Miss Macy Sue has won four stakes in a row, each of them in convincing fashion. Now, the 4-year-old filly looks to handle a short field of five for her biggest payday yet in the six-furlong, $150,000 Honorable Miss Handicap (gr. II) for fillies and mares at Saratoga Aug. 3.
The classy daughter of Trippihas won by a combined 17 1/4-lengths in her last four sprints, the last a rather easy 2 1/2-length triumph in the June 29 Saylorville Stakes at Prairie Meadows in which she just burned a six-furlong time of 1:08.66. Trained by Kelly R. Von Hemel and owned by Roll Reroll Stables, Miss Macy Sue has hit the board in 12 of 15 career starts and has done no worse than second in eight of her last nine, including a stakes-record victory in the Winning Colors Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs May 28. Jockey Edgar Prado would like to come off the pace and get the Florida-bred to the lead as they head for home.
Her main competition could come from the Todd Pletcher-trained G City Gal who, although without a graded stakes win, has been in the money in her last nine starts. Most recently, the 4-year-old Kentucky-bred was just one-length back in a third-place finish in the Princess Rooney Handicap (gr. I) at Calder Race Course July 7. The daughter of Elusive Quality will be ridden by John Velazquez.
The top money-earner in the Honorable Miss is 5-year-old filly Indian Flare, a daughter of Cherokee Run, out of True Flare. She has earned $413,236 in 18 career starts, hitting the board 14 times. Indian Flare turned in a poor effort in the Princess Rooney, getting bumped at the start and never recovering to finish 11th. But before that, the Bob Frankel-trained mare had been very consistent, winning three of five starts, including the Vagrancy Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park June 17.
Rounding out the field are the lightly-raced Burmilla, who is 3-for-3 lifetime but has never attempted a stakes, and veteran Grecian Lover, who has had 35 career-tries without a stakes win.
Under a determined ride from jockey Javier Castellano, Argentina-bred Stormy Kiss won the 2006 Honorable Miss by a neck for trainer Barclay Tagg.
$150,000 Honorable Miss Handicap (gr. II, Race 8, 4:47 p.m.), Fillies & Mares 3 & Up, 6 Furlongs
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Grecian Lover (FL), 114, Calvin H. Borel
2. Burmilla (KY), 114, Rafael Bejarano
3. G City Gal (KY), 116, John R. Velazquez
4. Miss Macy Sue (FL), 117, Edgar S. Prado
5. Indian Flare (KY), 117, Javier Castellano