Aclassysassylassy Aims for FSS Filly Sweep

Barbara Vivian and Dominic Vittese's Aclassysassylassy can join Nancy's Glitter as the only filly to sweep the three-race Florida Stallions Stakes series if she can win the $400,000 My Dear Girl Stakes Saturday at Calder Race Course.

Aclassysassylassy won the Desert Vixen and Susan's Girl divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes in her last two starts in convincing fashion. The daughter of Wild Event should be favored to complete the sweep in a field of 10 2-year-old fillies set for the My Dear Girl at 1 1/16 miles.

In the 22-year-history of the FSS series, only Nancy's Glitter in 1997 was able to win the three races for fillies, while five colts have swept the three 'open' divisions. Regular rider Manny Aguilar will be aboard 'Lassy,' a diminutive daughter of Wild Event with big talent.

The My Dear Girl and the $400,000 In Reality for colts and geldings highlight the $1.5 million Festival of the Sun program Saturday. Six other stakes will be run on the special 15-race card, notably the $200,000 Calder Derby (gr. III) and $200,000 Calder Oaks. First race post time on Festival of the Sun day is noon.

Trained by veteran horseman Dave Vivian, Aclassysassylassy was purchased for a modest $32,000 at the OBS April 2-year-old sales and won her debut in early June by more than 12 lengths. She then suffered her only setback in four starts when second to Punch Appeal in the J j'sdream Stakes.

Heiligbrodt Racing Stable and Walter (Buddy) New's Yes It's Gold finished third in the Desert Vixen and Susan's Girl and will try Aclassysassylassy again in the My Dear Girl. Jockey Gary Boulanger will be back aboard Yes It's Gold with trainer David Fawkes adding blinkers on the daughter of highly successful freshman sire Yes It's True. Yes It's Gold was another brilliant debut winner early in the meet and was sold privately thereafter to her current connections.

The lone shipper for the My Dear Girl is Crowes Nest Farm's Southern Serenity with Jerry Bailey picking up the mount. Based at Thistledown in Cleveland with trainer Tim Hamm, the daughter of freshman sire Sweetsouthernsaint was a $5,000 yearling purchase and broke her maiden last out on Sept. 26 at Turfway Park impressively going a mile.

Definitely a threat in the race is J D Farm's homebred Dansetta Light with jockey Jose Lopez. Trained by David Brownlee, the daughter of Colony Light has won the Lindsay Frolic Stakes and Brave Raj in her last two starts, both races around two turns at one mile.

Brownlee also sends out J D Farm's Wise Brianna as an entry in the My Dear Girl with Eibar Coa getting the call. After each of Dansetta Light's stakes victories, Brownlee has cautioned that Wise Brianna might be the better of the two. The daughter of Wised Up broke her maiden last out going 1 1/16 miles by 8 1/4 lengths.

$400,000 Florida Stallion My Dear Girl Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles
PP. Horse, Jockey
1. Peace Offering (FL), Cornelio H. Velasquez
2. Yes It's Gold (FL), Gary Boulanger
3. Babaganush (FL), Julio A. Garcia
4. Dansetta Light (FL), Jose E. Lopez
5. Irish Class (FL), Cecilio Penalba
6. Wise Briana (FL), Eibar Coa
7. Leona's Knight (FL), Eddie Castro
8. Aclassysassylassy (FL), Manuel Aguilar
9. Southern Serenity (FL), Jerry D. Bailey
10. Quick Queen (FL), Manoel R. Cruz
All carry 120 pounds.