BY BROCK SHERIDAN
After winning the first two races of her career by a combined six-and-a-quarter lengths, Florida-bred Decadent disappointed with an off-the-board finish as the 3-1 favorite in her stakes debut last out in the $200,000 Cathryn Sophia at Parx Racing.
Trainer Kenneth McPeek looks for the bay daughter of Girvin to return to her winning form Saturday as one of 11 sophomore fillies entered in the $175,000 Winter Memories (Grade 3) during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct. Decadent, who is also entered in Saturday’s $175,000 Seneca overnight stakes going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Churchill Downs, would be making her first start on grass should she race in the one-mile Winter Memories.
Decadent won her first career start over a sloppy seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 29, defeating maiden special weight fillies by nearly four lengths. She then won a first condition, $200,000 optional claiming going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Oaklawn Park on March 1, coming from last of eight to win by three lengths.
Bred in Florida by the late Brereton C. Jones, Decadent is out of One More Minute, by Istan and was purchased by McPeek for $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale in July of 2023. She is now owned by McPeek’s wife Sherri, who races as Magdalena Racing, in partnership with Savvy Stables and Stephen Dervenis and has earned $127,000 in her three starts.
Jockey Christopher Elliott takes the call on Decadent from post four.
Opulent Restraint (Ire) enters the Winter Memories off two third-placed finishes against graded stakes fillies on the grass.
A winner of the $145,000 Chelsey Flower (Listed) going a mile-and-a-sixteenth over the Aqueduct turf in October during the Belmont at Big A meet, Opulent Restraint looks for her first win since.
In her last two races, the Chad Brown-trained daughter of Dubawi (Ire) was third in the both the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational won by Fionn at nine furlongs on July 5 and in the Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks Invitational won by Laurelin (Ire) at a mile-and-three-sixteenths on Aug. 9, both on the grass at Saratoga Race Course.
In two other starts this year, she was fourth in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks won by Nitrogen at Tampa Bay Downs on March 8 and second to Laurelin in the $150,000 Memories of Silver at Aqueuct on April 27.
Opulent Restraint will have Manny Franco in the irons for the first time from the inside post.
Also entered are May Day Ready with Frankie Dettori riding, Ricardo Santana Jr. has the call on Ready for Candy, Ruth with jockey John Velazquez, Trail of Gold will have Jose Antonio Gomez riding, Reylu Gutierrez will guide Paradise City, Scarlet Sands has Samy Camacho taking the call, Flavien Prat rides Griselda (Fr) and Sea to Sky (Ire) will have Luis Rivera Jr. in the irons. Kay Cup is entered under main track only conditions.
Return to the September 17 issue of Wire to Wire
