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​Girl Trouble streaks into $100K Ruthless

by Keith McCalmont

Swilcan Stable and LC Racing’s multiple stakes winner Girl Trouble brings a three-race win streak into Sunday’s $100,000 Ruthless, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., the New Jersey-bred daughter of Fast Anna enters from open-lengths stakes scores at Parx Racing in the six-furlong Future Stars Filly Division on November 29 on a fast track and the seven-furlong Parx Futurity on January 3 over a sloppy and sealed surface. She launched her streak at the Bensalem, Pennsylvania oval with a prominent eight-length romp over muddy and sealed going in an optional-claiming sprint on November 1.

“It was nice to get those races out of her own stall at her home track,” Reid, Jr. said. “I think she really matured and she's ready to go back out on the road again. The seven-eighths is well within her range.”

Girl Trouble, who sports a perfect in-the-money record of 7-4-2-1, made her first two starts at Monmouth Park, graduating at second asking in a restricted maiden tilt in July. She returned to action in September at Parx with a troubled runner-up effort in an optional-claimer after stumbling at the start and followed with a distant third going one mile in the White Clay Creek in October at Delaware Park. 

Girl Trouble has been first or second at the second point of call in each of her last three starts with Paco Lopez in the irons, but Jose Lezcano will take over from post 4 on Sunday with Lopez slated to ride at Gulfstream Park.

“She speed pops them and lays right close and in the last couple, she's improved her position from there,” Reid, Jr. said. “When her and Paco hooked up she became a different horse. We’re going to use Jose Lezcano this time and I hope we'll get the same results.”

Reid, Jr. has an exemplary stakes record here of 6-2-1-2 dating to November 6, including wins in the Discovery in November with Eloquist and the Grade 3 Go for Wand in December with Dr B. 

“We love going up there and getting that New York money,” said Reid, Jr. “The last few months it's worked out very well for us and it goes to show the quality of horses we have. The owners are doing the right thing and just a lot of things have come together to make that work out.”

Reid, Jr. said a good result Sunday could see Girl Trouble try longer distances again in the future.

“This is the first step in hopefully stretching her out a bit,” Reid, Jr. said. “She has a great head on her shoulders. She trains very comfortably every day, and I think that will show up in her afternoon work.”

Girl Trouble, a $15,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale purchase, has banked $202,500. She is out of the Ghostzapper mare Adorabella, who is a half-sister to stakes-winner Alydiva.

Happy Face Racing Stable’s undefeated multiple stakes-winner Malibu Moonshine [post 3, Jose Gomez] has utilized off-the-pace tactics in each of her three wins.

Trained by Charlton Baker, the Maryland-bred daughter of Bourbon Courage graduated in September at Pimlico Race Course traveling six furlongs over a sloppy and sealed main track. She followed with a pair of seven-furlong stakes scores at Laurel Park in the restricted Maryland Juvenile Filly over muddy and sealed going on December 3 and the open-company Gin Talking on December 30 over fast footing.

Malibu Moonshine breezed in August at Saratoga Race Course but Baker re-rerouted the talented chestnut to Pimlico where she romped on debut by six lengths over the off going.

“She was breezing really good and I took her to Saratoga and planned to run her there, but she wasn’t quite ready,” Baker said. “So, I opted to run her in Maryland for the first time. She’s always run pretty decent.”

Baker said Malibu Moonshine’s late-running style belies her sharp morning breeze efforts.

“I was surprised when she ran the first time because she worked so good and like she would be tactical, and I thought she would show a little more speed,” Baker said. “I knew she wasn’t a speed horse, but I thought she would want to break and get herself going and sit third or fourth. I thought maybe she didn’t enjoy the slop and that’s why she did that the first time, but she did it the last two times, too. That’s her style and that’s what works for her.”

Malibu Moonshine is out of the stakes-placed Malibu Moon mare Sunday in Malibu, who is a half-sibling to stakes-winner Retaliation.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle two contenders in Senior Prank [post 1, Manny Franco] and Interpolate [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] as he vies for his first Ruthless win.

Spendthrift Farm’s Kentucky homebred Senior Prank enters from a gate-to-wire debut score traveling six furlongs over good going here on January 7. Piloted by Manny Franco, the Into Mischief bay dueled gamely for the lead through splits of 23.34 seconds and 47.55, and responded well down the lane to hold off the late charge of the more experienced Spelterini, stopping the clock in 1:12.79.

Senior Prank, out of the multiple graded-stakes placed Thundering Sky, has breezed back twice over the Belmont dirt training track, including a half-mile in 50.62 Sunday.

Klaravich Stables’ Interpolate, by Into Mischief, enters from a troubled fourth-place finish in the Parx Futurity where she was bumped and steadied at the start. She was a distant fourth in her August debut at Saratoga which was won by Chocolate Gelato, who captured the Grade 1 Frizette here in her next outing. 

Interpolate graduated at second asking in October sprinting six furlongs at Belmont at the Big A, edging clear to a 1 3/4-length score over returning rival Royal Poppy. With Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, Interpolate tracked from second as Royal Poppy marked the half-mile in 47.53 before responding to her cue from Ortiz, Jr. and taking over from the three-path to stop the clock in 1:11.12.

The $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Tapit mare Keesha, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes placed Shumoos and multiple stakes-placed Steady On. 

Adelphi Racing Club, Pavilion Racing, Zilla Racing Stables and Surrey Lane Stables' Royal Poppy [post 5, Dylan Davis] drew off to notch her fifth-out graduation by six lengths in gate-to-wire fashion on December 15 at the Big A.

Trained by Ray Handal, the Classic Empire chestnut had hit the board in 3-of-4 previous starts before adding blinkers for her six-furlong maiden win that came on the heels of an even third in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden tilt on November 20.

“She needed some blinkers, but she was running so good that I didn’t want to get too cute," Handal said. "But after that lackluster third, I said, ‘Now’s the time to make the change.’ She ran huge and I think she’s going to do really well and she’ll be tough in there.” 

The $170,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the Macho Uno mare M'Dearest, who is a half-sister to multiple graded-stakes placed Riveting Reason and stakes-placed Bang Bang Bang.

The Ruthless is slated as Race 3 on Sunday’s 10-race card. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct winter 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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