The Garland of Roses Handicap ($100.000 Purse)
AQU- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
December 6, 2020

The 12th running of the Garland of Roses Handicap will take place at AQU on Sunday, and this is a race that has appeared inconsistently on the race calendar. It would debut in 2004, and then took a few years off. After returning, it would then not be run last year as well. The most recent winner of the race, then, is Sad But True, for Threshold in 2018, and it would be the highlight of her career. For this race, we have a mix of horses who have tried much bigger races and came up short, those who usually race around this level, and those looking to step up. Let’s take a peek at the runners.

#1- Fill The Void (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The last time we saw this filly, she was running in the Grade 1 Diana at SAR. Safe to say, things have changed for her in the last three months, as after a rest period, she moves from going long on the grass to sprinting on the dirt. She’s not a stranger to dirt sprints, and has attempted a few Grade 3’s. Had been consistent before the Diana.

#2- McLovin Returns (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by N Juarez)- This filly has also been gone for a while, having last run on the fourth of July, when she won the Spruce Fir Handicap for NJ-breds, against three others, at MTH. That was the first time that the five year old ran on the main track for her career, and that was off a four month layoff. So, five months can’t be much different, right?

#3- Run Fitchew (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- The trainer had big aspirations for this filly over the fall, running her in the Grade 1 Cotillion at PRX. She was a complete non factor in that race, and has been better in smaller stakes. Like the two to her inside, she has been doing other things then running in dirt sprints lately, but has experience with it in the past.

#4- Astern (Rock Creek, ridden by J Lezcano)- Gets a shot at this level for the first time in her career. She has won twice in 12 starts, and each of them had a claiming tag associated with it. Rock Creek picked her up for $12.500 in a maiden claimer, and took her off the grass. So far, that has been the right move.

#5- Heroic Chai (Axeman, ridden by D Davis)- This filly has won four of her last five races, a stretch that began in claimers, but has moved up to the NM Classic Oaks, at ZIA, for statebreds. Now, she looks to take another step and get a win against unrestricted company at this level. She’ll be one of two carrying 120 pounds in here, but is working well, and I think she could overcome that.

#6- Surfing Sox (Paradise Stable, ridden by E Cancel)- The trainer enjoyed his third place run in the Garofalo Memorial, at PRX for PA-breds, in August so much, that he ran her in it again a month later for $20.000 less. Seriously now, this race was apparently run in both August and September, and Surfing Sox was third in each of them. Overall, has won four of her 25 career starts.

#7- Cp Great Moon Queen (Greyfriars Stable, ridden by T P Alpander)- Ran second in the SA Oaks, allowing her to run in the KYO. Though really, you have to look at that as a fluke result at this point as the filly has not done much this year, otherwise. Last ran three weeks ago at CD, in an optional claimer, and was third.

#8- Charity Jane (RNP Stables, ridden by K Carmouche)- Like a couple others in here, this filly has predominantly run on the grass for her career. She was once seen in the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes at DMR, but that’s all there is to say about that one. Her last two starts have seen her drop into overnights, and by winning an open allowance at PRX three weeks ago, she’s going to give this a shot.

Prediction: 5-1-6-3

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded