The connections of three fillies who won graded stakes on the May 28 Memorial Day card at Belmont Park said they emerged from their respective victories in good order, with future plans undetermined.
“We’re just too excited,” said Bob Baffert, who spoke via telephone and who trains Acorn Stakes (gr. I) winner Contested for his wife, Jill. “We’ve never owned a horse this good. If I were training her for someone else, I could tell you exactly what we were going to do. She’s really just coming to hand right now, and I want to space her races out.”
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said plans are also undetermined for It's Tricky, who emerged from a battle with Cash for Clunkers to win the Ogden Phipps Handicap (gr. I).
“She’s great,” McLaughlin said of the three-time grade I winner. “We don’t know what we’re going to do next with her, though.”
Better Lucky, who won the Sands Point (gr. IIT) in her turf debut, also emerged from her race in good shape, said trainer Tom Albertrani.
“The thing with her now is we can go either way, grass or dirt,” he said. “It opens up a lot of options.”
Albertrani added that Zo Impressive, second to Contested in the Acorn, would most likely start next in the Mother Goose (gr. I) on June 23, and that Buffum, winner of an optional claimer, was under consideration for the Suburban (gr. II) on July 7.
Contested winning the Acorn Stakes.
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