Hopefaithjoy Heads the Busanda Field
The 42nd
running of the $100,000 Busanda Stakes on Saturday, at Aqueduct
Racetrack features a field of 3-year-old fillies each looking to begin
2015 with their first stakes victory.
Heading the field is
Hopefaithjoy, purchased by StarLadies Racing in the Keeneland September
Sales for $270,000 and trained by Todd Pletcher. She enters off a
fourth-place finish in the Rags to Riches Stakes on October 26 at
Churchill Downs.
After
finishing third in her debut on a sloppy track in July at Saratoga, she
then broke her maiden in her next start on October 5 at Keeneland by 3 ¾
lengths.
The Pletcher-trained Hopefaithjoy is 2-1 on the morning line and will leave from post position 1 with Jose Ortiz in the irons.
Michael
Dubb and Bethlehem Stables will send Diannestillworks. Trained by Rudy
Rodriguez, the daughter of Scat Daddy most recently broke her maiden on
the Big A main track in a $75,000 maiden claimer on November 14 after
having encountered a pair of difficult trips at the maiden special
weight level.
Diannestillworks is 6-1 on the morning line with jockey Manuel Franco up from post 2.
Bonnet
Plume, for trainer Tom Albertrani and owner Darley Stable, enters off
an impressive 9 ½-length maiden special weight victory in the slop on
the Aqueduct inner track. The Bernardini filly out of Little Bonner, by
Cornonado's Quest, has finished no worse than fourth in her three career
starts and is coming off an explosive victory with the first time
addition of Lasix.
The 3-1 morning-line second choice, Bonnet Plume will leave from post 6 with Dylan Davis aboard.
Trainer
Dominick Schettino will saddle a pair of New York-bred inner-track
maiden debut winners in Liberty Island and North Eight Street.
Liberty
Island, owned by Xavier Racing Partners and The Club Racing, broke her
maiden by 3 ½ lengths moving three wide and clearing in the stretch on
the Aqueduct inner dirt track December 3. She will leave from post 4 and
is 5-2 on the morning line.
North
Eight Street broke her maiden in the slop on a race originally
scheduled for the turf November 26, grabbing the lead from the break to
win by 5 ½ lengths. Junior Alvarado will be up and listed as 8-1 on the
morning line.
Rounding out the field is Sweet On Smokey for trainer Gregory Sacco, at 15-1 on the morning line.
Source: NYRA