Heavenly Landing’s 3 of 3 perfect turf record on the line in the Suwannee River Stakes
Breaking her maiden at second asking on dirt, the 5-year-old mare, Heavenly Landing, went without a win in her next eight starts on dirt, where she largely dwelled on allowance and allowance/optional claimers, but when her connections had enough of her long losing streak on dirt, they did what most of the connections would’ve done, switch surfaces.
Trainer Eddie Kenneally switched, Heavenly Landing, to turf in October last year in an allowance race, going at 1 1/16 miles on turf under jockey C Lanerie at Keeneland, and her first start over a new surface was an instant win, where she downed Brilliant Future in second and Bill’s Presence in third, while she covered the distance in 1 minute and 44.20 seconds.
She also won an allowance race in Churchill Downs over turf, going at 1 1/16 miles to cap off her 2011 season with a win.
The agenda completely changed for the Kentucky bred daughter of Pulpit, out of Woodman mare Peace River Lady, as she got pointed toward another race on grass to kick off her 2012 campaign.
Heavenly Landing sent as the 19 to 1 long shot in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River Stakes, upset the field in emphatic fashion, when coming from well back to nose out, La Reine Lionne, in second and before her zooming past Tapitsfly in third, while covering the distance in 1 minute and 41.70 seconds.
Heavenly Landing has won all of her turf starts over at 1 1/16 miles, and now she is pointed to make her second start of the season, and keep her perfect turf record intact in the Grade 3, $150,000 Suwannee River Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 11 February, 2012, over a distance of 1 1/8 miles, a distance that she have never tried before, even on dirt.
The Grade 3 Suwannee River Stakes has reeled in a full field of 12, 3-year-old and above fillies and mares, as Heavenly Landing will break from post number 4 under C Lanerie, carrying a top weight of 121 pounds and sharing it with two other runners.
“She’s doing really well.” Kenneally said. “Her last race was her best. She’s an improving filly and three-for-three on the grass.”
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