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​Ever-improving Lady Milagro strives for stakes triumph in $100K Cicada

by Ryan Martin

Amanda Laderer and Dianette Rivas’ homebred Lady Milagro will take on five other sophomore fillies in Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada going six furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Carlos Martin, the daughter of First Dude boasts a consistent 8-2-1-2 record, arriving off a 7 1/4-length victory in a starter optional claimer on February 24 at the Big A. The victory came on the heels of a pacesetting third in Aqueduct’s Ruthless, where she held command until deep stretch when passed-up by late-closing Shotgun Hottie and Champagne Poetry. 

Lady Milagro broke her maiden at third asking in her first start on grass, winning for a $50,000 tag in October at Belmont Park. Following a distant ninth in the next-out Chelsey Flower at Belmont, she switched back to dirt and has finished in the money in all four starts since. 

“She’s a filly that’s enjoyed racing and she’s getting better and better,” Martin said. “The last month or two she’s really turned the corner, so I’m excited for Saturday.” 

While her turf debut victory was encouraging, Martin said he desired to keep going through the winter with his improving filly. 

“She’s a big filly that’s just maturing. She seems to be putting it together mentally as well,” Martin said. “I thought she’d like the turf because she has a nice stride, but she had always trained super on the dirt, so we had to try her. I didn’t want to just put her away and wait for turf season. Every race she’s gotten better and better.”

Eric Cancel, aboard for both of Lady Milagro’s victories, has the call once more from post 4. 

Monshun arrives off a seven-month hiatus after winning her career debut by 3 1/4 lengths on August 18 at Saratoga Race Course. Owned by Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Ken Russell, and Taste of Victory Stables, the daughter of Unified led through every point of call through her maiden coup, recording a 74 Beyer Speed Figure for the first-out victory.

Trainer Ray Handal selected Monshun out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton October Sale, where she was purchased for $40,000 from Candy Meadows Sales consignment. 

Handal joined forces with Dylan Davis to capture last year’s Cicada with Just Read It. The trainer-jockey combo will team up once more as Monshun exits post 5. 

Mike Rutherford homebred Rosebug will cut back in distance for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. 

By American Pharoah, Rosebug was a distant fourth in the nine-furlong Busanda in January following a seven-furlong maiden victory over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track on December 30. 

Rosebug is out of the graded stakes-winning Menifee mare Taittinger Rose, who also produced stakes-winner Montauk Traffic. 

Jose Lezcano will pick up the mount aboard Rosebug from post 1. 

CHP Racing’s Exxaltress makes her stakes debut following a 2 3/4-length maiden victory on January 28 for trainer Chad Brown. The Into Mischief bay sported blinkers for her debut when a distant fifth going seven furlongs, but found the winner’s circle at second asking without blinkers when cutting back to six furlongs. 

Manny Franco will ride from post 3. 

Trainer Mike Maker will ship Paradise Farm Corp. and David Staudacher’s Lady Scarlet from Oaklawn Park where she picked up a triumph against winners last out on February 26. 

The Union Rags dark bay filly fended off a late charge from regally-bred Marr Time when travelling six furlongs over the Arkansas oval. Maker claimed Lady Scarlet for $150,000 out of a winning maiden claimer in November at Churchill Downs, just two starts after finishing second to eventual Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Echo Zulu at Saratoga. 

Kendrick Carmouche has the call from post 6. 

Completing the field is Mike Ryan’s Sweet Solare, who arrives off a maiden victory on February 25 over a sloppy and sealed Big A. The Horacio De Paz-trained Into Mischief bay was third to fellow Cicada contestant Exxaltress in her January debut.

Trevor McCarthy, the pilot in both of her career starts, will return to the irons from post 2. 

The Cicada honors the Hall of Fame filly who became the first North American female to earn championship honors at two, three and four. Owned and bred by Christopher Chenery’s Meadow Farm and trained by Casey Hayes, Cicada captured some of racing’s most prized events for fillies including the Spinaway, Frizette, Kentucky Oaks, Acorn, Mother Goose and Beldame. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967, Cicada was ranked 62nd in the Blood-Horse’s List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. Her dam, Satsuma, was a half-sister to 1950 Horse of the Year and fellow Hall of Famer Hill Prince.

The Cicada is slated as Race 9 on Aqueduct’s 10-race program on Saturday afternoon. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

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

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.