Jessica Is Back showed why racing fans made her a 1-5 favorite in the $75,000 Ocala Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, leading every step of the way to win by nine lengths and earn her second career stakes victory.
Jessica Is Back defeated five other Florida-bred fillies and mares in the one-mile Ocala, finishing in 1:37.71 with Elvis Trujillo aboard for the first time for trainer Marty Wolfson. The 6-year-old daughter of Bridlewood Farm stallion Put It Back has won 11 of her 41 starts for $506,385. She got her first stakes win in July at Calder in the $75,000 Nancy’s Glitter Handicap.
“She just outclassed this group,” Wolfson said. “She’s been amazing, ran 12 times last year, which is a hard campaign, and still going.”
Jessica Is Back, bred by Larry Perkins and owned by Farnsworth Stables LLC, returned $2.40, $2.10 and $2.10. Many Kisses paid $5.40 and $4.80 after finishing 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Glotona, who returned $3.60 to show. Many Kisses is a 4-year-old daughter of Bridlewood Farm stallion Unbridled’s Image bred by Wild Ride LLC, while Glotona is a 5-year-old Tour d’Or mare bred by Shadybrook Farm Inc. in Morriston.
Jessica Is Back was allowed to set easy fractions of 25.24 seconds for the first quarter of a mile and 48.48 seconds for a half-mile while leading by half a length early. She got to the top of the lane with a five-length lead and drew off without ever being asked.
“There wasn’t really any speed in the race, and that was good for my horse,” Trujillo said. “I put her on the lead, and that was it. She did the rest.”
The mare has finished in the money in five straight races, including a second-place finish behind Florida-bred Sweet Repent in the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Distaff at Gulfstream Park in January. She has three wins and a pair of runner-up efforts in six career starts at the Ocala’s one-mile distance.
Wolfson said Jessica Is Back likely will start in the $200,000 Sixty Sails Handicap (G3), a nine-furlong test for fillies and mares ages 3 and up at Hawthorne on April 17.
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–Photo of Florida-bred Jessica Is Back by Coglianese
