BY BROCK SHERIDAN
NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods’s Florida-bred Sabatini will get another shot at Witwatersrand Saturday when they face each other again in the Grade 3 Selene at Woodbine Saturday. The CA$150,000 Selene has drawn a field of seven 3-year-old fillies who will race a mile-and-sixteenth on the synthetic main track.
Witwatersrand and Sabatini made up the exacta last out in the $102,000 Ruling Angel going seven furlongs at Woodbine with the former crossing the line four lengths in front. Sabatini and jockey Sofia Vives had a short lead on Witwatersrand at the top of the stretch but could not keep up in the run for home.
Trained by Josie Carroll, Sabatini tries for her second stakes victory after winning the $128,000 Star Shoot going six furlongs at Woodbine on April 27. In one other career start, the daughter of Uncle Mo was third in a maiden special weight for fillies at Turfway Park on March 23.
Sabatini is out of Gabriellestoblame, by Blame and has earned $72,581 in her three starts. She was bred by Bridlewood Farm, who sold her for $625,000 as a 2-year-old in training at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale where Solix/Litt selected her out of the Pick View consignment.
Vives gets the return mount and they have post one. Sabatini is the 2-1 second choice on the morning line.
Sabatini would be the third Florida-bred filly in five years to win the Selene joining Two Sixty in 2020 and Our Flash Drive in 2021. Florida-breds Lady Beverly (1998) and Dark Ending (2001) also won the Selene.
The Ruling Angel was a return to winning form for Witwatersrand, who won the Grade 3 Mazarine going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Woodbine in November. She had two unsuccessful starts against black-type company in Florida during the winter, finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Forward Gal won by Florida-bred R Harper Rose at Gulfstream in February and 11th in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks won by Waskesiu on the Tampa Bay Downs turf on March 9.
Witwatersrand is trained by Mark Casse for Gary Barber and she has won half of her six career starts with one third. She is by Connect out of Carta de Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro and has earned $152,360.
Casse has won the last six runnings of the Selene with Solo Album (2023), Souper Hoity Toity (2022), Our Flash Drive (2021), Two Sixty (2020), Power Gal (Jpn) (2019) and Miss Mo Mentum (2018). He also won the Selene with O’Fashion Gal (2015), Dixie Strike (2012) and Florida-bred Dark Ending (2001).
Patrick Husbands will ride 6-5 program favorite from post seven.
Rounding out the field for the Selene are Shamans Girl with jockey Ryan Munger, Crevalle d’Oro and rider Kazushi Kimura, Eswan Flores rides Red Samurai, Golden Ghost (GB) has Sahin Civaci and Rafael Hernandez has taken the call on Waves of Mischief.
