BY BROCK SHERIDAN
After making her first two career starts in Southern California at Del Mar this summer and stopping in Oklahoma to win the $50,000 E.L. Gaylord at Remington Park on Sept. 24, Ernest C. Frohboese’s Chi Chi will make her next start in her native Florida Saturday at the Gulfstream Park.
The Herman Wilensky-trained daughter to Audible will take on six other 2-year-old Florida-bred fillies in the $60,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint scheduled at six-and-a-half furlongs on the main track.
The Juvenile Fillies Sprint also offers a $25,000 win bonus presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association for entrants Florindia and Epona’s Hope as fillies eligible for the Florida Sire Stakes
Chi Chi made both of her starts at Del Mar going five furlongs on the turf against special weight maiden fillies, finishing fifth in her debut, two-and-a-half lengths shy of winner Mysticism on Aug. 4 before improving to fourth, two lengths behind winner Soho on Sept. 8.
Wilensky then switched her to the main track for the E.L. Gaylord and she won by a length-and-a-quarter after a stalking trip going six-and-a-half furlongs at odds of 5-1.
Out of Simply Confection, by Candy Ride (Arg), Chi Chi is a half-sister to 2022 Florida-bred Horse of the Year Simplification, who last year won the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park in March, was third in the Grade 1 Curlin Florida Derby and fourth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve.
Chi Chi has earned $36,560 in her three starts and was bred by France Weiner.
Edwin Gonzalez, who rode her to victory in the E.L. Gaylord, gets the return mount and they will break from the inside post one.
Expected to provide the main competition for Chi Chi is Avellino, who is trained by Jena Antonucci for the John Grossis Racing Group ownership.
An eight-length winner of a maiden special weight for fillies going five furlongs in May, Avellino took 90 days away from the track before returning to finish fifth in the $90,000 Sharp Susan won by Florida-bred Let Them Watch over six furlongs on Aug. 13 at Gulfstream.
Avellino has one start since, finishing third behind Florida-bred juggernaut R Harper Rose in a non-winners of two, $75,000 optional claiming going five-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream on Sept. 22.
Bred in Florida by John Grossi, Avellino is by Ocala Stud stallion Adios Charlie out of Offlee Sheikh, by Offlee Wild and she has one win and a third in four starts with earnings of $52,451.
Avellion has post two and Jose Morelos will ride.
Also look for Epona’s Hope, who comes into the Juvenile Fillies Sprint off of a third-place finish to Welcome Back in the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen going six furlongs on Sept. 9.
Epona’s Hope is trained by Eddie Plesa Jr. for Leon Ellman, Glassman Racing LLC and Laurie Plesa, who purchased her for $295,000 out of the Ocala Stud consignment at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale earlier this year. She has earned $54,644 from one won and two thirds in three starts.
Also by Adios Charlie, Epona’s Hope is out of Alotofappeal, by Trippi and was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and Edward Wiest and William J. Terrill.
Paco Lopez will ride Epona’s Hope from post five.
Others entered for the Juvenile Fillies Sprint are Genuine Peril with Ubardo Casique named to ride, Florindia with jockey Maikol Hernandez, Hepburn with Emisael Jaramillo aboard and Edgard Zayas will ride Miss Sayley.
