Undefeated Storm’s Wake Favored for Saturday’s Our Dear Peggy

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – In just two races William Werner’s Storm’s Wake has already demonstrated considerable versatility for a 2-year-old filly.

“She’s 2-for-2. She’s won first up sprinting and then I ran her against the boys because there wasn’t a girl’s race, and she won going a mile,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “At this stage, she’s undefeated.”

The daughter of Oscar Performance will seek to win her third start over her third turf course in Saturday’s $75,000 Our Dear Peggy, a mile stakes for juvenile fillies that will headline an 11-race program at Gulfstream Park.

Storm’s Wake made a winning debut Aug. 24 at Ellis Park in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight for fillies on turf, in which she rallied from mid-pack after being checked between horses to win by a half-length. She came right back at Churchill Downs Sept. 28 to rally from ninth and last to beat the boys in a photo finish in a mile allowance for non-winners of two lifetime.

Nik Juarez, who was aboard for both gritty w?ins, has the return mount on Storm’s Wake.

Werner’s homebred filly’s precocity hardly came as a surprise to her trainer.

“She touted herself early. She touted herself as soon as she started breezing,” Lynch said.

Storm’s Wake will soon be followed to South Florida by a string of stablemates.

“We’re sending horses down there, our first load, this weekend when Keeneland closes,” said Lynch, who has long been a fixture at Gulfstream’s Championship Meet, which gets underway Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27.

Storm’s Wake, the only two-time winner, has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a field of 11 fillies, including a drop-down from a Grade 2 stakes, a filly who faced Grade 1 competition last time out, as well as her million-dollar-baby stablemate who won on debut, and a Grade 3 drop-down.

Repole Stable’s homebred Miss Picky, who is rated second on the Our Dear Peggy morning line at 3-1, was forced to race wide while finishing far back in the Oct.4 Miss Grillo (G2) at Aqueduct. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher saddled the daughter of Uncle Mo for a front-running four-length victory in a two-turn maiden race at Saratoga in her prior start.

Samuel Marin has been named to ride Miss Picky for the first time Saturday.

Peachtree Stables’ Spirit Doll, who broke her maiden at first asking Aug. 7 at Saratoga, finished a distant sixth in the Aug. 30 Spinaway (G1) at the Spa after bumping at the start. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained daughter of Tiz the Law will make her first start on turf and around two-turns in the Our Dear Peggy.

Joseph stable will also be represented in the Our Dear Peggy by Tagermeen Racing’s Dandona, who was purchased at the OBS April 2-year-olds-in-training sale for $1,050,000. The daughter of Tiz the Law made a wide sweep to the lead in the stretch and held on to graduate by a half length in a mile-and-70-yard maiden race on Tapeta Aug. 31 at Gulfstream.

Edgard Zayas has the call on Spirit Doll (6-1), while Reylu Gutierrez has the return mount aboard Dandona (12-1),

Next Level Stables’ Y’allreadyforthis will seek to rebound from an eighth-place finish in the Oct. 2 Matron (G3), a six-furlong turf stakes at Aqueduct in which she was beaten by just four lengths. The daughter of More Than Ready won on debut in a 5 ½-furlong turf race at Colonial Downs Aug. 6 before being transferred to trainer Jorge Delgado.

Emisael Jaramillo has the call on Y’allreadyforthis, who is rated third at 5-1.

REH LLC’s Bert’s Knoty Girl (12-1) and KMH Racing LLC’s Spicy Princess (10-1), who were a head apart while finishing 1-2, respectively, in a mile maiden special weight on turf Sept. 27 at Gulfstream; Sea Warrior Stables LLC and trainer Heather Smullen’s Bayou Brigid, who finished sixth in the Aug.27 P.G. Johnson on turf at Saratoga following a 2 ¼-length maiden victory on Tapeta at Gulfstream; and Stephen Screnci’s Vita Mia, who is slated to make her turf debut after finishing a close-up second in the Hallandale Beach over Gulfstream’s main track; will also seek to break through with a stakes victory Saturday.

Trainer Joe Catanese III’s Little Torch and trainer Dante Zanelli Jr.’s That Police round out the field.