BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Stunner tries to snap a streak of three straight runner-up finishes while G W’s Girl looks to return to her winning form when the two Florida-bred fillies go postward in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico Friday. The $150,000 Miss Preakness has attracted 13 sophomore fillies who will race six furlongs with Stunner labeled as the 4-1 second choice on the morning line while G W’s Girl is 12-1 in the program.
After breaking her maiden in her second career start during the Belmont at Big A meet in September, Stunner won the $150,000 Tempted by three-and-a-half lengths going a mile there on Nov. 2. Trainer Brad Cox returned her to Florida for the $300,000 My Dear Girl division of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes where she finished second, a neck shy of My Denysse after a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Gulfstream Park on Nov. 30. She returned in the Grade 3 Forward Gal going seven furlongs at Gulfstream on Feb. 1, but after bobbling at the start, finished second to Eclatant. In one race since, she was second to Verity in the Grade 2 Middleground Capital Beaumont over a sloppy seven furlongs at Keeneland on April 6.
Never out of the top two with two wins and four seconds in six starts, Stunner has earned $305,200 for owners LNJ Foxwoods and Church Street Stable. She was a $190,000 purchase by bloodstock agents Alex Solis II and Jason Litt at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale where she was consigned by Airdrie Stud. She was bred in Florida by the late Brereton C. Jones.
Cox has named Flavien Prat to ride and they have post six.
G W’s Girl won her debut on the Delaware Park turf in September before trainer Greg Compton took her to Keeneland to face colts and geldings on the grass in the $238,000 Indian Summer. She finished fifth, but was just two lengths behind winner Governor Sam.
She started her 3-year-old campaign on Jan. 4, winning the $150,000 Mockingbird by a length then scored in the $150,000 Dixie Belle by nearly three lengths on Feb. 24, both going six furlongs on the dirt at Oaklawn Park. She was then fourth in Beaumont in her last race.
G W’s Girl has three wins in five starts with earnings of $210,975 for owner Mag Racing LLC. She is a graduate of the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale where her current owners selected her for $130,000 out of the Triple J Equine consignment.
(G W’s Girl’s Under Tack Video)
Paco Lopez will ride G W’s Girl for the first time from post four.
Vodka With A Twist is the 7-2 morning line favorite for trainer Philip D’Amato, who ships her to Maryland from her base in Southern California.
A winner of the $218,000 Debutante at Del Mar last year, Vodka With a Twist enters off a third-place finish behind winner Tenma in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on April 5.
The daughter of Florida-bred Thousand Words has won two with three seconds and two thirds from eight starts while banking $687,320 for BlackRidge Stables LLC, Medallion Racing, Schwing Thoroughbreds, Omar Aldabbagh and William Strauss.
Mike Smith has the mount on Vodka With a Twist from post 12.
Completing the entries are Hollygrove with jockey John Velazquez, Volleyballprincess and rider Eliseo Ruiz, Sheldon Russell takes the call on High Paf, Family will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Delray will have Frankie Pennington up, Echo Sound has Luis Saez in the saddle, Long Neck Paula with Junior Alvarado in the irons, Jose Oritz will guide Mila Rose, You’ll Be Back and jockey Jaimie Rodriguez and Not Too Late with Francisco Martinez aboard.
Return to the May 14 issue of Wire to Wire
