5/16/2020

2 BEL    The Soaring Softly (GIII)

        $100.000           3yoF          7f    Turf               122lbs

We catch a nice field of eight sophomore fillies set to go the extended sprint distance of seven furlongs in Saturday’s The Soaring Softly (GIII) here in Elmont, NY.  Softly could be the key word as there is rain in the forecast, and that can always spell scratches and unlikely finishes.  I have settled on Sheza Kat as my top choice today.  She was second in her only wet track race but she also has the most solid black type efforts in my opinion.  I’ll put the lightly raced Priorities in the second spot as Mb Stables doesn’t play and this 2-start filly looks to have some real ability.  As always, you can make a case for a few of these, and track condition could be the wild-card.

Here’s the Field –

Broke maiden at first asking and hasn’t had her picture taken since then.  She has been second in a pair of non-graded races and was sixth in her only graded try.  She shortens up a bit from her recent races, comes back on short rest again and has one dirt breeze getting ready for this.  She will need her best to be part of this one.

Looked good taking down maidens at WO by three lengths and did it in pretty fast time.  She comes from the big barn and you know he isn’t here to just try things out.  I’d look for a big effort and she may be the next good one from a long line of good ones. 

Had her three-race undefeated string snapped when second beaten a length at SA last out, while facing Cal-bred stakes horses.  She’s a real gamer and has never won by more than 3/4’s of a length… this is another step up in class, but she looks like a nice horse that wants to run and run hard.

Has a pair of wins and they thought a lot of this horse as a 2yo, running in both the Adirondack (GII) and Natalma (GI).  She’s changed hands a few times since then including back to back hostile takeovers at the $20.000 and $32.000 levels.  She’s stepping back into the deep end of the pool and I just don’t know if she’s ready for it.

Nice win over this course while taking down NY-bred OptAlw types, and it was at today’s distance.  That was a wet track and they do have rain in the forecast for the foreseeable future, so this may be playing right into her strengths.  Add in that she will probably have some odds with her and she may be a nice hunch play.

Got the job done in SoCal taking down claiming maidens to score her first win, and they go for the gusto coming right back after graded horses.  She’s never been far away showing a pair of seconds and a fourth in her prior efforts.  Still, this is going to be a tough spot to get win number two, in my opinion.

Certainly didn’t show her best at KEE last out when seventh in the Appalachian (GII) but she has shown some competitive races vs. graded horses with a runner-up try in The Sweet Chant (GIII) and a third in The Herecomesthebride (GIII), the prior being on a surface labeled good, so she may like the rain as well.

Got the job done at PRX last out taking down N1X Alw horses and she’s never been off of the board in four tries, winning half of them.  She looks like a bargain claim, being haltered for $10.000 at HOU 2 back, and seems like a factor here today.  The post doesn’t help, but I wouldn’t let that stop you from putting her in the EX/TRI, that’s for sure.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES