Caldwell Luvs Gold returns to Finger Lakes on Monday for the $50,000 Arctic Queen, a six-furlong race for New York-bred fillies and mares, off a solid year competing against both her fellow statebreds and open company.
The 2024 New York Oaks at Finger Lakes is one of two career stakes wins for Caldwell Luvs Gold, who will have Andre Worrie in the irons for trainer Brad Cox. She also won the 2023 Seeking the Ante Stakes at Saratoga and has placed in six other stakes – mainly against New York-bred company, but she did finish third in the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks last September on the Aqueduct turf.
Caldwell Luvs Gold has been consistent this year. Her most recent victory came in an open-company allowance race in May at Aqueduct. She then finished third in an allowance at Churchill Downs, won by the stakes mare Pigalle. Most recently, Caldwell Luvs Gold was fourth in the Johnstone Stakes on July 30 at Saratoga behind some statebred stalwarts – My Mane Squeeze, Tricky Temper, and Sterling Silver. Graded stakes-winning millionaire My Mane Squeeze was the 2024 New York-bred horse of the year.
Worrie will have some options aboard Caldwell Luvs Gold, who has successfully run closer to the pace but also can close into a strong tempo. There appears to be plenty of pace in the Arctic Queen. True Empress, Zi End, and Special Pal, drawn in the three posts closest to the rail, all prefer to run forwardly, as do The Shoe Lady, drawn in post 5; Queens Cat; and Sandy’s Garden, who have landed the two outside posts in this field of 10. Caldwell Luvs Gold has drawn post 6.
Zi End is the wild card as she makes her stakes debut for Debra Breed, who also bred and co-owns the 3-year-old filly. Zi End’s numbers say she belongs in this well-matched group.
Zi End, who began her career in May, is 5 for 6 lifetime, with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 80. She comes in off a front-running 8 1/2-length statebred allowance win on Aug. 19 that earned her a strong 71 Beyer.
Caldwell Luvs Gold owns this field’s top last-out Beyer with a 74, but she is not far ahead of the pack. Along with Zi End, True Empress and Queens Cat both ran a 71 most recently, while The Shoe Lady and Sandy’s Garden each ran a 70.
The Arctic Queen is named for the racemare who was named the Finger Lakes horse of the year in both 1990 and 1991, was honored as champion New York-bred sprinter of 1991, and who was inducted into the track’s hall of fame in 1996. Arctic Queen won 11 of 13 starts, with six stakes victories including the 1990 New York Oaks.
This holiday program, which begins at 1 p.m., also will feature a jockey footrace to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
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