Eva London, Hola Charlotte ready for stakes debuts in Musical Romance
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Hardacre Farm’s Eva London and Gallagher’s Stud’s Hola Charlotte have been entered to make their respective stakes debuts in Saturday’s $100,000 Musical Romance at Gulfstream Park, where the Angel Penna Jr.-trained fillies are scheduled to take on several accomplished stakes veterans in the seven-furlong event for Florida-bred fillies and mares.
Both 4-year-old fillies are coming off impressive open-lengths triumphs in optional claiming allowance races at Gulfstream.
Eva London, who was saddled for the first time by Penna for her seven-length romp April 29, was formerly trained by Amy Tarrant, whose Hardacre Farm bred the daughter of Adios Charlie.
“I’ve been following this filly when Amy was training her. She always said to me, ‘I love this filly.’ She always thought she was a very nice filly, and she was absolutely right,” said Penna, who has taken over the training of a few other Hardacre horses. “She won with her in a beautiful manner and then came to me and responded again.”
Eva London, who raced twice last year before going to the sidelines for nearly a year, finished a close second in her 2017 debut before graduating with a 3 ¾-length score March 23 and winning right-back for her new trainer.
“That race was a little bit impressive to me. She did it in a good way and did it strongly. It wasn’t just a fluke. The [speed figures] are really good for her last two races,” Penna said. “She deserves a shot.”
Eva London, whose recent victories came in one-turn mile races, will have to prove herself at seven-furlongs Saturday.
“That is a question mark. I think she can do it. If you look at her last race – and even the race before – she was stalking in 1:10 for three-quarters of a mile. She does have the speed to do it,” Penna said. “It’s a question mark. I have to see it to believe it, but I do believe deep down that she can make it at seven-eighths.”
Carlos Hernandez, who recently relocated to the Mid-Atlantic region, is scheduled to return Saturday for the return mount aboard Eva London.
Hola Charlotte is the more experienced of the Penna-trained duo, having won four of 10 starts.
“One thing about the filly – she’s not an impressive filly with her (speed) figures -- is she gets it done,” said Penna, whose trainee has finished off the board only twice.. “Every single race since I’ve had her has been better than the last, just a little bit better, a little bit better. She was a very immature filly. It took her time to get in gear. She’s doing good.”
Jorge Ruiz has the return mount.
Eva London and Hola Charlotte are scheduled to five horses with stakes credentials. Averill Racing and Silver Oak Stable’s R Kinsley Doll, Gary Barber’s R Girls a Charmer, Michael Reynolds and and Anthony Piarulli’s Royal Jewely are stakes winners. Bluestone Thoroughbreds’ Brahms Cat and Bessie Steinmetz’s My Dear Venezuela are not stakes winners, but both are graded-stakes placed runners. Anthony Russo’s Money or Love rounds out the field.
Wolfson-Trained Trio Entered in Saturday’s Christmas Past Stakes
Trainer Marty Wolfson entered a trio of Miller Racing-owned veteran mares in Saturday’s co-featured $75,000 Christmas Past Stakes.
Inside Out, Lori’s Store and King’s Ghost are scheduled to meet seven rivals in the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for fillies and mares. Inside Out followed up a last-to-first allowance score March 30 with a late-closing fifth in the April 29 Powder Break from an outside post position.
Lori’s Store is a multiple-stakes winner who had competed in 17 consecutive stakes before finishing an even fifth in an optional claiming allowance May 19. King’s Ghost most recently was nosed out of a victory in the May 19.
Lawana and Robert Low’s Catsadiva, the runner-up in the Harry Hansen Handicap at Sunland Park, has been entered to make her first start on turf in the Christmas Past. The Todd Pletcher-trained 4-year-old has three wins in seven career starts on dirt.
Calumet Farm’s Susie Bee, a stakes winner at Gulfstream Park last summer, returns to Hallandale Beach, FL after finishing a close third in a Keeneland allowance race April 22 for trainer Mike Maker.
Commonwealth Stable and Randy Bradshaw’s Somethingelse looms as a serious contender looking to her late-closing third-place finish in the Powder Break. The Leo Azpurua Jr.-trained 4-year-old previously finished second in the Distaff Turf Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and won an allowance race during Gulfstream’s Championship Meet.
Mario Silva’s Bonita, a two-time allowance winner at Tampa Bay Downs before a fifth-place finish in the Distaff Turf, and D P Racing’s Dad’s Princess, a graded stakes-placed mare who finished sixth in the Honey Fox (G2), and Vicente Stella Stables’ Arthemisa, an optional claiming allowance winner last time out, round out the field.
Source: Gulfstream Park
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