Shifty She Continues Comeback In Ginger Punch

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Pedigree Partners’ Shifty She will be on a quest to continue a highly-promising comeback Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the 5-year-old daughter of Gone Astray will attempt to notch back-to-back stakes victories in the $75,000 Ginger Punch.

Chris Pallas and George Klein’s homebred mare and Arindel’s Key Biscayne will be eligible for a $25,000 win-only bonus available to FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes-nominated starters in the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for Florida-bred fillies and mares.

In the May 15 Powder Break, Shifty She realized the stakes potential that she had demonstrated during her 3-year-old campaign, when she won 3 straight races including an optional claiming allowance in open company at Gulfstream in December 2019 before going to the sidelines.

Her first stakes victory came in her second start off a 16-month layoff and second start for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., improving upon a fourth-place finish in an April 9 optional claiming allowance in which she set an extremely fast pace while being pressed throughout the mile turf race.

“The first time we ran her, she got caught in a very fast speed duel and still finished fourth, not beaten too far. I felt bad for her because she ran a winning race and she didn’t win,” Joseph said.

In the Powder Break, an open stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf, Shifty She closely stalked the early pace before taking the lead at the top of the stretch and holding off graded stakes-placed Morning Molly by a neck.

“Going into the stake, we had confidence she would improve, and she did,” Joseph said. “She sat a good trip, she quickened up nice, and had enough to hold off a nice filly.”

Shifty She is scheduled to face eight rivals, not including a Main Track Only entrant, while breaking from the 1 post position.

“She’s trained well into this race. The race came up very competitive, but she’s drawn well and goes into this race with a good chance again,” Joseph said.

Edwin Gonzalez has the return call aboard the daughter of Gone Astray.

Joseph will also be represented by Sonata Stable’s Lovely Luvy, a 5-year-old daughter of He’s Had Enough who closed from off the pace to finish third in the March 28 Distaff Turf for Florida-bred fillies and mares at Tampa Bay Down.

“She’s a filly that sits off the pace and is very pace-dependent,” Joseph said. “She gets kind of keen in her race and needs a quick tempo. She’s run third, fourth, third, fourth. She’s only won once for us, but last time she ran a good race at Tampa in a stake. She’s had a freshening. I think she’ll run a bang-up race this time. I think she’ll be close.”

Edgard Zayas has the mount on Lovely Luvy.

Glen Hill Farm’s Summering, who captured the Distaff Turf at Tampa and finished 2 lengths clear of Lovely Luvy, is also entered in the Ginger Punch. The stakes success was the first for the Tom Proctor-trained 5-year-old mare in 9 starts since capturing the Juvenile Filly Turf at Del Mar in September 2018.

Romero Maragh is scheduled to ride Summering for the first time Saturday.

Key Biscayne is scheduled to make her 2021 debut in the Ginger Punch after competing with some of the best 3-year-old turf fillies in the country last year.  The Juan Alvarado-trained daughter of Brethren won back-to-back races for Florida-bred fillies last year before heading north to finish a close fourth in the Lake Placid (G2) at Saratoga, third in the Saratoga Oaks, and fifth in the Belmont Oaks (G1). She concluded her 2020 campaign with a 9 3/4-length romp in an off-the-turf allowance at Belmont October 20.

Emisael Jaramillo, who was aboard for her 2 Gulfstream wins last year, returns to the saddle.

HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud’s Mo of the West will seek her first stakes success Saturday after finishing second in the January 16 Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf and third behind Shifty She in the Powder Break. The Mark Casse-trained 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo came up a little short in the stretch after moving into contention on the turf into the homestretch.

Miguel Vasquez is slated to return aboard Mo of the West.

CJ Thoroughbreds and DTF Racing LLC’s Bienville Street (winless in 3 starts since nosing out Mo of the West in the Sunshine Filly And Mare Turf), Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Sun Summers (fourth in the Distaff Turf at Tampa), and Mighty White Stallion LLC’s Forbidden Dream round out the field.

My Purple Haze Stables’ Heiressindy is a Main Track Only entrant.