The Nafzger stable won the race a year ago with Robert Manfuso's Belterra, who completed an unbeaten juvenile campaign in the Golden Rod before a breathing problem and injury hampered her performance at three.
The unbeaten filly My Boston Gal completed her serious preparation for her stakes debut in Saturday's $200,000-added Golden Rod (gr. II) with a strong five furlong breeze on Sunday at Churchill Downs.The Carl Nafzger-trained daughter of Boston Harbor completed the distance in 1:00 over a "fast" track. Tracey Wilkes was aboard for the work, which was the second fastest of 19 at the distance."She worked real good," said Ian Wilkes, the assistant who handles Nafzger's string at Churchill Downs."This morning I was looking for a little sharper work and we got it."Wilkes said he caught the filly's first quarter in :25 and her final quarter in :23, with a gallop-out of six furlongs in a rapid 1:12. He said she should be ready for her first run against stakes foes and her first race at a two-turn distance.My Boston Gal is owned by the Stoneledge Racing Stable, Randall Bloch and Phil Milner and will probably be the favorite for the Golden Rod after she overwhelmed her opposition in her two previous races at Keeneland and Churchill Downs.
