayas is set to ride. See ELEGANCE on page 5 Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Elegance page 3 Continued from Trained by Fausto Gutierrez for St. George Stable LLC, Letruska has a stakes win over the Gulfstream surface having won the Copa Invitational del Caribe Stakes on Dec. 8 going a mile-and-a-quarter. In her only other start since coming to the United States from Mexico City where she was undefeated in her first six career starts including a 14-length domination of the Grade 1-Mex Classico Diamante on July of last year. Letruska is by Super Saver out of Magic Appeal, by Successful Appeal and she has won eight of 10 career races and $126,705. Emisael Jaramillo will ride Letruska from post four. Another Florida-bred who could threaten in the Added Elegance is Heirssall, a winner of a high level, $75,000 optional claiming race going six furlongs at Gulfstream in her last race on May 14. Trained by Terri Pompay for owner and breeder My Purple Haze Stable LLC, Heiressall was seventh in the Hurricane Bertie Stakes followed by a fourth-place finish behind winner Princess Causeway under the same optional claiming conditions as her May 14 start. Florida-bred Starship Bonita/KENNY MARTIN PHOTO Heiressall is by Wildcat Heir out of All Bridled, by She was recently ninth in the $100,000 Ginger Punch Stakes won Unbridled’s Song and the 5-year-old mare has won five of 15 by Kelsey’s Cross over a mile-and-one-sixteenth on the career starts while generating $211,463 in earnings. She is set to Gulfstream turf on June 6. break from the outside post eight with Miquel Vasquez in the She is trained by Steven Dwoskin, who also co-owns Starship irons. Bonita with Starship Stables. Marco Meneses will be aboard Florida-bred Starship Bonita will have to return to the form when she breaks from post five. she showed in winning the 2018 Sheer Drama Stakes at The remainder of the field includes Bella Ciao, Remarkable Gulfstream if she has any hopes of taking the Added Elegance. Soul and Helping Lisa. Back to Top Souper Escape La Lorgnette– Woodbine Micheal Burns Photo Shang Shang Shang Norfolk Stakes– Royal Ascot Mathea Kelly Photo Valdermoro Group 3 Tattersalls Global Access Acomb Stakes–York Grade 3 Ontario NY Racing Course Photo Derby–Woodbine Michael Burns Photo Yulong Warrior Starship Jubilee A Bastakiya Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes–Meydan Stakes–Woodbine Andrew Watkins Photo Mathea Kelly Photo Make your next international runner a Florida-bred FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND CONSUMER SERVICES AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION Nicole “Nikki” Fried, Commissioner Lonny T. Powell, CEO For Information: Jacqueline Basha, Tammy A. Gantt, Associate Vice President Membership Services & Events Division of Marketing and Development (850) 617-7286 – Direct Line 352-629-2160 • Fax: 352-629-3603 • 801 SW 60th Ave. • Ocala, FL 34474 [email protected] • www.FDACS.gov www.ftboa.com [email protected] www.facebook.com/thefloridahorse 45959 Back to Top Page 7 Promises Fulfilled Headlines Saturday's True North Stakes BY KEITH MCCALMONT, NYRA PRESS OFFICE____ ELMONT, NY—Robert Baron and WinStar Farm's Grade 1-winner Promises Fulfilled returns off a more than eight month layoff to headline Saturday's $150,000 True North Stakes (Grade 2), a six-and-a-half-furlong sprint for 4- years-old and older at Belmont Park. Trained by Dale Romans, the 5-year-old Shackleford chestnut last raced in the Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes on Oct. 4 at Keeneland when sixth, defeated less than four lengths. That effort capped off an otherwise sparkling campaign that included four wins, led by a four- and-a-half-length romp in the seven furlong Grade 2 John A. Nerud in July at Belmont that garnered a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure. Promises Fulfilled, who will ship up to New York from Kentucky on Thursday, has trained forwardly at Churchill Downs, including a bullet five-eighths breeze in :59 flat on June 13 and a similarly speedy effort in :59.20 Saturday on the Churchill Downs main track. "He had ankle surgery [during his time off] and since he's come back he's been training very well," Romans said. "He just keeps getting better. There's a lot of money out there for him. I think he'll run well. He's doing good enough." Promises Fulfilled, who sizzled to a front-running score in the 2018 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, boasts a record of seven wins from 17 starts with purse earnings of $1,455,530. After running fourth in last year's Runhappy Met Mile in June, he turned back successfully with a dominating front- end effort in the Grade 2 John A. Nerud under regular pilot Luis Saez.