The Hurricane Bertie (Grade 3)- $125.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Six and a Half Furlongs on the Dirt
March 11, 2023

The starting gate is mostly full-on Saturday for the 19th running of the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie, a race that debuted in 2004 and has taken place every year other than 2016. The purse levels for the race have generally been consistent, but we have seen some minor fluctuation in the distance of the race. Notable past winners of the Hurricane Bertie include Avery Island and Hehehe, and it was won last year by Kreepy Chill, for EasyMoney Stables. That mare is still active but is not going to be here to defend her crown. However, one past winner is, as 2021 winner Christina G will be going to post. Let’s take a look at her, and the ten others that will participating!

#1- Dialing (Angelos Stable, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- Took part in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint last fall, but did not make her presence felt. Prior to the BC, she won the Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes at SA, which was her only win of 2022. She’s rebounded well after, with top two finishes in each of her last two starts, but both of those were in optional claimers, and not at this level. Interestingly, this is the third race in a row where she starts on the rail, making up for starting from post 14 in the BC.

#2- Lady Narloff (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- You can go back on her record and see a lot of races to be excited about. In 2022, she won over $400.000, winning a couple of grade 3’s and cashing a check in each of the Grade 1 Beholder and Grade 1 Vinery Madison. This would send her to the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint, and in that she was the only horse that Dialing finished ahead of. Struggled in her first race of the year, an allowance of over a mile. We can throw that out, but you still want to see her return to form to have more confidence.

#3- Wicked Ride (High Voltage, ridden by J Stein)- From late 2021 and into 2022, Wicked Ride put together a stretch of four wins in six starts, that saw her elevated into the graded level. She responded well to the challenge and has collected some form of the purse in all of them. That includes the Grade 1 Ballerina at SAR last August, though curiously she was put on the shelf for five months after that. She’s back at it now and seems to be more than capable of success at this level and becoming a more well-known name.

#4- La Belle Province (Night Rider Stables, ridden by Rey Arrieta)- Claimed for $28.000 back in November 2021, but has been lightly raced since then, making just five starts. Like Wicked Ride, she has been quite successful when given the chance but also had a five-month layoff about the same time as that one. She resurfaced in mid-February to run second in an optional claimer, and is ready to show what she can do, perhaps at long last, at this level.

#5- Running Hot (First Flight Stable, ridden by Edg Perez)- This four-year-old filly has only made three starts, and gives us another chance to talk about five-month layoffs. The last time we saw her was in October, and it was right here in a FL-bred allowance that she won, in the mud. Despite showing that promise, Running Hot has been cold in terms of getting back out on the track. Another one with potential, and hopefully she gets more chances consistently now.

#6- Silver Jazzmin (The SIdley Stud, ridden by J R Leparoux)- Took part in the 2021 BC Fillies and Mares Sprint, but did not finish well. She would be slow to get going last year, but eventually hit her stride in June at CT bullring against WV-breds. That would include a win in a $50.000 stake, and she returned to the graded level on New Years Eve for the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes, where she placed fourth. This makes her yet another horse that seems very capable but probably not one of the favorites.

#7- Christina G (Mb Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- Christina G got the job done here in 2021 with the win in the Hurricane Bertie, and it came four months in what is now the first of three straight BC Fillies and Mares Sprints that she has been in. She did not look to defend her crown here in 2022, but still had a great season that saw her win over $500.000 on the year. Running second in the BC that year sure helped out with that amount, but she was consistent throughout the season. Ran last month in the Grade 3 Fritchie, getting her photo taken at the wire with the winner by placing second. This race has never had a horse win its trophy more than once, but you have to really like Christina G’s chances of doing so. This is also a horse that I have covered now on several occasions, and she typically always runs well when I do.

#8- Spanish Style (Asgar, ridden by E J Wilson)- In December, Asgar put down $75.000 to claim this horse away from Jormav, and so far, it looks like a good move. Spanish Style had always been consistent with finishing in the top two for her previous trainer, but it was always in overnights so that opportunity to prove herself against stronger competition never really happened. With Asgar, she has been entered into two $50.000 stakes, and she has continued her consistent with two more top two finishes. Overall, she has been part of the exacta twelve times in 14 starts. This is a much deserved and overdue chance to run at this level and even with that class jump, you can’t ignore how dependable she is.

#9- Spearmint Rhino (Arindel, ridden by E J Zayas)- There was no shortage of opportunities for this one at the graded level last year, however, as she consistently ran against the best. In June, she ran in the Grade 1 Acorn at BEL, then after that, it was off to the Grade 1 Test at SAR. In both, she placed fourth. For her career, she has predominantly been a long sprinter, so this race falls right into her wheelhouse. We did see her in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint last year, but she was not a factor at the wire. Recovered well off that with a win in an optional claimer and then a solid fourth here in the Grade 2 Inside Information. Interestingly, she’s never been second or third in her career.

#10- Longclaws Maggie (Big Jd Racing, ridden by C Sutherland)- After spending eleven months on the shelf at Mb Stables, she was sold in the March 2022 auction for $12.570, and she can best be described as hot and cold since then. She has had her moments, with two wins and two seconds out of nine starts but has struggled to step up to the higher levels. Sure, she was good in the $120.000 Pumpkin Pie at AQU, but a flat outing in the Grade 2 Santa Monica spoils the excitement. On her best day, she can certainly run with these, but I feel safer picking others.

#11- Lady Sammyantha (The Sidley Stud, ridden by Al Gonzalez)- Ran fifth in the 2021 BC Fillies & Mares Sprint, and would then go on to win twice out of seven starts in 2022. This would be including running in last year’s Hurricane Bertie, where she placed fourth. Did not have a return trip to the BC but did close out her season with two wins in three starts, capturing the Grade 3 Bernardo Handicap and the Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes. She has not been back out on the track for a race since then but should be able to carry on that form here.

Prediction: 7-9-8-11

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES