Aubby K Returns in Inside Information

Trainer Ralph Nicks had James Spence’s Aubby K entered in an allowance race on Feb. 15, but he scratched the 4-year-old homebred filly, who will instead make her first start since August in Sunday’s $150,000 Inside Information Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Jockey Edgar Prado has the mount for the seven-furlong test.

“It rained and I didn’t want her to start back off the long layoff on a muddy track. Why risk it?” said Nicks. “She won her first start impressively (career debut) and won big here off the layoff last year. I think she can run her best race first time. We stopped on her after the Test last year to give her time to grow and develop.

“We might have rushed her a little bit to try and make a route horse out of her when we ran her in the Delaware Oaks (G2). She probably wants to be a sprinter.”

A daughter of 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Street Sense, Aubby K made two starts as a 2-year-old in 2011, winning her debut by 15 ½ lengths at Belmont Park in September and finishing a good fourth to On Fire Baby in the one-mile Pocahontas Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.

Aubby K made her third career start in an ‘a other than’ allowance here going 6 ½ furlongs on Mar. 25 and won off by 9 ¾ lengths with both the second and third-place finishers coming back to win their next starts.

Aubby K’s next start after Gulfstream was a third-place performance behind Contested in the Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont before the Delaware Oaks. In one more start she finished a non-threatening eighth behind Contested in the Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 25.