Zucker Chooses Sprint for Madame Pietra

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Edited release from Gulfstream Park
Trainer Howie Zucker had been undecided whether to run his multiple stakes-winning mare Madame Pietra in the $250,000 Padua Stables (Filly and Mare) Sprint at six furlongs at Gulfstream Park or the $200,000 Santa Monica Handicap (G1) at seven furlongs at Santa Anita Park on Saturday. The verdict is in and Madame Pietra has been flown to Florida to participate in the Filly and Mare Sprint on Sunshine Millions Day.

"It's pretty exciting stuff," Zucker said. "The Sunshine Millions is going to be a kick. This is too good a deal to miss out on. If it weren't for the Sunshine Millions then I'd have to give the Santa Monica a hard look."

Although a Florida-bred, Madame Pietra has been campaigning exclusively with much success on the West Coast. A former claimer who could have been haltered for $80,000 last year, she won the Soviet Problem Handicap at Golden Gate for her first score in March of 2002. She then was second in the California-bred Fantastic Girl Stakes at Del Mar in early August. However, the 6-year-old mare came to hand for Zucker last fall and won the Cascapedia Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 31 and, in her last start, won the Corona Handicap at Hollywood Park on Dec. 8.

"She takes her track with her," Zucker said. "She doesn't care what she's got under her feet. She's won at Del Mar, she's won at Hollywood, she's won at Golden Gate and she's won at Santa Anita. I don't think it's going to be a big difference at Gulfstream. It's a little sandy but Hollywood's as sandy as it gets. She's one of those fillies that wants to win and she's going to win regardless of the track surface."

Although Zucker now trains on the West Coast, the native New Yorker began his career on the East Coast. He worked for Budd Lepman at Gulfstream back in the early 1970s. "This is like coming home," he said.

Madame Pietra is coming up to the Filly and Mare Sprint in fine fettle, according to Zucker, who said, "She's a fit filly that doesn't need much training. Fact is, she trains herself. I'm using the same schedule that I used the last two races. The slower she works it seems the faster she runs."

Zucker said that Madame Pietra shipped so well on Tuesday that he had her on the racetrack for a morning gallop Thursday.

"She's always been a good shipper," he said. "I think she would have won more of her races earlier in her career had I known what her best style of racing was. Once I found that it's best to let her settle early and make that late run, she's been a different horse. I've got a Florida-bred that's been running in California, but I'm sure there will be a lot of other good Florida-breds and California-breds we have to beat."

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