Bless Her seeks first graded win in G3 Sands Point

Robert S. Evans’ Kentucky homebred Bless Her seeks her first graded score in her third attempt versus an overflow field in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Sands Point, a nine-furlong inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Belmont Park. 

Trained by Graham Motion, the Twirling Candy bay was a 6 3/4-length second to Kentucky Belle last out after exiting post 1-of-9 in the 1 5/16-mile Grade 3 Dueling Grounds Oaks on September 9 at Kentucky Downs. Bless Her earned a career and field-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure in defeat. 

“I thought she ran really well last time and that effort makes her competitive here,” Motion said. “After that race, I actually hadn’t planned on running her here. I was going to wait until the end of November, but that’s a long time and she’s just doing so well.”

Bless Her was previously fourth to Kentucky Belle in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks in August after defeating elders at that distance in a Colonial Downs allowance in July. Before that win, Bless Her was a nose second to Kentucky Belle in a 1 3/16-mile allowance in April at Keeneland. 

“There’s quite a few of these races, hopefully to sort of separate everybody a little bit,” said Motion regarding Kentucky Belle. “My thing with Bless Her is she just needs distance, I don’t want to run shorter than 1 1/8 miles. I think next year, 1 1/4-mile and further will really help her.” 

Bless Her [post 2, Manny Franco], 8-2-2-1 overall with $538,280 in earnings, is out of the dual Sovereign Award-winning Giant’s Causeway mare Irish Mission, and her second dam is stakes-winner Misty Mission.

“I think she’s a really good mile and a quarter type, that’s why we went to Kentucky Downs,” Motion said. 

Trainer Philip Antonacci, winner of this event last year with Ready for Candy, entered Lindy Farms’ colorbearers Queen of Hawaii and That’s How We Love, who is third of three on the also-eligible list and cross-entered in the Grade 2 Valley View on Friday at Keeneland.

The Irish-bred Queen of Hawaii [post 4, Jorge Ruiz] has posted two consecutive fifths going one-mile, including the Grade 2 Lake Placid in August at Saratoga Race Course and the Grade 3 Winter Memories on October 1 here. Previously, the Kingman bay won her barn debut in an optional claimer versus elders at the same distance in July at the Spa. 

Queen of Hawaii made her first four starts for trainer Joseph O’Brien, including a third-out score in the Group 3 Irish EBF at The Curragh ahead of a seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in October at Del Mar. 

Queen of Hawaii, a $270,611 purchase from Book 1 of the 2024 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Galileo mare Hibiscus, a full-sister to 2018 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf-winner Line of Duty.

That’s How We Love [post AE13, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] dominated by 8 1/4 lengths in her 1 1/16-mile debut versus maiden elders on July 17 at Monmouth Park. The Justify chestnut has made one start since, finishing a half-length fourth in an optional claimer over the same distance in August at Saratoga, where she was last-of-9 early after being bumped at the break. 

That’s How We Love, a $180,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the Gilded Time mare Ashlee’s Lady, a full-sister to multiple stakes-placed Langoureuse. 

Stonestreet Stables’ Irish-bred Vauntingly [post 5, Antonio Fresu] ships in for trainer Joseph O’Brien. The Night of Thunder bay graduated fourth out going 11 furlongs in July at Killarney in her native country, then wheeled back 12 days later at Gowran Park to finish a nose second versus males in the 12-furlong Listed Marble City. 

Vauntingly was most recently fifth in the Listed Galtres traveling 1 1/2 miles on August 20 at York in Great Britain. She was a $147,916 purchase at the 2024 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and is out of the Galileo mare Eavesdrop, a half-sister to dual Group 1-winner Kingsgate Native. 

Lucky Hat Racing’s Ivy Girl [post 9, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] tries turf for the first time in her 10th career start. Trained by Amelia Green, the Maxfield bay has made her last five outings in two-turn dirt stakes, including wins in the Main Line in March at Parx Racing and the Weber City Miss in April at Laurel Park. 

Ivy Girl exited her stakes wins to finish eighth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in May at Laurel Park, third versus elders in the Listed Lady’s Secret in June at Monmouth Park and sixth last out in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on July 25 there. 

“She’s a filly that I always thought could be turf,” Green said. “She was running so well on the dirt that it didn’t make sense to try it out. At this time of the year, we are running out of straight 3-year-old races. She’s already a stakes-winner, so if we can get a graded stakes on her resume, it makes her worth more as a broodmare. We know she likes the distance.” 

Rounding out the group are the Joe Sharp-trained pair of stakes-winner Bohemian [post 8, Umberto Rispoli] and Paula’s Choice [post AE12, Kendrick Carmouche]; the duo of Grade 3-placed Crossover Capital [post 7, Flavien Prat] and Silly Season [post 10, Samuel Marin] for trainer Chad Brown; stakes-winners Cosmic Candy Girl [post 6, Chris Elliott] for trainer Jim Ryerson and Miss Fulton Gal [post 1, Dylan Davis] for conditioner Michael Gorham; Americathegreat [post 3, Javier Castellano] for dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse and Tulip [post AE11, Samuel Marin] for trainer Will Walden.

The Sands Point is slated as Race 9 on Friday’s nine-race card, which includes two divisions of the Listed $175,000 Perfect Sting in Races 5 and 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

General admission at Belmont Park is available for $7 when purchased in advance and provides fans with access to grandstand seats on most days, all areas within the first floor of the grandstand and the backyard. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

America’s Day at the Races presents daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.