Shilling seeks more stakes success in $150K Busanda

Fern Circle Stables’ Shilling will cut back in distance in search of a second local stakes win in Saturday’s $150,000 Busanda, a one-turn mile for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack. The Busanda, previously contested at nine furlongs, offers 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

Trained by Kenny McPeek, Shilling [post 3, Christopher Elliott] has made all four career starts at the Big A, including a pacesetting fourth last out in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 6 after being pressed throughout by the impressive 8 1/2-length winner Zany. She picked up two Kentucky Oaks points for that effort and has since worked back twice over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including a half-mile breeze this morning in 49.86 seconds.

“She’s doing well. Maybe she didn't want to go the mile and an eighth of the Demoiselle, but this is a good spot for her staying up there for the winter,” McPeek said.

The Global Campaign bay will cut back to the distance of her impressive four-length frontrunning score in the Listed Tempted on November 6 – an effort that built upon a second-out neck maiden score sprinting seven furlongs on October 16 where she put away returning rival Britain, who settled for third and exited to win. Shilling’s maiden score earned a co-field best 76 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She's got natural speed which is an asset for any racehorse,” McPeek said. “I think the fact that she jumped through the maiden and stakes level relatively easily is a good sign. Whether she wants to go further than this is another question, but right now we're excited about the flat mile of the Busanda.”

Shilling, out of the winning Exchange Rate mare Pounds to Pennies, was selected by McPeek for $105,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“She's an exceptionally good-looking filly by a young stallion in Global Campaign - a son of Curlin,” said McPeek, who will also be represented by the Global Campaign colt Universe in Saturday's Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park.

AMO Racing USA’s New York-bred Britain [post 2, Manny Franco], a $1,050,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale purchase, enters from a stylish second-out graduation against open-company in a local seven-furlong sprint on November 20.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Quality Road bay exited post 1-of-5 and stalked patiently under Flavien Prat while in-tight along the rail as Backstreets showed the way through an opening quarter-mile in 23.08. Britain advanced through the turn and tipped off the rail for the stretch run, brushing with Interstatelovesong, before splitting rivals and drawing clear to a two-length score in a final time of 1:23.95 to register a 65 Beyer. The runner-up, Interstatelovesong, returned to graduate here Friday by five lengths, while earning a 69 Beyer.

Britain, bred in the Empire State by 3C Stables, is out of the Grade 1-placed Congrats mare Toasting – a half-sister to stakes-winner Riversrunrylee, who won 22 of his 100 career starts.

EGL-One Racing’s Two Bits [post 4, Jaime Rodriguez] will look to pick up winning black type for trainer Amelia Green.

The American Pharoah bay enters from a fourth-out graduation over course and distance on November 29, powering away to a 1 3/4-length score under returning rider Jaime Rodriguez.

Two Bits was selected by Green, who saddled her first starter in December 2024, and Amanda Gillman for $75,000 at that year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Two Bits is out of the winning Bernardini mare Spare Change, while her second dam is dual Grade 1-winner Finder’s Fee [27-7-4-5, $708,128].

"She was the first yearling Amanda and I picked out - before I'd even set up training - so she holds a very dear space in our hearts for that reason. To see her running in an Oaks prep is pretty big,” Green said. “She's a little on the smaller side, but she's well balanced and solid.”

Two Bits, initially considered as a turf prospect, made two sprint starts this summer at Saratoga Race Course, landing fifth in an off-the-turf event in July ahead of a fourth-place effort one month later on the grass.

“Early on, I thought she would be a grass horse, but her dirt works started getting better and better. Stretching her out in distance was a key for her,” Green said.

Two Bits extended to two turns in the one-mile White Clay Creek in October at Delaware Park where she was off a step slow and got in tight behind rivals in the first turn. She advanced to fourth position down the backstretch and chased a trio of runaway leaders through the final turn to land six lengths back of the victorious returning rival Dazzling Dame but only a half-length in arrears of third-place Miss Call.

"It was better watching it than it looks on paper,” Green said of the White Clay Creek effort. “She was far back and the only horse in the field making up ground. I think an extra sixteenth, she'd have been up for third, for sure. First time going long was a big learning experience for her."

Two Bits broke alertly last out but veered out and bumped with a rival before saving ground in fourth position down the backstretch. She advanced gamely through the turn and found a seam to the inside of pacesetter Three Sixty en route to a convincing score in 1:37.06. The winning effort registered a career-best 68 Beyer and the performance was validated when Three Sixty returned to win a local maiden by 5 1/2-lengths here Saturday and register a 66 Beyer.

"It was a good effort. I like that this race is back at a mile instead of a mile and an eighth - not that I don't think she'll get a mile and an eighth, but she won at the mile last time and proved that she liked it. It's a step up in competition, but we're pretty optimistic that she'll run well,” Green said.

Respect the Valleys’ Maryland-bred Dazzling Dame [post 5, Jevian Toledo] has won 3-of-4 starts, including a pair of stakes wins for trainer Brittany Russell.

Last out, Dazzling Dame was game on the lead in the aforementioned White Clay Creek, shrugging off the pace pressure to draw clear and win by 1 1/2-lengths in a final time of 1:39.52 to register a career-best 76 Beyer.

"She is a little bit of a free-running type. She is a big filly,” Russell said. “She kind of has an engine and can jump on it pretty quick. My thought on that is that I hope she can settle in. She hasn't run for a little bit, maybe she is a little on the fresh side."

The Girvin bay, a $45,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale purchase, graduated at first asking in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint restricted to juvenile fillies bred or sired in Maryland on June 27 at Laurel Park.

Dazzling Dame stretched out to two turns and faced open company in the one-mile Sorority on August 17 at Monmouth Park, exiting the inside post in the field of six and leading at every point of call to score by two lengths. The gritty effort saw her put away the pressing Fond of You, while having plenty in reserve to stave off the onrushing Spitfire in a final time of 1:40.83.

She then stepped into graded company in the Grade 3 Pocahontas on September 13 at Churchill Downs, stalking from third position in the one-turn mile and briefly taking the lead with a three-wide move late in the turn before settling for fourth.

"I like the mile, the one-turn mile. She's done it one time, but it was a long ship when she went to Kentucky,” Russell said. “I think we are in a good spot with her to give it a go. She's just a good-training filly. We just like her. I feel like it’s a good time to take a swing."

Dazzling Dame has worked back five times at Fair Hill, including a half-mile breeze this morning over the dirt course in 49.20.

“That was a forward move, sitting six days out. She is showing she wants to be on the engine,” Russell said. “The mile up there, she is going to do that, but I hope she can settle in and finish up."

Bred by Maria M. Haire, Dazzling Dame is out of the multiple stakes-placed Corinthian mare Awesome Dama.

Repole Stable’s Believable [post 6, Flavien Prat], who was runner-up in the Tempted and a distant fifth in the Demoiselle, looks to return to winning form for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

The Curlin bay graduated at first asking in September here in a one-turn mile maiden, making every pole a winning one to score by a nose over Demoiselle third-place finisher Concurrently. The $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase, out of the Tapit mare Temptress, is a full-sister to dual graded stakes-winning millionaire Tenfold.

Rounding out a talented field is David Heaton’s Midnite Ginny [post 1, Sahin Civaci], a maiden winner in September at Monmouth Park for trainer Jose Lozano Sanchez. The Cloud Computing dark bay, a $75,000 OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horse of Racing Age Sale purchase, is out of the stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare Clever Beauty.

The Busanda is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s nine-race card which also features the $150,000 Jerome in Race 3, offering 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

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