Princess Rooney – GII (BC) – $350.000 Purse
GP – Fillies and Mares Three years Old and Up
7 Furlongs on Dirt
June 3rd, 2021
The Princess Rooney will see a full field take to the gates in hopes of cashing in not only on the good size purse, but BC points too. A quality horse will going the a list of seventeen previous winners of the Princess Rooney, which has hoisted up the silks of recent greats Totally Baroque, Toleration, and Avery Island.
This is a race that has been dominated by four year olds and up in the sixteen year history of the race. Still, with BC points in play, we see four three-year-olds take the gates amongst older fillies/mares to try and make HRP history. Here is the field:
#1 – Christina G (Mb Stables) – This four-year-old filly looked sharp at the beginning of the year. Winning the Hurricane Bernie in March before placing second by a neck in the Vinery Madison in April, her form has seemed to fall off slightly. Drawing the one gate she’ll save ground, but it could just as well cause traffic issues if she falls too far behind. Her trainer must think this is her distance because five of her last six efforts have been 7F. If anyone can get her back to the winner’s circle, it’d be Mb Stables, but I certainly don’t like her as much as her stablemates co-entered here.
#2 – Shes A Super Freak (YME Stable) – All I can here is Rick James but in Dave Chapelle’s voice. Undoubtedly the best name of the field, YME cuts this three-year-old back in from a mile for the first time since Oct. 2020. The talent is there and with Johnny V aboard, this one should be live. It seems though that it is a great challenge for three year olds to overcome their 4+ counterparts in this race. We’ll have to see if the cut back in distance helps bring home the first three-year-old winner in the Princess Rooney.
#3 – Not A Big Deal (Mb Stables) – Second entry by Mb Stables is the winner of the Beaumont and Eight Belles Stakes, both at this distance. In his last effort, the Stephens, Not A Big Deal found herself in the suicide zone– on the lead. It’s likely her trainer will try to pull her back some and stalk the pace today, which will give her a better chance to be the first three year old to win this stakes.
#4 – Five Star Queen (Angelos Stables) – A stakes winning four year old that seems to excel in sprint type races. This filly is five for five in races of 6 or 6.5 furlongs, which earned her a step up in class at her 7 furlong debut, the Derby City Distaff- a race she struggle to be competitive. In that race she faded to the back by 7 lengths and never gamely recovered. Still, she bounced back in a 1 mile high end allowance, proving that perhaps that 7F debut is an outlier. So Five Star Queen gets another shot at glory in the Princess Rooney and I expect a better effort this time.
#5 – Why You Do That (Mb Stables) – Third entry by Mb Stables, winner of the Bed o Roses Handicap with a 100 speed fig. This four-year-old filly might be the favorite loading into the gates but she’ll have to prove she’s better than the field without a weight advantage this go round. Carrying 123 lbs instead of the 116 lbs in her previous race could prove to be a difference maker but I think bettors will make her the favorite after that impressive speed figure.
#6 – True Identity (Maxmillion Farm) – Another three year old in search of BC points after claiming victory in a NY state bred stakes win. It should be noted this filly has hit the board on all five of her starts this year, which is likely why Max has placed her aggressively here. If she stays as competitive as her form suggests, she’ll likely come away with some BC points when it’s all said and done.
#7 – Bay Of Indy (Serenity Stables) – Our last three year old to grace the field actually won against a field of older fillies and mares last out. Albeit, a weaker field, this horse looks to get on a roll in the Princess Rooney. The 57.4 work is nothing to scoff at and if she can find a way to grind out an extra furlong from her last 6F effort, she might be able to get to the wire first– But this is quite the step up in class and she might find herself buried behind more talented fillies.
#8 Jedediah (D J C Racing Stables) – SCRATCHED
#9 – Z Command (Smokey Stover) – The name alone may be enough to be post time favorite. This five year old mare seems to like going longer, in fact, you have to go back to April 2020 to find a 7F win by her. Her last effort at 7F was in the Vinery Madison (Which she won in 2020) in which she came home from well off the pace to dead heat for fourth. Looking for her fourth win of the year, she cuts back to 7 furlongs again after winning the Phipps GI stakes and hopes for a result like the Vinery Madison 2020 instead of 2021. She’ll be the class of the field and a popular bet by handicappers.
#10 – Copper Mama (John Henry) – Since Nov. 2020, this four-year-old filly hasn’t lost a race at the seven furlong distance. She’s won the NY Stallion Series, Distaff Handicap, and the Derby City Distaff. Purchased on 5/7/2021 for $500.000 from Team 7 Illusions, John Henry tried her out going longer first, which was an ill-fated try. But now she is back at seven furlongs where she’s blistering fast and tough to beat
#11 – Grand Cyclone (Maxmillion Farm) – Second entry here for Max, this horse has had seconditis her last two races. Second to Why You Do That last effort and second to Copper Mama the time before. This horse clearly is one of those rare mares with the chops to be out on the lead, both of her last two tries saw her out to the early lead and hanging on for second. It’ll be interesting to see if Max keeps her out front or tries to pull her back this time. This mare has been close in both her last efforts at 7F and it wouldn’t shock me if she got over the hump in the Princess Rooney.
#12 – Dancinginflorida (Night Rider Stables) – Always the bridesmaid never the bride, this four year old filly by Sources Say has been 3rd, 4th, 4th in her last three graded stakes efforts. She’s posted nice speed figs in all of them and has given good efforts from nearly every position on the track. Her flexibility will likely come in handy as she breaks from gate twelve in hopes to beat familiar foes. This four-year-old claimed for $16.000 back in Nov. 2020 is looking for her first win of the 2021 campaign.
#13 – Easily Amused (Night Mare Racing) – A four-year-old filly by Hard To Deny joins the Princess Rooney after scoring a NY State Bred Stakes win amongst a very short field. Likely a big long shot coming from the far outside against much classier horses, this filly will be looking for some HRP magic.
Jive’s Prediction
This will be a superb sprint with a field loaded full of stakes winning fillies and mares. Someone will become the 17th winner of the Princess Rooney stakes and clinch a BC filly and Mare sprint entry. This is how I see it unfolding…
Copper Mama will close home faster than Why You Do That with Grand Cyclone tiring off the lead for a third place effort. Z Command and Dancinginflorida will fight gamely down the stretch, rounding out the field for 4th and 5th.
Jive’s Selections: 10-5-11-9-12
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
