Undefeated in six starts, Celestial Legend puts her streak on the line in the $100,000-added Cicada (gr. III) for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs at Aqueduct.
The Dale Capuano-trained Celestial Legend, a Maryland-bred filly by
City Zip, drew post four in the Cicada. She'll enter the race in search of her fifth consecutive stakes win after taking the Holly, Toddler, Marshua, and Wide Country. The Cicada marks her graded stakes debut.
"She's doing well," said Capuano, who indicated Celestial Legend would van north to New York Saturday morning. "We'd obviously like to knock out a graded stakes victory with her, and this looks like a good spot to try to accomplish that. She shipped to the Meadowlands over the fall, so I don't really see a problem with her running at Aqueduct for the first time Saturday."
Even though Celestial Legend has a pair of daylight, as-she-pleased wins, this filly has had to work for most of her success. She's proved the right horse in a pair of tight photos and has adapted to numerous race scenarios.
"She's game and pins her ears and fights when she has to," Capuano said. "She's never really had any breaks, and she doesn't have to have things her own way."
Unfazed after being blocked in traffic for more than a half mile in her most recent try, the one-mile Wide Country Feb. 11 at Laurel, Celestial Legend stormed up the fence with a resolute run and nipped Cantora at the wire.
Celestial Legend teams up with regular rider Erick Rodriguez Saturday. She is the co-highweight at 122 pounds with Ring True, who is also undefeated.
Wild Gams, a filly by
Forest Wildcat-Diamonds and Legs, by
Quiet American, is undefeated in a pair of starts over the inner track this winter. She defeated Cicada rival Vasa with a last-to-first rally in the Jan. 29 Oxford Scholar, which was her first stakes triumph.
Wild Gams, who is trained by Ben Perkins Jr., drew post two beneath Aqueduct's leading rider Eibar Coa.
Swap Fliparoo defeated an eventual stakes winner in Silvestris here last November and ran well to finish second in Gulfstream Park's Old Hat (gr. III) in November. Trained by H. Allen Jerkens, Swap Fliparoo is 2-6-0 from 10 starts.
Ring True is undefeated, having narrowly won her first two starts for trainer Jimmy Jerkens. She won the Feb. 20 Dearly Precious by a half-length.
$100,000-added Cicada Stakes (gr. III, Race 8, 4:21 p.m.), 3-Year-Old Fillies, 6 furlongsPP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Spenny (KY), 116, Michael J. Luzzi
2. Wild Gams (NJ), 118, Eibar Coa
3. Ring True (FL), 122, Norberto Arroyo, Jr.
4. Celestial Legend (MD), 122, Erick Rodriguez
5. Oprah Winney (NY), 116, Edgar Prado
6. Swap Fliparoo (FL), 116, Andrew Lakeman
7. Vasa (NY), 116, Richard Migliore
8. Renew (FL), 116, Hiram Rivera
