Mega Mil tries turf in Listed License Fee

Main Line Racing Stable and Avalon Racing Stables’ Mega Mil, 2-for-2 over the local dirt, will try the lawn in Sunday’s Listed $150,000 License Fee, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for older fillies and mares, at Belmont at the Big A. 

Trained by John Servis, the 4-year-old daughter of Honor A. P. posted a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure when making her synthetic bow and landing a pacesetting one-length second to Lithe Spirit in the six-furlong Queen on March 14 at Turfway Park. Returning rivals Cynane and Civetta landed a respective sixth and seventh in that stakes.  

Mega Mil had made all eight previous starts on dirt, including a dominant local second-out graduation in December 2024 and an optional-claiming score here two starts before the Queen.

“We’ve been a little anxious to get her on the grass because she seems like that kind of filly,” Servis said. “She’s trained really well over the synthetic at Turfway Park, so we are expecting a good race from her. I was happy with her last race. It worked out by having a race at Turfway.” 

Mega Mil [post 9, Kendrick Carmouche] boasts a 9-3-3-0 overall record and held her own on dirt, finishing fourth in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Dogwood in September at Churchill Downs, two starts before a two-length second in the 6 1/2-furlong Cornucopia in November at Parx Racing. 

“She’s got a turf foot and trained so well over poly, those are our two main reasons,” Servis said of trying turf. “We always kept in the back of our minds that we may eventually try the grass.” 

Bred in Kentucky by River Bend Farm, Mega Mil, an $85,000 purchase from the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, is out of the Elusive Quality mare Elusive Jackpot and her second dam is Hall of Famer Silverbulletday, who banked over $3 million through 23 starts, all on dirt, and Eclipse Award campaigns from 1998-99.

Parkland Thoroughbreds, Sportsmen Stable and Avanti Stable’s Grade 1-placed Jody’s Pride [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] has made 12-of-15 starts in her millionaire career on dirt. Trained by Jorge Abreu, the 5-year-old American Pharoah dark bay enters from a 1 1/2-length third to Grammy Girl in the Grade 3 Distaff sprinting seven furlongs over the main track on April 4 here. That rival is entered in this same card’s Grade 3, $175,000 Vagrancy, a 6 1/2-furlong dirt sprint for older fillies and mares.

Prior to the Distaff, Jody’s Pride was off-the-board over the same surface and distance when making her first start of 2026 in the Grade 2 Inside Information in January at Gulfstream Park. Her seven-start 4-year-old season ended with a strong third in the Grade 2 Ladies Turf Sprint in August at Kentucky Downs and an off-the-board effort in the one-mile turf Grade 1 First Lady in October at Keeneland. The former earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure, just two ticks shy of her career-best 97 when winning the local one-turn dirt mile Grade 2 Ruffian last May.

Jody’s Pride’s 15-4-1-4 record has banked over $1 million and a standout performance was a neck second to subsequent Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Just F Y I in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November 2023 at Santa Anita Park. 

Bred by Mr. Steve Weston, of Parkland Thoroughbreds, Jody’s Pride is out of the undefeated Parkland-campaigned Scat Daddy mare Jody’s Song – a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Make Mischief. 

Edward Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Love Cervere [post 6, Manny Franco] enters from an off-the-board effort making her seasonal debut in the 5 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Giant’s Causeway on April 12 at Keeneland. Trained by Miguel Clement, the 4-year-old Into Mischief bay won the Grade 3 Glen Cove over Sunday’s course and distance in October ahead of a late-running third in the Grade 3 Bessarabian in November over Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack. 

Love Cervere is 3-for-3 here, all over course and distance, winning her November 2024 debut and capturing the Take the A Train last May. Her 10-4-2-2 record with $382,391 in earnings includes an additional stakes win in the Listed Alywow in June at Woodbine. 

Three Diamonds Farm’s Buttercream Babe [post 5, John Velazquez] is cross-entered in the Grade 2 Unbridled Sidney on Friday at Churchill Downs for trainer Rusty Arnold. The multiple graded stakes-placed daughter of Twirling Candy steps back up in class off four allowance-level efforts culminating in a last-out victory sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on April 4 at Keeneland. 

There, Buttercream Babe was making her barn debut after 15 starts for trainer Mike Maker, all between 6 1/2 furlongs and one mile. Buttercream Babe earned a career-best 89 Beyer for her last-out cutback performance, and does have class, including a half-length third versus males in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in August 2024 at Saratoga Race Course.

Rounding out the field is Grade 3-placed Civetta [post 1, Tyler Gaffalione] for conditioner Brendan Walsh; four-time winners Cynane [post 7, Flavien Prat] for dual Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox and Do Gooder [post 8, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Jena Antonucci; three-time victor Lost and Found [post 2, Jaime Rodriguez] for trainer Brittany Russell; and two-time winner So Sophia [post 4, Edgard Zayas] for conditioner Antonio Arriaga. 

All Class is entered for the main track-only. 

The License Fee is slated as Race 11 on Sunday’s 12-race card, which co-features a trio of $175,000 Grade 3s, including the Westchester [Race 7], Beaugay [Race 8] and Vagrancy [Race 10]. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer 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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