The field for The First Lady includes: Vague Memory (Julio Garcia, 114, 5-1); Miss Inquestive (Cornelio Velasquez, 111, 20-1); Cat Cay (Pat Day, 118, 8-5); Elvi Gamble (Jose Santos, 112, 12-1); Mandy's Gold (116, Edgar Prado, 4-1); Raging Fever (118, John Velazquez, 2-1); Gold Mover (117, John Velazquez, 2-1); and Curious Treasure (111, Eiber Coa, 12-1).
Trainer Mark Hennig is entering a pair of multiple stakes winners, Raging Fever and Gold Mover, in the $100,000 The First Lady Handicap (gr. III) at six furlongs on Friday at Gulfstream Park."I'm definitely going to run Raging Fever," Hennig said. "I'm not as sure about Gold Mover but I'm entering her and will at least take a look." In Raging Fever's only start at Gulfstream in 2001, she was second to Mandy's Gold in the Dame Mysterieuse. She then finished second in the Beaumont Stakes (gr. II) at Keeneland before being sidelined for over seven months after suffering a fractured growth plate in a stifle. In her most recent outing, Raging Fever won the Garland of Roses Handicap (on Dec. 8 at Aqueduct.)Gold Mover is no stranger to Gulfstream having won a pair of sprint stakes, the Forward Gal Stakes (gr. III) and Cadillacing Stakes last year. She also was second in the Davona Dale (gr. II) at 1 1/16 miles. Gold Mover was second, beaten a nose, in the Chaposa Springs Handicap at Calder on Dec. 29. Challenging Raging Fever and Gold Mover will be Curious Treasure, who will be making the turf-to-dirt move for trainer Tim Hills. Curious Treasure has switched distances quite well before, finishing second in the 2000 edition of The First Lady.Last year, Curious Treasures was second on a fast track in The First Lady Handicap; third in the slop in the Klassy Briefcase Stakes at Monmouth Park; won an allowance race on a yielding turf course at the Meadowlands and was eighth on a similar course at a mile in her 2001 finale at Calder Race Course on Nov. 3.