St. John’s River to race at the Alabama Stakes against Its Tricky and Plum Pretty
This weekend at the Alabama Stakes it’s not only the fillies giving hard competition to one another rather they are all Grade 1 racers who would be together on the track which would make it nothing less than a spectacular event.
Each contestant for this race has a remarkable record and they are considered to be the most refined in their respective league.
St John’s River has been the runner-up in the Fair Grounds Oaks and Kentucky Oaks. She got through with her first stakes win last month when she took the final strides to claim the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks.
The last three achievers at the Delaware Oaks were Proud Spell, Careless Jewel and Blind Luck, also coming out for the Alabama race.
The 3-year-old filly,St. John’s River, is being trained by Andrew Leggio Jr who brought the filly to Saratoga only two weeks after the Delaware victory and had been pushing hard on her training ever since then. The filly has had three breezes on the track
already.
Besides being overwhelmed by the pace and success of the training, Andrew considers St. John’s River's attitude adjustment as a positive aura for the race and that the change has not disturbed his form for racing.
Rather he has noticed that the overall environment has suited the filly for the better.
The match is supposed to feature the two top star finishers in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks.
Both are capable of giving extreme competition to St. John's River so it will be a tough race to get a lead and maintain it.
However Andrew does not want to strain the horse with too much burden and said, “I didn’t want to take too much out of her, I’d rather save her for the race”.
Kentucky Oaks and Delaware Oaks are being considered as warm up drills for St. John's River to set her further in form for the Alabama Stakes.
She has been recognised as a grinder by some sources which is according to them a running style which will compliment to the mile and a quarter track.
The Saturday’s race has a purse worth $500,000 and is at 1 ¼ miles. It includes six entrants.
Its Tricky has only lost once in her six lifetime starts by breaking the top class Turbulent Descent in Belmont’s Acorn and beating Plum Pretty by three-quarters of a length.
This marked Its Tricky’s third triumph. The horse is being trained by Lexington.
Plum Pretty, majorly based in California with Bob Baffert as her trainer, has her spirits up and boosting for the upcoming race as she has been on the Saratoga tracks thrice before her CCA Oaks defeat.
The race might be featuring a very moderate number of contestants but all six of them are well groomed, polished and classy fillies. May the best filly take away the Alabama Stakes' title.
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