The broodmare Pray for Leslie will be looking to pull a coast-to-coast stakes double over the next few days when Spa Prospector runs Friday in the $150,000 Tempted at the Belmont meet at Aqueduct and Praying sees action Saturday in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar.
The half-sisters run for different connections, with Spa Prospector going for Greg Tramontin’s Greenwell Thoroughbreds and trainer Tom Amoss. The Tempted is slotted as the second race on a card that includes the $150,000 Pumpkin Pie.
Spa Prospector is part of a five-horse field for the Tempted, a one-turn mile for 2-year-old fillies. Her rivals include last-race maiden winners Believable, Shilling, and Secane. Spa Prospector is a graded stakes-placed runner based at Churchill Downs who was supplemented to the Tempted.
“It’s attractive for a number of reasons, and I think the distance is certainly one of those,” Amoss said. “We were looking for this kind of race. It’s a small field and it’s obviously a black-type race, so I talked it over with Greg the morning of entries and Greg said we need to go there. So based on that, we made the arrangements to ship her and she got up there Sunday.”
Spa Prospector will be making her first start beyond 6 1/2 furlongs, the distance over which she ran third to Mythical in the Grade 3 Adirondack in August at Saratoga. Mythical won the Tremont over males heading into the race and has since romped in the Susan’s Girl at Gulfstream Park.
Spa Prospector earned a shot at the Adirondack off a sharp maiden win at Saratoga in which she covered six furlongs in 1:10.94. It was her second start after she “gained a lot of education” in a debut in which she finished seventh, according to Amoss.
“When she ran the second time at Saratoga, we were really confident that she would run well,” he said of the 3 1/2-length win, for which she earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 74.
Spa Prospector is by Authentic, winner of both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic. Her winning dam, Praying for Leslie, is by Bernardini. Spa Prospector brought $450,000 as a yearling at Keeneland’s September sale.
“She’s got a great pedigree,” Amoss said. “Praying is one of her half-sisters, going into the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, so that counts for something, and I trained her other half-sister, Alys Beach. I know the family well.”
Alys Beach ran second in the Grade 1 Alcibiades in 2023.
ON SALE NOW: DRF Breeders' Cup Packages! Get everything you need to win and save big.
Spa Prospector enters the Tempted off a fourth-place finish in an entry-level allowance at Keeneland. She closed from eighth for fourth and could be closer to the pace Friday.
“She didn’t break that well in her last start, which was a bit of surprise,” Amoss said. “But we look for a much better break this time around. She’s smart and she knows how to do it.”
Jose Lezcano will be aboard when Spa Prospector starts from the rail in the Tempted.
“She’s quick, but she doesn’t have to be quick,” Amoss said. “So that’s a great tactical advantage, to be able to place her wherever we want based on the pace. I think you can look for her to be forward, but not necessarily on the lead, depending on what they do in the race.”
Believable, Shilling, and Secane all wired their rivals in their last starts. Believable won at a mile at Aqueduct in her debut Sept. 28. She is a full sister to Tenfold, the millionaire who won the Jim Dandy. Kendrick Carmouche has the mount from post 2 for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Shilling won a seven-furlong maiden special weight in her second career start Oct. 16 at Aqueduct. The Beyer of 75 that she earned is the best career number in the Tempted. Christopher Elliott has the mount from post 3 for trainer Kenny McPeek.
Secane won over seven furlongs in her debut Aug. 15 at Gulfstream. Edgard Zayas has the mount for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who also starts turf debut winner Day to Day. She’s back on dirt, where she was fourth in the Grade 1 Spinaway.
Pumpkin Pie
Nic’s Style will be looking to win her fifth straight race when she defends her title in the Pumpkin Pie, a seven-furlong race for fillies and mares. She began her streak in last year’s running and proceeded to win three more stakes, including the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie in her most recent race on March 8 at Gulfstream.
Weigh the Risks brings a best last-race Beyer of 101 into the Pumpkin Pie for a July win in a Saratoga allowance. It came over Patricia Ann, who returned to run second in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom in September at Aqueduct. The start gives her a recency edge over the probable top two choices.
Others in the nine-horse field include St. Benedicts Prep and Maggy’s Palace, a half-sister to the undefeated multiple stakes winner With the Angels.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.