Indy Bay makes stakes debut in $150K Jersey Girl

C2 Racing Stable, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch’s Indy Bay makes her stakes debut in Sunday’s $150,000 Jersey Girl, a six-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, on Closing Day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course. 

The Jersey Girl is slated as Race 9 on Sunday’s 11-race card, which also includes the Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly in Race 7. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern. Admission gates will open to the public at 11 a.m.

Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., Indy Bay is 2-for-2 in starts for her current connections, including a last-out closing three-quarter-length score in a six-furlong optional claimer on April 25 at Oaklawn Park. The final time of 1:09.66 earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure, improving markedly from a previous 68 for a stalking two-length score in her barn debut in March at Gulfstream Park. 

“She’s very easy going – she’s not a very flashy worker, but she’s a filly that steps it up on race day,” said Joseph, Jr. “She showed a new dimension to come from off the pace last out. If she can lead it, she can – she’s very versatile.” 

Indy Bay [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] began her career with a pair of placings in six-furlong restricted maidens for trainer Thomas Vance at Oaklawn Park. 

“She was knocking on the door and obviously she came in and won the first time at Gulfstream,” Joseph, Jr. said. “It was a very fast pace and the number didn’t come back fast, so you kind of have a little doubt, but the form worked out great… She stepped it up at Oaklawn in a very competitive race. I think she’s a filly to reckon with.” 

The Take Charge Indy dark bay is out of the winning Speightstown mare Discovery Bay, while her second dam is multiple graded stakes-victor Harmony Lodge, winner of the 2003 Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga. 

Santa Rey Stable and Rainbow's End Racing Stable’s Paula’s a Star [post 7, Manny Franco] would provide strong opposition if she runs back to her pacesetting third two starts back versus males in the six-furlong Jimmy Winkfield in March at Aqueduct Racetrack. Trained by Tom Morley, the Tapiture chestnut exited that performance to run third as the heavy favorite in a Laurel Park optional claimer on April 18. 

“You toss out the race at Laurel. She ran very well to break her maiden and then very well against the colts,” said Morley. “She didn't ship to Laurel tremendously well and then was defeated at a very short price. That was a simple case of not shipping well.”

Morley said Paula’s a Star will do extra schooling to prepare for the preliminaries. 

“She will be at Saratoga early to give her as much time to acclimatize, paddock school, and settle into her surroundings by the time she runs six days later,” Morley said. “She will do plenty of schooling at Saratoga, to see the sights, sounds and smells at the Spa."

In her lone other effort versus fillies, Paula’s a Star graduated gate-to-wire second-out sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in February at Aqueduct. 

The $120,000 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Pioneerof the Nile mare Seeking a Star – a half-sister to stakes-winner Miss Interpret. Her second dam, All Mettle, is a half-sister to dual Grade 1-winners Paulassilverlining and Dads Caps.

Tranquility Lake Farms’ Beauty Reigns [post 2, Junior Alvarado] makes her second career stakes start for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. The Into Mischief gray is 2-for-3 at sprint distances, including a last-out one-length victory in a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer on May 2 at Churchill Downs, which registered a career-best 91 Beyer.

Beauty Reigns, after a debut graduation at 6 1/2-furlongs in November at Aqueduct, attempted the Grade 2 Demoiselle there and was an uninvolved sixth. She made one more start around two turns when fourth in January at Gulfstream Park before returning to 6 1/2 furlongs with a second in April at Keeneland. 

Out of the unraced Tapit mare Ilsa, Beauty Reigns’ second dam is 2009 Broodmare of the Year Sweet Life, who produced multiple Grade 1-winners Sweet Catomine and Life Is Sweet.

Rounding out the field are Grade 3-placed Italian Soiree [post 6, Joel Rosario] for trainer John Terranova; stakes-winner Long Neck Paula [post 4, John Velazquez] for trainer Wesley Ward; Nilo’s Rose [post 3, Christopher Elliott] for conditioner Rob Falcone, Jr.; and Mila Candy [post 1, Silvestre Gonzalez] for trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule. 

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