Drexel Hill returns to action in G2 Mother Goose

Legion Racing’s Drexel Hill returns from a more than six-month layoff in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Mother Goose, a nine-furlong route for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Mother Goose is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card which also features the Grade 3, $250,000 Long Island in Race 10, the Grade 3, $200,000 Hill Prince in Race 7; the re-scheduled Listed $150,000 Pumpkin Pie in Race 4; and the Listed $200,000 Dwyer in Race 3. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

Trained by Whit Beckman, Drexel Hill [post 9, Ben Curtis] was last seen closing from last-of-13 and nine lengths off the pace to finish a 2 1/4-length second to Good Cheer in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

"That was an amazing effort,” said Beckman of Drexel Hill’s Oaks performance at odds of 32-1. “The pace wasn't real firm that day. We were farther back than we wanted to be. We are assuming that hopefully when she comes back, she doesn't keep herself so far back. We'd like her to be a little more forwardly placed."

Drexel Hill needed time off after the Oaks and returned to the work tab in August at Saratoga Race Course before shipping to Beckman’s Kentucky base where she has worked steadily, including a half-mile effort in 49.40 October 26 over the Churchill Downs main track.

“She had a very small flake removed from her knee. She came back very quickly and seems to be stronger than ever,” Beckman said. “She has been off for quite a while. Coming back at a mile and an eighth at Aqueduct is no easy task."

Drexel Hill, by Bolt d’Oro and out of the winning Daaher mare Ascot Walk, is a half-sister to Regaled, who finished third in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff for Beckman.

The Kentucky-bred bay launched her career in Canada with trainer Barb Minshall, graduating at fourth asking last November in a seven-furlong Tapeta sprint at Woodbine. She was then transferred to Beckman and tried her luck in a pair of two-turn stakes at Fair Grounds, finishing fifth in the Untapable in December and third one month later in the Silverbulletday.

Drexel Hill punched her ticket for the Kentucky Oaks with a rallying three-quarter length score over Amarth in the local Listed Busher Invitational in March, covering the one-turn mile in 1:41.46. 

“She ran good, but to put it honestly, I'm not sure who she ran against. I'm not sure we beat a lot that day,” Beckman said. “We are in the latter part of the year now; there are strong fillies who have been running. We are coming in off a layoff, so we'll take it all under consideration." 

Bred in Kentucky by Tuscany Bloodstock, Drexel Hill was a $50,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Bran Jam Stable and David W. Clark’s Ourdaydreaminggirl [post 4, Eliseo Ruiz] arrives from a rallying neck third at odds of 42-1 in the Grade 1 Cotillion on September 20 at Parx.

Trained by Louis Linder, Jr., the Instagrand chestnut exited post 5-of-7 in the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion and settled at the back of the pack as La Cara showed the way through a half-mile in 47.38 seconds. She made a wide bid on the final turn and closed to finish a strong third behind the victorious Clicquot, who was a neck better than pace-presser Dry Powder. Both Clicquot and Dry Powder contested Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff, finishing fourth and eighth, respectively.

Ourdaydreaminggirl graduated fourth out in a seven-furlong sprint over sloppy and sealed footing in December at Parx and followed with a distant second to stablemate Volleyballprincess after a stumbled start in the seven-furlong Ruthless here on February 1. She returned three weeks later to land a 2 1/2-length second in the Wide Country at Laurel.

The $50,0000 OBS Sprint Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase returned victorious in July at Parx, romping to a 7 1/4-length score in an optional-claimer before closing to finish a 4 1/4-length second to Dry Powder in the Listed Cathryn Sophia at one mile and 70 yards in August there.

Bred in Kentucky by Pippa’s Hurricane, Ourdaydreaminggirl is out of the winning New York-bred Astrology mare Itsinthestars, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-placed Mo d’Amour.

Team Valor International’s Queen Azteca [post 2, Jose Lezcano] will make her second start in North America and first for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The Sharp Azteca bay was conditioned through her first 10 outings by Niels Petersen, enjoying a strong run of form at Meydan Racecourse over the winter, including a runner-up effort in the Shahama in December ahead of wins in the Cocoa Beach in January and the Group 3 UAE Oaks in February. Queen Azteca landed fifth versus the boys in the Group 2 UAE Derby to conclude her run in the Middle East.

She returned to action with a pair of outings at Jagersro in Sweden, winning at 11 furlongs in June and finishing a 1 3/4-length second in 12-furlong Jockeyklubben Svenskt Derby [Swedish Derby] on July 13.

Queen Azteca was purchased privately by Team Valor ahead of the Swedish Derby and last out finished a distant fifth in the Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales on August 16 at Saratoga.

Initially purchased for $22,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Queen Azteca, out of the Palace Malice mare Princesa Helena, hails from a Hall of Fame family with her fourth dam being Personal Ensign.

Five-time Eclipse Award-winner trainer Chad Brown sends out a promising pair in maiden winners Fully Subscribed [post 6, Dylan Davis] and Filly Freedom [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr.].

Klaravich Stables’ Fully Subscribed graduated on debut here last October, powering away to a four-length score over next-out winner Sharp Smile in a seven-furlong sprint. She did not return until September 1 at the Spa, stalking and pouncing to a 1 1/2-length third behind returning rival Cue the Duckboats in a one-mile test versus elders out of the Wilson Chute.

Last out, the Tiz the Law chestnut finished a neck second to Points Is Points in a nine-furlong route on September 28 here, registering a field-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

The $300,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the winning Candy Ride mare Sweetbaby, while her second dam is Grade 1-winning millionaire Rutherienne.

William Lawrence and William Rucker’s Filly Freedom has hit the board in each of her three career starts, culminating in an 8 1/4-length maiden score last out here in a one-turn mile versus elders on October 3. 

The Constitution bay, a $170,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, finished a good second on debut to eventual graded stakes-winner Ragtime in a seven-furlong sprint in June 6 at Saratoga and followed with another runner-up effort there when cut back a half-furlong on July 5.

Filly Freedom is out of the Grade 1-placed Ghostzapper mare Zapperkat, while her third dam, Rokeby Rosie, is a half-sister to Hall of Famer Silverbulletday.

A strong field includes Grade 1-placed So There She Was [post 8, Joel Rosario], who ships in from California for trainer Doug O’Neill; stakes-placed Lemon Zest [post 3, Flavien Prat] for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox; and allowance winners Being Myself [post 1, John Velazquez] for trainer Cherie DeVaux, and Cue the Duckboats [post 7, Junior Alvarado] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/. 

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