Maryquitecontrary Seeking Better Results in Princess Rooney
Crazy Frazy Logical Favorite for Saturday’s Aventura

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Her last time facing males resulted in Glen Hill Farm homebred Wide West gutting out a head victory in the five-furlong Roar last spring on the grass at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Bethany Baumgardner would like to see a similar result – not as dramatic, perhaps – in Saturday’s $95,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint.

The five-furlong Umphrey Turf Sprint is the first of four stakes worth $510,000 in purses on an 11-race program headlined by the $220,000 Princess Rooney (G3), a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Based at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, Wide West exits a third in the five-furlong Lady Carey Turf Sprint contested over a yielding course July 28 at Hawthorne Race Course near Chicago, setting the pace before giving way late to be beaten a length.

“She’s doing well. She’s worked a couple times here at Palm Meadows after the race at Hawthorne. She’s feeling well with herself and looks good,” Baumgardner said. “I think she would have loved the ground to be a little firmer but then maybe she wouldn’t have gotten away as well and gotten her softer lead like she likes.

“It might have been a Catch-22 because others might have been pressing her. I think she ran a good race out there and came out of it well, so that’s good,” she added. “We’re excited about it. I think it’ll be good to get her out there. She’s beaten the boys before. She gets a few pounds off, so we’ll send her out there and see what we’ve got.”

An Irish-bred daughter of undefeated British champion Frankel, Wide West drew Post 3 in a field of eight led by multiple stakes winner Xy Speed and was rated at 6-1 on the morning line. Jose Ferrer is named to ride for the first time.

“There’s definitely some other speed in there. She kind of has her pretty typical running style, so it’s kind of just keeping her happy where we can,” Baumgardner said. “She’s got a good post, I’m happy about that. As long as we can come out of there and just get her comfortable, that’ll be good.”

Wide West owns three wins, one second and three thirds from 13 career starts, the majority for previous trainer Tom Proctor who the 34-year-old Baumgardner, a former flat and steeplechase jockey, worked as an assistant before taking over Glen Hill’s South Florida string. Her first career win came with Ocean Club in the May 18 Monroe over the Gulfstream turf.

This year, Wide West is winless in five races with one second and has run third in two of her last three, including the April 28 Golden Beach Handicap sprinting five furlongs on the grass at Gulfstream.

“She definitely has the type of race that she likes,” Baumgardner said. “This is what was there and she’s well, so there was no reason not to give it a go.”

Maryquitecontrary Seeking Better Results in Princess Rooney

Rodney Lundock’s Maryquitecontrary fell just a half-length short of victory while finishing second in last year’s Princess Rooney Invitational (G3) as the 7-5 favorite. The 5-year-old daughter of First Dude is set for a return in the ‘Win and You’re In’ Breeders’ Cup Challenge race Saturday at Gulfstream Park rated a somewhat distant third on the morning line at 6-1.

The Eddie Plesa Jr. trainee has been winless in five starts since defending her title in the Rampart to open the 2023-2024 Championship Meet. She has finished in the money in four of those five start but has been unable to reproduce the winning stretch drives that marked her early career, most notably in the 2023 Inside Information (G2) on a five-race winning streak.

Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Soul of an Angel, the 8-5 morning-line favorite, and Victor Barboza Jr.-trained Beth’s Dream, rated second at 9-5, have enjoyed more recent success than Maryquitecontrary.

In her most recent start in the Sheer Drama, Maryquitecontrary closed in traffic to finish second at the seven-furlong Princess Rooney distance in the Sheer Drama, beaten four lengths by Beth’s Dream.

“Her last race was a race I expected her to run really big in and I thought she did,” Plesa said. “Needless to say, Beth’s Dream is a really tough horse to beat, but it seems to me that there might be a little more speed in this race. Hopefully that will be the case and that will soften up things for us towards the end.”

Edgard Zayas had the return call.

Crazy Frazy Logical Favorite for Saturday’s Aventura

Lea Farms LLC’s Crazy Frazy looms as a logical favorite for Saturday’s $95,000 Aventura, a one-turn mile stakes for 2-year-olds, at Gulfstream Park.

The son of Blame, who has been installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in a field of eight, enters the Aventura off a victory in the Sapling, a two-turn mile stakes at Monmouth Park. The Jorge Delgado trainee has been successful around one turn as well. Crazy Frazy fell a neck short of graduating on debut at the New Jersey track June 2 before breaking his maiden with a front-running victory at five furlongs.

Crazy Frazy didn’t show the same speed while trying the turf for the first time in the Tyro Stakes, a five-furlong dash in which he finished fourth. He rebounded nicely in his return to dirt in the Sapling under Carlos Rojas, who has the return mount for the Aventura.

Amy E Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone’s Classic of Course brings considerable stakes experience into the Aventura. After graduating on debut at Gulfstream by 6 ½ lengths, the son of Awesome of Course finished fourth at Aqueduct in the Tremont. Back at Gulfstream, Classic of Course came up a neck short while finishing second in the Proud Man Stakes before finishing third behind highly regarded Rated by Merit in the Dr. Fager, the first leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series. Rated second at 5-2, Classic of Course will be ridden again by Emisael Jaramillo.

Mr. Pug LLC and JP G Z LLC’s Naughty Rascal returns from his victory in the six-furlong Proud Man, in which he withstood a stretch-long challenge from Classic of Course. The Gerald Bennett trainee graduated at first asking in his previous start. Edwin Gonzalez has the return call aboard the son of Roguish, who is rated third at 7-2.

RRR Racing’s Rafid, who finished fourth on debut in the Proud Man, enters the Aventura off a second-place finish by a half-length in a maiden special weight event. Edgard Zayas has the mount on the Antonio Sano-trained son of Into Mischief.

Palm Beach Racing V LLC’s Legal Maneuver, Chester Bishop and partners’ Enterdadragon, Hernandez Racing Club’s Carambaso, and Gerald James’ Bitter Banker round out the field.