Patricia Ann, NYRA Photo
Mary Eddy
After two game runner-up finishes in stakes company, Blue Devil Racing Stable’s Patricia Ann looks to finish one better in Sunday’s $150,000 Garland of Roses, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Carlos Martin, the 4-year-old Enticed bay was last seen finishing a 1 1/4-length second to Weigh the Risks in the seven-furlong Listed Pumpkin Pie on November 8, where she stalked in second under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche and gave game chase when outfinished in the lane by the winner. The effort was awarded an 87 Beyer Speed Figure.
“She’s in such good form and she’s become a consistent sprinter,” Martin said. “She was game last time and I’m glad Kendrick put her in the race. I was pretty confident around the turn, and she fought gallantly until the last sixteenth of a mile and Weigh the Risks was awesome that day. She’s [Patricia Ann] been facing some tough fillies lately and coming up the bridesmaid, so I’m excited about the opportunity and hopefully we can make her a stakes winner.”
Two starts back, Patricia Ann picked up graded black type with a similar runner-up effort to R Disaster in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Gallant Bloom on September 27 here. Her last two efforts at six furlongs yielded off-the-board finishes over a sloppy and sealed Saratoga Race Course main track in August and over firm turf in September here, but her last effort at the distance over a fast track resulted in a 3 3/4-length allowance score last November here. The win was the first of back-to-back allowance-level scores ahead of a six-month respite from January to July.
“I think our filly still has some improving to do,” said Martin. “She was off for a while, she came back and didn’t get anything out of the slop race at Saratoga, and you can throw the turf race out. We’ve been playing a little catch-up, and I think in her last two efforts we’ve gotten her back to her best form.”
Named for Martin’s late sister-in-law, Patricia Ann was a $20,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale and is out of the unraced Rahy mare Soother. She has banked $270,525 through an 11-3-4-0 record.
“She’s always been a big, beautiful filly, and she’s really filled out into that frame,” Martin said. “The last six to eight weeks, she’s really come ahead physically, getting bigger and stronger. We bought her as a yearling in honor of my sister-in-law who passed away, Patricia Wagner. It’s been a godsend to have her. She’s made us proud, and I’m sure Patricia is in heaven smiling down on her namesake. It’s been a great story for us and I’d love to make her a stakes winner.”
Carmouche returns to the irons from post 2.
Mark Stanley’s New York-bred Tricky Temper [post 7, Manny Franco] gets back to dirt after two efforts over synthetic, including her first graded placing when third in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters at its namesake course on September 19.
Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the 4-year-old Into Mischief bay enters from an even seventh in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Bessarabian on November 8 at Woodbine Racetrack where she brushed with a rival at the start and was steadied at the three-eighths. She attempted to re-rally, but ran out of time and finished four lengths behind the victorious Pondering.
Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm, Tricky Temper’s last six-furlong start on dirt was a three-length optional claiming coup against open company in August at the Spa. She boasts a pair of state-bred stakes wins over Sunday’s distance after taking the Key Cents by a neck as a juvenile here, and Saratoga’s Union Avenue last August, the latter of which produced a field-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
Winning Move Stable, John Oxley, Lady Sheila Stable, Rideau Racers and Sanford Robbins’ New York-bred With the Angels [post 6, Flavien Prat] wheels back after being handed her first career loss last out in a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer versus elders on Friday here.
Trained by Linda Rice, the sophomore daughter of Omaha Beach pressed the pace early and led into the stretch, but was passed in the stretch by Roswell and finished 1 1/4 lengths back in second.
Last year, With the Angels put together a sparkling 4-for-4 juvenile campaign in which she won three consecutive state-bred stakes at the Big A, taking the seven-furlong Joseph A. Gimma that September, the one-mile Maid of the Mist in October and the six-furlong Key Cents in November ahead of an 11-month respite. She returned victoriously with a 2 1/2-length allowance win over course and distance on October 16.
Bred by Joseph DeRico, With the Angels was a $350,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and has banked $349,650 in total purse earnings through a 6-5-1-0 record.
Bran Jam Stable and David Clark’s Volleyballprincess [post 3, Angel Rodriguez] returns to the scene of her 10-length romp in the seven-furlong Ruthless in February for trainer Louis Linder, Jr.
The sophomore Mo Town filly led at every point of call in the Ruthless and drew off with ease under Eliseo Ruiz to notch her first stakes win. She went on to finish third in two other stakes this spring, including the Grade 2 Beaumont over sloppy and sealed footing at Keeneland. She makes her ninth start of this campaign, and enters from a distant pacesetting seventh in the Pumpkin Pie.
Three-time stakes-winning New York-bred Sunday Girl [post 5, Sahin Civaci] wheels back from a sixth in the seven-furlong NYSSS Staten Island facing fellow eligible state-sired fillies and mares on November 22 here.
Trained by David Duggan, the 4-year-old Central Banker filly was stretched out to seven furlongs for the third time in 13 career starts and stalked the pace in third before weakening. Owned by Mitre Box Stable, Clear Stars Stable and Eighth Note Stable, Sunday Girl returns to the distance that saw her capture two stakes this year at the Big A, including the open-company Correction over the main track in March and the state-bred John Hettinger in June over the turf. She was bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and Spruce Lane Farm.
Completing the field are last-out allowance-level winners Hold Your Breath [post 8, Joel Rosario] for trainer John Servis and Reliable Lady [post 1, Jaime Rodriguez] for trainer Fernando Abreu; as well as the stakes-debuting The Big Calhouna [post 4, Jose Lezcano] for conditioner Rick Dutrow, Jr.
The Garland of Roses is slated as Race 6 on Sunday’s eight-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $200,000 Comely in Race 7. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.
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