December Hill Farm’s Pumpkin Shell resides on a day-in,
day-out basis in the Belmont
Park
barn of trainer David Donk.
But so far in her ten-race career, the 4-year-old daughter
of Lion Heart has made Aqueduct’s inner track her second home.
Both of Pumpkin Shell’s wins have come at the Big A –
including a stakes win in last year’s Busanda – and the filly has never been
off the board in five starts over the inner track.
Saturday, Pumpkin Shell will take that familiar van ride
from Belmont
to Aqueduct as she faces five other fillies in the $65,000 Rare Treat to be run
at 1-1/8 miles.
“Obviously, she likes the inner track a lot,” Donk
said. “But I hope it’s not her favorite surface. I’m hoping she can
be a pretty decent filly this year and that would mean running on other
surfaces. We know she prefers two turns – and at Belmont
that’s not an option – so we might have to ship her out of town for some
races.”
After sprinting in her first two career starts and trying
the turf for two races in the fall of 2008, Pumpkin Shell’s first race over the
inner track came on December 4, 2008. She rallied from far back to break
her maiden that day, and returned a month later to capture the Busanda in
similar come-from-behind fashion.
After a third-place finish in the Busher in her next start,
Pumpkin Shell was given eight months off before returning to the races in
October 2009 at Belmont
Park.
In two races over the inner track this season, Pumpkin Shell has finished third
in an allowance optional claimer and then second in the Affectionately last
month.
“She wasn’t injured, she just wasn’t doing as well. We
just let her grow up a little bit,” said Donk regarding the layoff, adding that
he hoped her one-run style wouldn’t compromise Pumpkin Shell on Saturday.
“I think with her running style, a small field is always a concern.”
Donk said that with Pumpkin Shell’s pedigree, a return to
the grass might not be out of the question.
“Her half brother is Pays to Dream, who was a very good turf
horse,” he said. “I may try her on turf again sometime in the future.”
Jockey C.C. Lopez will pilot Pumpkin Shell, the 9-2 third
choice on the morning line, from post position No. 1.
Cynthia DeBartolo’s Life At Ten enters the Rare Treat off
back-to-back wins at Aqueduct – a first-level allowance at six furlongs and the
1-1/16th mile Snit on December 9.
Richard Migliore will ride for trainer Todd Pletcher from
post position No. 2.
Miss Singhsix (IRE), the 6-5 morning line favorite, was a
late supplement to the field for Calder-based trainer Martin Wolfson and will
break from post No. 6.
Completing the field are NYKY Thoroughbred Stable’s Starship
Angel, Seahorse Stable’s Yet Again, and Daddie’s Girl’s Stable LLC’s Borrowing
Base.
The field for the $65,000 Rare Treat:
|
PP
|
Horse
|
Jockey
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Pumpkin Shell (KY)
|
C C Lopez
|
121
|
D G Donk
|
9-2
|
|
2
|
Life At Ten (KY)
|
R Migliore
|
121
|
T A Pletcher
|
2-1
|
|
3
|
Starship Angel (FL)
|
A R Napravnik
|
117
|
K P McLaughlin
|
6-1
|
|
4
|
Yet Again (NY)
|
O Bocachica
|
121
|
K M Grusmark
|
30-1
|
|
5
|
Borrowing Base (NY)
|
C Hill
|
121
|
P J Quick
|
10-1
|
|
6
|
Miss Singhsix (IRE)
|
M J Luzzi
|
117
|
M D Wolfson
|
6-5
|
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