Undefeated
Matchmadeinheaven goes for her fourth straight stakes victory Sunday when she
takes on six other 2-year-old fillies in the $125,000 Fifth Avenue division of
the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The six-furlong Fifth
Avenue, which will be run as race 7, is the second
of two stakes on Sunday restricted to the juvenile sons and daughters of
stallions nominated to the series. The
$125,000 Great White Way division for 2-year-olds, also contested at six
furlongs, will be run as race 3 on the nine-race card.
Trained by Chris Englehart for Merrylegs Farm,
Matchmadeinheaven made her debut on September 3 at Finger
Lakes with a 17-1 upset of the Lady Finger Stakes. She returned
three weeks later as the 4-5 favorite in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes, also at
Finger Lakes, and then traveled to Belmont
Park on October 27 for
New York Showcase Day, charging six-wide from 10th to win the Joseph
A. Gimma at odds of 10-1.
The homebred daughter of Utopia, out of the Deputy Minister
mare Open Marriage, will face three of her rivals from the Gimma as third-place
finisher and beaten favorite Kelli Got Frosty, fourth-place finisher Zekes
Surprise and 12th-place Gee Linz return on Sunday.
Jose Lezcano will be back aboard Matchmadeinheaven, who drew
the rail under high weight of 122 pounds. The filly is the 3-1 second choice on
the morning line behind P J’s Superego, a second-out maiden winner on October 9
at Parx Racing.
Trained by Patricia Farro, P J’s Superego drew post position
4 under New York’s
leading jockey, Ramon Dominguez, and was installed as the 2-1 morning-line
favorite.
Rounding out the field are maiden winners Nonnie Connie and
Jerusalem Stone.
Laila’s Jazz, a winner of two of his three career starts,
will carry high weight of 120 pounds as he leaves from post position 3 in the Great White Way.
The son of Smooth Jazz was a first-out maiden winner for
Englehart on July 31 at Finger Lakes, and next pulled an 18-1 upset of odds-on
favorite Meet the Mets for new trainer Gary Contessa in a first-level allowance
on September 27 at Belmont.
Most recently, Laila’s Jazz was sixth in the Bertram F. Bongard on Showcase
Day.
Rajiv Maragh will ride the Terra Di Sienna Stables
color-bearer, the third choice at 7-2 on the morning line.
Favored at 8-5 on the morning line is Meeker Avenue, who led all the way to win
his debut on September 19 at Belmont.
Dominguez has the mount aboard the Read the Footnotes gelding, who drew post
position 2.
The Great White
Way also drew Stoneless, the gelded son of Bustin
Stones who most recently was fifth in the New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes, along with Petrocelli, Madam I’m Adam and
maidens Here Comes Tommy and Patriot Class.
