Royal Spa (pink cap) battles St. Benedicts Prep for second in the Barbara Fritchie in February at Laurel. (Jerry Dzierwinski/TMJC)
Four $100,000 Stakes Highlight Saturday Laurel Program
Dan Illman/The Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Breffni Farm’s Royal Spa, a Grade 3-placed daughter of Violence, seeks her first stakes victory in the Heavenly Cause for fillies and mares over a one-turn mile. The Heavenly Cause is the sixth race with an approximate post time of 2:29 pm ET.
Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Royal Spa finished second in Laurel’s Barbara Fritchie Stakes on February 15. Irish Maxima, the race winner, returned to grab Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Distaff Stakes last Saturday.
“She did surprise us a little bit to be that close [to the pace],” Brisset said. “The fractions were mid-fast. She dug in pretty hard. The winner is obviously a very nice filly.”
Royal Spa boasts five workouts at Keeneland since the Fritchie, including a heads-up half-mile breeze with multiple stakes-placed gelding Santorini on March 21.
“We love what we’ve been seeing,” Brisset admitted. “We were considering the Madison [Grade 1 at Keeneland on April 8] at one point, but that came up a little tough for her. We were going to enter in an allowance, but that didn’t fill at Keeneland, so the next logical spot was to come to Laurel. That one-turn mile is really right in her alley.”
Catherine Wheel nipped Takethemoneyhoney by a nose in a first-level allowance at Aqueduct on March 15, but both are questionable to compete in the Heavenly Cause.
Trainer Chad Brown cross-entered Catherine Wheel in Saturday’s $150,000 Top Flight Stakes at Aqueduct. Likewise, trainer Mike Moore nominated Takethemoneyhoney for a Sunday allowance at Laurel and said Thursday morning that she would likely run there.
Trainer Brittany Russell entered two fillies in the Heavenly Cause. Oncourtcommentator races for the first time since finishing second in the restricted Geisha on January 18.
“She’s probably one that needs a little bit more time between races, so I was pleased with that effort,” Russell said.
Conversely, if Sea Dancer competes on Saturday, it would be on a one-week turnaround after finishing fourth in Aqueduct’s Distaff. Purchased by Tom Ryan’s SF Racing for $150,000 at Keeneland in November and immediately transferred to Russell, Sea Dancer won her first two starts on dirt, both route stakes races at Laurel, after campaigning exclusively on grass for her prior connections.
“As long as she’s good this week, we’ll probably take a swing [in the Heavenly Cause],” Russell said. “She’s going to have to be perfect every day for us to walk her over. I thought we’d look at [the seven-furlong Distaff] as a work. She didn’t handle the cutback [in distance], and the winner was really good.”
Multiple stakes-winner Malibu Moonshine and stakes-placed Bailintin also entered in Sunday’s allowance. The latter might run in the Heavenly Cause “if we get a sloppy track,” per trainer Sanchez-Salomon.
Rain is expected in Maryland from Thursday morning through Saturday morning.
Multiple stakes-winner Opus Forty Two, Grade 3-placed Regaled, Vincey Girl, and defending Heavenly Cause champion Intrepid Dream complete the field. Intrepid Dream hasn’t started since finishing fifth of six in Laurel’s Caesar’s Wish Stakes on August 4.
