My Sweet Girl looks to repeat in Perfect Sting

by Michael Johnson

Joyce B. Young's My Sweet Girl will look to repeat her title in taking on a field of eight challengers in the $100,000 Perfect Sting for fillies and mares 4-years-old-and-up on Saturday at Belmont Park.

My Sweet Girl captured the 2016 edition of the Perfect Sting as a 15-1 choice, rallying from last at the half-mile mark to win by a neck at the wire for trainer Barclay Tagg. Manny Franco will ride My Sweet Girl and will break from the inside post. 

Belmont Park's leading trainer Chad Brown will send out three competitors, including Conquest Babayaga; the runner-up in the Grade 3 Intercontinental. He will break from the outside post with rider Joel Rosario. 

Ancient Secret, the winner of the 2016 Grade 2 Lake George, will break from the 8 post with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard. Rounding out Brown's entry is Off Limits, an Irish-bred, with jockey John Velazquez breaking from post 7. 

Outside Art for trainer Jonathan Sheppard, is returning from a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 8 at Belmont Park. The a 4-year-old bay filly will break from post 3 with pilot Dylan Davis. 

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey's On Leave will look to build on an impressive resume in which she won the 2016 Riskaverse at Saratoga in August before capturing the Grade 2 Sands Point in September at Belmont. The 4-year-old grey filly will break from post 2 with Jose Ortiz riding. The daughter of War Front was 2nd in the G3 Galorette at Pimlico in May in her last race. 

Rounding out the field is Rattataptap, a 5-year-old gray daughter of Tapit for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. She will break from post 5 with jockey Rajiv Maragh piloting. Sovereign Stable's Ancient Goddess comes back from a more than nine-month layoff to start from post 6 for trainer John Terranova with Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard. And Ultimate Holiday breaks from post 4 for trainer Michelle Nevin, coming off a $90,000 allowance win on May 19 at Belmont Park. Eric Cancel will ride.