C2 Racing Stable and Agave Racing Stable's Soul of an Angel receives class relief Sept. 21 as she breaks from post 5 of 10 in the seven-furlong, $220,000 Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
In her last four starts, the daughter of Atreides has faced the distaff division's best, emerging with a grade 2 win and grade 1 and 3 placings.
However, the Princess Rooney is not a guaranteed victory. The 5-year-old mare is winless in 10 starts on the Gulfstream main track, finishing second four times, and has not raced at a distance of less than a mile since her December 2021 debut. Her victory May 4 in the Ruffian Stakes (G2) came over a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"We bought her (after the March 9 Azeri Stakes) to cut her back in distance, and then she won the Ruffian, which was a nice surprise, and we never got to run her one turn again," said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. "We're very keen to cut her back. Ideally, we'd prefer a one-turn mile, but we're interested in seeing how she runs at seven-eighths."
Video: Ruffian S. (G2)
Joseph also starts graded stakes-placed Imonra, but his third entry, Haulin Ice, is expected to scratch.
Among the leading challengers to the Joseph barn is Virginia Gamble's Beth's Dream, breaking from post 10. Holding a record of 8-for-10 at Gulfstream, the multiple stakes-winning Jess's Dream mare proved her class in her last two starts by defeating grade 2 winner Maryquitecontrary, who returns for a third crack at that foe. Maryquitecontrary finished second in last year's Rooney.
"Her last race was a race I expected her to run really big in and I thought she did," said Edward Plesa Jr., trainer of Maryquitecontrary. "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."
Pacholli, a grade 1 winner in Uruguay, makes her United States debut, while the other four entrants exit non-stakes company.
As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, the winner will receive an automatic fees-paid berth to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 2.
The Princess Rooney is post 10 with post time at 5:35 p.m. ET.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, September 21, 2024, Race 10Entries: Princess Rooney Invitational S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Cousin Kristi (NY) Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr. 119 Cam M. Gambolati 15/1 2 2Imonra (KY) Miguel Angel Vasquez 119 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 15/1 3 3Haulin Ice (AR) Edwin Gonzalez 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 8/1 4 4Maryquitecontrary (FL) Edgard J. Zayas 121 Edward Plesa, Jr. 6/1 5 5Soul of an Angel (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 123 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 8/5 6 6Unsolved Mystery (KY) Carlos Eduardo Rojas 119 Jorge Delgado 20/1 7 7Battle Cry (FL) Leonel Reyes 119 Victor Barboza, Jr. 30/1 8 8Gallop d'Hermes (KY) Sonny Leon 116 Dante Zanelli, Jr. 30/1 9 9Pacholli (URU) Joseph Trejos 121 Hernan Parra 15/1 10 10Beth's Dream (FL) Emisael Jaramillo 121 Victor Barboza, Jr. 9/5
