NYRA/Coglianese Photo

Always Shopping and Positive Spirit square off in G2 Gazelle

by Ryan Martin

A talented six-horse field will square off in the final local opportunity to earn qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks in Saturday's 124th running of the Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

The Gazelle is the fourth race on the New York-path to the "Lilies for the Fillies," offering 100-40-20-10 points to the top-four finishers.

Trainer Todd Pletcher won the 1 1/8-mile event over the Aqueduct main track in 2014 with My Miss Sophia and will have two chances in this year's event with Always Shopping and Off Topic.

Always Shopping, a Mike Repole homebred by Awesome Again, broke her maiden by 1 ¼ lengths against stakes company last out in Aqueduct's Busanda Stakes on February 3 when stretched out to nine furlongs for the first time. She earned 10 points in the local event and currently sits 24th on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard.

"We've always felt like she was going to be at her best going two turns and that a mile and an eighth would really help," Pletcher said. "That's why we decided to run her as a maiden in that race. She was able to work out a really good ground-saving trip and it seemed like she finished up really strongly while still having a little something left in the tank. She waited a little bit once she made the lead and lost a bit of focus right at the end, but it seemed like she was doing it very easily."

The talented bay is the second offspring out of the two-time graded stakes placed More Than Ready broodmare Stopshoppingmaria, who also produced graded stakes placed Mo Shopping.

Manny Franco will ride Always Shopping from post 5.

Pletcher will also saddle Off Topic who will be making her stakes debut. Never worse than fourth in five starts, the Paul Pompa, Jr.-owned daughter of Street Sense broke her maiden in her fourth career start on December 27 at Gulfstream Park. She then shipped to Oaklawn Park to face winners on February 17 finishing second beaten 6 ¾ lengths behind eventual graded stakes placed Motion Emotion.

"She's one that we've always had high hopes for and we feel like stretching out to a mile an eighth is what she's always wanted to do," Pletcher said. "We've zeroed in on this race for a while. If Off Topic is able to get away cleanly, she could be forwardly placed. If there's not much pace on, I think both fillies are capable of adapting to that and laying a little closer."

Off Topic will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez from post 3.

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Off Topic is out of the stakes-placed Include broodmare Off Limits and is a fifth-generation descendant of Hall of Famer and iconic broodmare Personal Ensign. She was purchased for $160,000 by bloodstock agent Steven Young from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2017, where she was consigned by James Keough.

Trainer Rodolphe Brisset will saddle regally-bred Positive Spirit for what he hopes is her second graded stakes victory. Owned by Michael Ryan, the 3-year-old daughter of Pioneerof the Nile acquired 10 points on the Road to The Kentucky Oaks when capturing the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes last December, which she won in runaway fashion by 10 ½ lengths. The graded stakes triumph over the Ozone Park oval was her career debut at such caliber.

In her prior effort, she broke her maiden at third asking over the main track at Churchill Downs on November 8 going one mile. She is a half-sister to 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, both are out of the graded stakes winning In Excess (Ire.) broodmare Above Perfection.

In her last-out sophomore debut, Positive Spirit was a distant eighth in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes on February 16 at Fair Grounds.

"After her last race, we regrouped and figured that this would be the next logical race because she already won a Grade 2 there," Brisset said. "She ended up running last beaten 25 lengths, but we put a line through it. Hopefully she can show on Saturday when she showed us in the Demoiselle."

Bred in Kentucky by Santa Rosa Partners, Positive Spirit will emerge from post 4 and will be piloted by jockey Jose Ortiz.

Currently No. 8 on the Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard is Espresso Shot, who will leave from post 2 in the Gazelle. She garnered 50 points with a last-out victory in the Busher Invitational over the local main track. 

Trained by Jorge Abreu, the New York-bred daughter of Mission Impazible boasts the highest amount of career earnings in the 6-horse field with a total of $262,975 in lifetime earnings. She will attempt her first graded stakes victory in five career starts but enters the Gazelle off of a pair of stakes wins over the Aqueduct main track.

Prior to defeating stakes winners Oxy Lady and Please Flatter Me in the Busher, she won the East View on December 29 at Aqueduct by 3 ¾ lengths. She will be piloted by regular rider Eric Cancel.

"The only question mark is the two turns," Abreu said. "She can get the distance, but she has never won going two turns. She's coming into the race in very good shape though. We'll take things day by day with her. I know she'll run a big race because she trains that way."

Abreu will seek his first graded stakes victory as a trainer with Espresso Shot in the Gazelle.

"It would be a great thing for me," Abreu said. "I try to place all my horses in the right spots and so it would be a home run to win a Grade 2."

Owned by NY Final Furlong Racing Stable, Maspeth Stables and Parkland Thoroughbreds, Espresso Shot was purchased for $69,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-Bred Yearling Sale in August 2016, where she was consigned by Paramount Sales. She is out of the Medaglia d'Oro broodmare Glory Gold and was bred in the Empire State by Twin Creeks Farm.

Shipping from Southern California is Proud Emma who last out defeated winners over a sloppy main track at Santa Anita on March 2. Trained by Peter Miller, the daughter of Include has won three of her five career starts and makes her stakes debut in the Gazelle. She will break from post 6 and will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.

Completing the half-dozen field is Trin-Brook Stables' Afleet Destiny. The Uriah St. Lewis-trained daughter of Hard Spun broke her maiden four starts back on November 11 at Parx Racing and was a distant second behind Gazelle rival Positive Spirit in her following start in the Demoiselle. She will be guided by Anthony Salgado from the rail.

The Gazelle, with an approximate post time of 4:47 p.m. ET, is slated as Race 8 on Saturday's 11-race card.