Elsa Lorieul Photo

A pair of Pletcher stakes-winners to make seasonal debuts in Ladies Handicap

by Brian Bohl

Trainer Todd Pletcher will send out a pair of stakes winners looking to make their respective 2020 debuts when Mathis Stable's Bellera and Kip Knelman's Another Broad compete in Sunday's 149th running of the $100,000 Ladies for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Bellera enters the 1 1/8-mile main-track handicap off her first graded stakes win in the Grade 3 Comely on November 29 at the Big A. The Bernardini filly capped her sophomore campaign with a 1 ¾-length score at the Ladies distance, earning a personal-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure. The win over the fast track improved Bellera to 3-2-0 in six career starts and marked a bounce back from her effort in the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm on November 2 in which she was squeezed at the start and dumped the rider.

All three of Bellera's victories have come at distances of at least 1 1/16 miles. Jose Lezcano, aboard for the Turnback the Alarm, will have the mount from the outermost post 7.

"She came out of that race in good shape and been breezing well," said Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes. "We expect another big effort from her. She seems to be handling the winter well, and so has Another Broad. She doesn't mind the cold weather."

Another Broad's only previous stakes win came at Aqueduct with a 1 ¼-length score in the Top Flight Invitational in April. The daughter of Include ran fifth last out in the Grade 3 Go For Wand but previously ran second in the Turnback the Alarm to Golden Award, earning a career-best 95 Beyer. In her 5-year-old bow, Another Broad will have Eric Cancel ride from post 2.

"She's really coming around," Hughes said. "We're happy with the way she's training as well and we're expecting a big effort from her."

Our Super Nova, third in the Go For Wand, couldn't overcome getting pinched inside in a fourth-place Bay Ridge effort last out on December 29 at Aqueduct. Trainer Charlie Baker said the 5-year-old will look to get back to the form she showed in winning the New York Stallion Stakes Series Staten Island on November 10.

"She's been doing well. The last race she had a nightmare trip getting stuck on the inside," Baker said. "She came out of it well, she's eating well, training well so I expect her to come back to her old self. We definitely want a better trip and don't want to get stuck on the inside. I think she just wants to stretch her legs and run her race."

Jorge Vargas, Jr. will have the call from post 5.

Godolphin's Nonsensical made two consecutive starts on turf before trainer Tom Albertrani moved her back to Aqueduct's main track on December 22, where she ran third in a one-mile allowance race. Albertrani said the Street Sense filly, who will make her 4-year-old debut, could benefit from the added distance as she seeks her first stakes win.

"She's been training really well since the last race and we're throwing her in a deeper spot this weekend, but we're hoping for the best," Albertrani said. "The distance should benefit her quite a bit. She put in a good effort last time and we're hoping she can put in the same effort [Sunday]."

Reylu Gutierrez, aboard for her last start, will have the return engagement from post 3.

The Argentinean-bred Entropia made her first North American start last out by running 11th in the Grade 3 Long Island for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in her first start since winning a Group 1 race in her native country on May 1 at 1 1/4 miles. The 5-year-old won three of her first eight starts before traveling to the Northern Hemisphere. Junior Alvarado will be in the irons and break from post 1.

Rounding out the field is Annie Rocks, a 7-year-old veteran off 44 previous starts, for trainer Edward DeLauro [post 4, Samuel Camacho, Jr.]; and Lucky Move, runner-up to Mrs. Orb in the Bay Ridge last out on December 29 at Aqueduct, for conditioner Juan Guerrero [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche].

Sunday's eight-race card will feature the Ladies in Race 7 with a post time of 3:55 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m.