Perfect so far, turf filly Alms will face a distance test next
Last fall, the connections to unbeaten filly Alms planned to give the Godolphin homebred a distance test in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. But plans were dashed when she spiked a temperature the day before she was supposed to ship to Santa Anita Park.
Two more victories and some five months later, Alms will stretch out a bit more in Tampa Bay Downs’ Florida Oaks (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf test on March 7.
Jimmy Bell, the head of Godolphin's U.S. operations, said Alms has given no signals about how far she'll comfortably go, only that "she's very, very talented."
“She’s been very push-button — very professional from the first start through all four,” Bell added. “They’re real pleasures when they seem to take care of all activities in front of them, whether it’s a fast pace or slow pace. She’s able to be wherever she needs to be and doesn’t need a lot of things to go her way.”
Alms, after breaking her maiden on debut Sept. 19 at Belmont Park, won the Matron Stakes (G3) over the same course on Oct. 5. While she then missed one west coast trip, the daughter of City Zip made another, heading out to win Del Mar’s Jimmy Durante (G3) on Nov. 30 going a two-turn mile.
Alms came off the bench in a softer spot, coasting to a win Feb. 8 in Fair Grounds’ Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight Stakes. That one-mile event also ran around two turns.
Trained by Michael Stidham, Alms hasn’t worked since the Shantel Lanerie Memorial. But she’ll have two opportunities to tune up for the Florida Oaks beginning this weekend.
“We simply don’t know what her distance limitations are — her best distance — but when you’re 4-for-4, you’re not wanting to mess with it too much,” Bell said.
Beyond the Florida Oaks, Alms has no firm plans. She could, however, emerge as a candidate for the most lucrative races on turf for 3-year-old fillies in the New York Racing Association’s Turf Tiara.
Last year, the series consisted of the Belmont Oaks (G1), Saratoga Oaks and Jockey Club Oaks, all $750,000 races. Those races measured at 1 1/4 miles, 1 3/16 miles and 1 3/8 miles, respectively.
“This will be a big step to the mile and a sixteenth,” Bell said of the Florida Oaks, “but obviously she came from a little freshening off the bench — ran a huge sheet number and was well within herself (in the Shantel Lanerie Memorial). She settled in, and she showed that kick.”
Nominations close Saturday. Notably, trainer Graham Motion said this week, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Sharing is no longer pointing to the Florida Oaks, with connections waiting until the spring to bring her back.