When Trip for A. J. finished off the board in a pair of allowances in April, Milton Wolfson knew there had to be a reason why the Florida-bred filly was underachieving. The veteran trainer quickly realized that she was flipping her palate, so he began using a tongue tie to ensure that her airway remained clear.
Since that adjustment, Trip for A. J. has been a different horse. She finished third behind Florida-bred Musical Romance in the $55,000 Sweettrickydancer Stakes at Calder in June before reeling off three straight victories at the Miami track.
Trip for A. J. got her first stakes win in the $55,000 Noble Robyn Stakes on June 27 when she crossed the finish line a nose behind Florida-bred Regina Twain but was elevated to first place because she had been interfered with. She returned in July to win the $65,000 Nancy’s Glitter Handicap by 3 ¼ lengths and romped to a 7 ¾-length score in a $41,300 allowance Aug. 7.
“She needed a tongue tie, and as soon as we changed that, she came along,” Wolfson said. “She’s just an improving filly, a really nice filly, and she’s doing really well.”
Trip for A. J. figures to get strong support at the betting windows when she runs in the $55,000 Ms Brookski Stakes at Calder on Saturday. The 7 ½-furlong turf race drew a field of 12 fillies and mares, with two additional runners also eligible. Wolfson said he expects about five runners to scratch from the race if it stays on turf and about the same number to scratch if it is moved to the main track.
Either way, Wolfson expects Trip of A. J. to run well. The daughter of Trippi won the Noble Robyn on turf and her last two races on the main track. The 3-year-old filly will be taking on older runners for the third straight race when she breaks from the No. 2 post under Javier Santiago.
“She’s going to be competitive either way,” Wolfson said. “There are some tough horses in there, and she’s as tough as the rest of them.”
Trip for A. J., a homebred for Peter Fuller, has won four of her seven starts for $127,900. She rallied from eighth place to win the Noble Robyn, but she’s set the pace in her last two starts, scoring career-best Beyer Speed Figures of 96 and 94.
“When I give instructions to the jockey, I’ll say that I don’t want to get in a speed duel with her,” Wolfson said. “If the pace is slow, she’s got no problem taking the lead, but if the pace is too fast, she’s got no problem staying off of it.”
Trip for A. J. faces a solid field of runners, including several who have performed well in stakes at Calder.
Starting from the rail under Eduardo Nunez will be Florida-bred Entertaining. The daughter of Songandaprayer is a homebred for Peter Vegso, a Boca Raton resident who has an Ocala farm. Entertaining finished third to Cherokee Queen in the $50,000 Hollywood Wildcat Handicap at Calder last out in May.
Musical Romance, a daughter of Ocala Stud Farm stallion Concorde’s Tune who was bred by that operation, will look to turn the tables on Trip for A. J. After beating Trip for A. J. in the Sweettrickydancer, Musical Romance finished third behind that rival in the Aug. 7 allowance.
Florida-bred Joanie’s Catch, a homebred for trainer Barry Rose, leads the field with $408,793 in earnings but is 0-for-2 on turf. The daughter of First Tour won the $51,000 Brave Raj Stakes last September and most recently captured a $25,000 optional claimer at Calder on Aug. 22.
Florida-bred Even Road, who finished second behind Trip for A. J. in the Nancy’s Glitter Handicap last out, is on the also-eligible list. The daughter of Stephen Got Even is a homebred for trainer Stanley Ersoff.
Florida-bred Gorgeous Melody will be looking for her first stakes win. The daughter of Double Diamond Farm stallion Sarava wired a $25,000 optional claimer by 1 ½ lengths at Calder on Aug. 7.
Rounding out the field are Florida-breds One Proud Lady, Stacy On the Wire, Atlantic Hurricane, Dancing Rage and Aroma de Mujer as well as Diva d’Oro and Toocleverforwords. Florida-bred Amazing also is eligible.
–E-mail Nick Fortuna at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Photo by Jim Lisa
