Francesca Le Donne Photo

Takrees seeks first stakes win in Sunday's Interborough

by Brian Bohl

Shadwell Stable's homebred Takrees will look for her first stakes win after a couple of close finishes as part of a field of seven in the 96th running of the $100,000 Interborough for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at six furlongs on the inner dirt track Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Takrees came tantalizing close to earning a stakes win in a 2016 campaign that featured a pair of runner-up finishes in the Safely Kept and the Cicada. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee also posted a personal-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure in her graded stakes debut, finishing third in the Grade 2 Priorees on September 4 at Saratoga Race Course.

The 4-year-old Daaher filly has finished in the money in all previous runs at the Interborough distance, going 2-3-1 in six starts. Takrees, who is also 1-2-0 in three starts on the inner dirt, drew the outside with Irad Ortiz, Jr. set to ride.

McLaughlin's other entry, Clothes Fall Off, will make her first start in nine months. Cheynee Stables' 5-year-old has not raced since an eighth-place finish in her Grade 1 debut in the Madison on April 9 at Keeneland. Before that effort, Clothes Fall Off finished first-or-second in six consecutive starts, including a win in her last appearance at the Big A with a 1 ½-length score in the Correction on March 19.

Manny Franco will ride from post 6.

Gustavo Delgado will saddle a pair of entries as Miss Away and Miss Hollywood will make their respective debuts for their new trainer. Miss Away, who won three consecutive starts before finishing third in an optional claimer last out on December 16 at Gulfstream Park, is 3-1-1 in her last five starts.

The 6-year-old will be making her first career start in New York after going 4-2-1 in 13 starts at Gulfstream. Marcos Meneses is named to ride from post 5.

Miss Hollywood will make her fourth straight stakes start looking to build on a solid ending to her 2016 campaign in which she won the Monroe on July 31 and finished third in the Added Elegance, registering career-high 82 Beyer Speed Figures in each respective start. Angel Arroyo will be in the irons from the rail.

Hot City Girl finished third in the Willa On the Move in her first start after a nearly four-month freshening on December 10 at Laurel Park. The winner of the Union Avenue drew post 4 for trainer Linda Rice. Jose Ortiz, who piloted Hot City Girl to a second-place finish in the 2015 Grade 1 La Brea, will ride from post 4.

Disco Chick, for trainer Mario Serey, Jr., is the field's most experienced runner iwith nine wins in 35 career starts. The 6-year-old will be coming off a quick turnaround after finishing second in the What A Summer on January 14 at Laurel, just a half-length behind Sweet on Smokey in the six-furlong sprint. Jockey Rajiv Maragh will ride from post 2.

Rounding out the field is Burn Control, for trainer and owner Kathleen Demasi. Kendrick Carmouche will have the call from post 3.