Her Smile to dwell in sprints as she opens her 2012 account in the Hurricane Bertie at Gulfstream Park
The newly turned 4-year-old filly, Her Smile, will make her 2012 debut in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 19 February, 2012, at about six and a half furlongs on dirt with the purse of $150,000.
Chad C. Brown conditioned filly is set to take on six other 4-year-old and above fillies. The Virginia bred daughter of Include, out of mare Hepburn by Capote, Her Smile finished third to, Musical Romance in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint
at Churchill Downs last fall at about seven furlongs.
Coupled with J Velazquez, Her Smile had a good trip over a dodgy dirt track, as she swung by the final turn purposefully to take on, Switch, but Musical Romance psyched both fillies in the stretch, and overhauled her opponents to win the race and cover the
seven furlong distance in 1 minute and 23.47 seconds.
Her Smile started the 2011 season with longer distances, and it took her time to get used to the stretch in distance as she turned in fourth in the Florida Oaks at about 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs, and then third in the Suncoast Stakes also at Tampa
Bay Downs at about 1 mile and 40 yards.
She seemed to come to grips with the distance eventually in her third start of the season in the Grade 3 Comely Stakes at a mile at Aqueduct, where she missed the first position by a whisker to the rampant 3-year-old filly, Hot Summer.
Things went downhill in her next start in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, where she finished 11th, but picked up the pace to finish third at a mile once again in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park.
Mid-season, Her Smile posted her first victory of the season, and that too in the Grade 1 Prioress Stakes, defeating the likes of Pomeroys Pistol in second and Alienation in third, while covering the six furlong distance in 1 minute and 9.44 seconds.
She performed pretty well at Belmont Park in her two starts, with ample variation in distances, her connections opted for sprints in her next three starts, but Her Smile never came to terms with the shortened distance.
Her Smile was purchased for $1 million by Frank Stronach, and it seems her new owners will persist with sprints, and hope she finally gets the hang of it in the new season.
Tags: