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 9, 2024

The Hurricane Bertie may not have the largest purse out there, but that fact has not kept a couple of big names from entering the race, including the reigning BC Fillies and Mares Sprint champion. While many eyes will be on Lady Sammyantha, there are nine others here that are prepared to steal the show. Last year, Silver Jazzmin won the race as a six-year-old mare for The Sidley Stud, and she would eventually be retired later in the year. Here’s a look at our field of ten this year!

1- Sigatoka (Bears Stable, ridden by E J Zayas)- We saw her in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint, but she didn’t have anything for Lady Sammyantha, or most of the others as she went on to finish 12th. We can’t focus on that too much, because most of her other recent races have been good, with six wins in her last ten. Unfortunately, her last race, the Grade 2 Santa Monica last month, was not a career highlight though she has shown the ability to bounce back from starts like that.

2- Rainy Bronze Party (Ace Racing Stable, ridden by O Murphy)- One of four horses here to come out of the Santa Monica at SA, and of them, she had the best finish. Rainy Bronze Party finished third, less than half a length behind the winner, Shadow State. Ace Racing Stable has done a great job with this one after claiming her, and the five-year-old seems to be on the verge of a graded win at some point, so why not today. She does have a smaller, ungraded win.

3- Lady Sammyantha (The Sidley Stud, ridden by E J Wilson)- When you win a BC race, all eyes are going to be on you for a while, but Lady Sammyantha is used to getting attention. She’s done a lot more than simply win the 2023 BC Fillies and Mares Sprint, with eleven career wins and over $2,000.000 in earnings. This is her second race since the BC, and she was a strong second last month at the Grade 3 Fritchie Stakes at LRL. That race was won by an interesting up and comer to keep an eye on. As for here, Lady Sammyantha is a tough foe for the rest of these to handle if she runs her race.

4- Sexy Angelina (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- In September, Sexy Angelina won the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes at WO and seemed to be headed for bigger and better. Unfortunately for the trainer, that has simply not happened. The filly was badly beaten in the Grade 1 Spinster, and then it happened again against lesser company in the Grade 2 Bessarabian. Only beat one in her last race, but it did show improvement, at least. Worked nicely here, so she may be on the brink of a much-needed top three, if not a win. But I can’t pick it.

5- Parade Leader (Fractious, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- Made twelve starts as a three-year-old, winning four of them which were highlighted by the Grade 3 Victory Ride at BEL in July. Since then, she’s been very hit or miss. The hits were enough to get her into the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint, and she finished in the middle of the field there. Afterwards, she’s been okay over her next three, but nothing to write home about either. Comes out of a tough performance in the Santa Monica.

6- Texas Holdem (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by El Gonzalez)- Typically, this five-year-old Local Hero mare represents herself well, and is rarely out of a race. In 29 starts, she has six wins and has hit the board 17 times, but she also has a lot of close fourths. More victories would be appreciated by the trainer, however, as only one of those wins have been since November 2022. This seems to be the type of race where she will be in the mix against and with the lead group, but she is a tough horse to put on top.

7- Striding Edge (Fractious, ridden by J J Castellano)- Ran against her stablemate in the Santa Monica, but neither of them can lay claim to a strong race. For Striding Edge, that was a tough one, because she had looked so good in the race right before it, going wire to wire to win the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes at SA. In that, and another seven-furlong race, she tired at the end, so will this slight reduction of distance make all the difference? She’s a little more lightly raced than her rivals are, as well.

8- Sin City Blossom (El Jamsha Racing, ridden by L Panici)- At first glance with this horse, my first impression was loving the commitment to PA-bred racing, although that was with his prior training. El Jamsha Racing claimed her for $50.000 and has run her at PRX a lot, but not in State Breds. Twice she has made the trip south to GP, including her last race, which was an optional claimer that she won. She’s been victorious in two of her last three and will take on graded company for the first time.

9- Majestic Chai (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by J Alvarado)- Most of her career has been running long, and she has appeared in races like the Black Eyed Susan and the Davona Dale in her career. After some spotty performances, the trainer cut back on her distance, and it’s led to better results. However, she was back to a mile last month for the $150.000 Heavenly Prize at AQU and was third of five. For me, she’s hard to get a read on, and I would not have confidence putting money on her.

10- She Is Quick (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E Jaramillo)- All but one of her ten previous races have been in overnights, and this will be the toughest challenge she has had since she was placed in the SUN Oaks last year. Perhaps, she has just taken a little longer to fulfill the potential that Maxmillion was hoping she’d reach, and now she will get a chance to show it. Over her last four she has two wins, but it’s mainly a wire-to-wire victory here last month that is the most appealing. Very capable of lingering with the leaders here.

Prediction: 3-2-6-1

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES