BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Moon Mist, an allowance race winner last out in December, will start her 2025 campaign in the $75,000 Delta Downs Fillies and Mares Appreciations overnight stakes Friday night at the Vinton, Louisiana oval. The lightly-raced 5-year-old daughter of Girvin is among nine fillies and mares, 4-years-old and older, set to go seven furlongs.
A winner of half of her six career starts, Moon Mist makes her second start for trainer Eduardo Ramirez, who saddled her for a two-and-three-quarters-lengths victory in a non-winners of three allowance race going five furlongs on wet fast track at Delta Downs on December 23. Jockey Vicente Del-Cid had Moon Mist pressing the pace through a half mile in :45.92 then pulled away in the stretch to win her first start from the new barn.
Unsuccessful in her only start as a 3-year-old, Moon Mist won a six-furlong maiden special weight by four-and-a-quarter lengths at Sam Houston Race Park in March in her first start at age four. She was then second in a first level allowance race at Evangeline Downs in July before winning a non-winners of two races, $50,000 optional claiming at five-and-a-half furlongs at Evangeline in August. She finished out of the money next out in a second condition allowance race before switching to the Ramirez barn.
Moon Mist is owned by Susan K. Love and was bred in Florida by Cliff Love of Friendswood, Texas. She is out of San Anotonio Stroll, by Stroll, making her a full sister to multiple graded stakes-winning Florida-bred Damon’s Mound. Damon’s Mound is owned by Cliff Love, bred by Cliff and Michele Love and races Saturday in the $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint.
A victory by Moon Mist would give Cliff Love $4,000 in FTBOA Export Incentives as a winner of stakes race outside of Florida.
Thomas Pompell will ride Moon Mist from the outside post nine.
Among the expected favorites is Out Keepsake, a winner of her last two, both going six-and-a-half furlongs, at Delta Downs for trainer Allen Landry and owners JD Thoroughbreds, Joey Keith and Larry J. Romero.
Our Keepsake won a first level allowance by eight lengths on January 3 then took an upper level, $30,000 optional claiming on January 30 by nearly two lengths.
Our Keepsake has won four with seven seconds and four thirds with earnings of $327,509. She is by Cinco Charlie out of Beccawhit, by Roman Ruler and will be ridden from post five by Jansen Melancon.
Completing the entries are Blessed Assurance with Carlos Perez taking the riding assignment, Pharoahs Baby Gyal and jockey Julio Ramirez Jr., Vicente Del-Cid switches to Sweet Note, Show Me the Candy will have Alexander Castillo in the saddle, Timothy Thornton will guide Graceful Star, No Map Needed has Jose Luis Rodriguez named to ride, and Joel Dominguez has the assignment on First Love.
Return to the February 18 issue of Wire to Wire
