OZONE PARK, N.Y. – New York-bred millionaires My Mane Squeeze and Sterling Silver look to pad their résumés when they head a large field of fillies and mares entered in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian Stakes going one mile at Aqueduct.
Eleven females were entered in the Ruffian, but trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said he planned to scratch both Dazzling Move and Claret Beret while running Here’s the Kicker.
My Mane Squeeze, at 3, won the Grade 2 Eight Belles and Grade 3 Dogwood, both seven-furlong races at Churchill Downs. That was part of a campaign in which she won the Franklin Square and Maddie May Stakes, both for New York-breds at Aqueduct.
My Mane Squeeze kicked off her 4-year-old season with a third-place finish behind upset winner Positano Sunset in the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland on April 8.
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“She ran a great race against the top of her class,” trainer Mike Maker said. “Other than a wide trip, I was very pleased with her.”
My Mane Squeeze was entered in last Saturday’s Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs, but scratched for this spot, which Maker thought would be easier. If you eliminate her two races beyond one mile, My Mane Squeeze has never finished worse than third in 12 starts.
Manny Franco rides My Mane Squeeze from post 8.
Sterling Silver, a 6-year-old daughter of Cupid, topped the $1 million mark in career earnings with her 1 3/4-length victory in the Biogio’s Rose Stakes for New York-breds on April 6. That was her fifth stakes win against statebreds and she has won two of her last three tries at one mile for Bill Mott. Javier Castellano rides from post 4.
Gun Song, who last year won the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and the listed Cathryn Sophia Stakes, makes her second start of the year for trainer Mark Hennig. Sent off the 4-5 favorite in a high-class allowance race at Gulfstream on March 13, Gun Song finished a dull third.
Hennig explained that Gun Song came out of that race with sore feet.
“We had to pull her shoes and give it a few days. She had some bruising going on,” Hennig said.
Gun Song strung together a series of solid workouts at Gulfstream in April before coming to New York, where she worked a solid half-mile in 47.60 seconds at Belmont on May 2.
“She’s really gotten a lot out of the breezes. They were good breezes but really good gallop-outs,” Hennig said.
John Velazquez rides Gun Song from post 7.
Takethemoneyhoney, trained at Parx by Michael Moore, steps into stakes company after a sharp second-level allowance win at Laurel on April 13. She figures to part of the early pace breaking from the rail under Eliseo Ruiz.
Here’s the Kicker showed good speed winning a first-level allowance going a mile on March 8 at Gulfstream Park. Ricardo Santana Jr. rides.
Trainer Chad Brown sends out the pair of Heavenly Numbers and Catherine Wheel. Heavenly Numbers is coming off a front-running victory in the Top Flight Invitational going 1 1/8 miles here on April 12. She won a one-mile maiden race by 11 3/4 lengths last July.
Catherine Wheel beat Take-themoneyhoney in an allowance at Aqueduct in March before finishing third in the Heavenly Cause Stakes at Laurel on April 12.
Flavien Prat rides Catherine Wheel from post 3.
Morning Matcha, a Pennsylvania-bred millionaire who has won five stakes, returns to New York, where she did win a New York Stallion Series stakes in December 2023.
Jody’s Pride finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2023. She won the Busher Stakes going one mile here as a 3-year-old filly but has lost her last four starts. In her second start this year, Jody’s Pride finished fifth behind Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 2 Azeri at Oaklawn Park.
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