Lucille Ball steps up in class for $135K Interborough

Gary Barber, Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable’s Lucille Ball is 2-for-2 and steps up in class for Saturday’s $135,000 Interborough, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Chris Englehart, Lucille Ball returned from a 14-month layoff to post a 10 1/4-length first-level allowance score last out on January 2 here. The 4-year-old Lord Nelson chestnut previously graduated on debut by 5 1/4-lengths locally on November 8, 2024. 

In her return effort, Lucille Ball led through splits of 22.61 seconds, 46.33 and 1:10.78 over the fast dirt en route to an eased-up final time of 1:17.27 for the 6 1/2-furlongs. The performance earned a career and field-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure. 

Englehart said Lucille Ball is ready to return on relatively short rest.

“She’s doing good,” Englehart said. “She’s pretty game. She’s pretty nice. She’s just got a lot of ability. She likes to do it.” 

Englehart previously mentioned the seven-furlong Listed Barbara Fritchie on February 14 at Laurel Park as a possible next race after Lucille Ball’s recent win. 

“They [the connections] are trying to get her black type and this is what we decided to do,” said Englehart. “We figured that this was our best shot rather than ship her.”

Englehart noted that after Lucille Ball’s successful debut, she subsequently required two knee surgeries, the second coming earlier in the spring of 2025 to remove a chip after four works at Belmont Park. 

The cleverly-named Lucille Ball [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche], a $100,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training out of the Henny Hughes mare Sassy Redhead, is a half-sister to dual stakes-winner Doncho, who holds the 5 1/2-furlong turf North American record of 59.75 seconds. Her second dam, Sass Me, is a half-sister to Grade 1-winners Madcap Escapade [9-7-0-1, $1,052,852] and Dubai Escapade [8-6-0-0, $427,050]. 

Barry K. Schwartz’s New York homebred Stonewall Star [post 8, Jaime Rodriguez] seeks a return to winning form off a fifth in the one-turn mile Listed Go for Wand on December 13 here. 

Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 6-year-old Flatter bay was well-beaten by the Chad Brown-trained Weigh the Risks, who was favored in Saturday’s $135,000 Ladies before the last five races on the card were canceled due to inclement weather.

“Last time, we took the fight to Weigh the Risks, who is just a very nice filly,” De Paz said of the rival who went 4-for-5 last year. “We couldn’t keep up, which is what I think cost us last out.” 

Stonewall Star was making her second start of last year following a second to multiple graded stakes-placed millionaire Sterling Silver in the local 6 1/2-furlong state-bred Iroquois on October 25. There, she earned a career-best 90 Beyer, improving one tick from a 2 1/4-length victory when capping her 2024 campaign in the local one-turn mile state-bred Bay Ridge that December. 

“She ran pretty hard off the layoff in the Iroquois,” said De Paz. “She probably felt that first race off the layoff last time out. Hopefully, she can bounce back to some of her initial races.” 

Stonewall Star is a five-time stakes winner among a 20-6-3-4 overall record with $513,398 in earnings. Those scores include the state-bred Key Cents in 2022 and Franklin Square in 2023 here, as well as that year’s Wide Country at Laurel Park and the local state-bred Biogio’s Rose in 2024. 

Out of the Proud Citizen mare Jonata, Stonewall Star is a full-sister to multiple stakes-winner La Fuerza and a half-sister to stakes-winner Whatlovelookslike. Her second dam, Romp and Stomp, is a half-sister to 2002 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic-winner Volponi.

Repole Stable’s Scalable [post 7, Christopher Elliott] captured this race last year and earned a career-best 93 Beyer. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 5-year-old Speightstown gray hit the board behind Weigh the Risks in her last two starts in the seven-furlong Listed Pumpkin Pie [3rd] and the aforementioned Go for Wand [2nd] here.

Scalable boasts a 15-4-2-2 record with $559,878 in earnings and seeks her first victory since last year’s Interborough. Her resume is highlighted by a score in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks in July 2024 at its namesake oval. 

R.T Racing Stable’s Just Katherine [post 3, Sahin Civaci] returned from an over one-year layoff when finishing third behind Weigh the Risks and Scalable in the Go for Wand. Trained by Jose Jimenez, the 5-year-old Justify bay’s respite dated to a half-length optional claiming score sprinting seven furlongs in September 2024 here.

Just Katherine has hit the board in 11-of-16 career starts while posting a 4-3-4 record. Her top Beyer is a 94 for a 1 1/2-length second to subsequent dual Grade 1-winning millionaire Randomized in the one-mile restricted Wilton in 2023 at Saratoga Race Course.

Rounding out the field is the stakes-placed pair for trainer Linda Rice of Curlin’s Girl [post 4, Ruben Silvera] and Tipple [post 6, Eric Cancel]; as well as stakes-placed Mega Mil [post 1, Frankie Pennington] for conditioner John Servis and Zadorsky [post 5, Luis Rivera, Jr.] for trainer Whit Beckman. 

The Interborough is slated as Race 6 on Saturday’s nine-race card. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

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