Recent claim Dancing Sophia outruns looks for Englehart

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – To hear trainer Chris Englehart tell it, Dancing Sophia wasn’t much to look at when she first came into the barn following a claim out of a winning effort on Jan. 13. Dancing Sophia certainly became a sight for sore eyes when she romped to a 9 1/2-length victory in her first start for Englehart and Brian Culnan’s Epona Racing Stable on Feb. 24.

“If I didn’t know that [previous trainer] Jim Ryerson did a good job with his horses I would have thought she wasn’t well taken care of,” Englehart said. “She didn’t look real good.”

As it turned out, Dancing Sophia had an intestinal issue that didn’t allow her to absorb nutrients too well and “it makes her look a little poorer” than she should, Englehart said.

It hasn’t impacted the way she’s run, at least lately.

Coming off victories in her last two starts, Dancing Sophia looks pretty good in Sunday’s fifth race at Aqueduct, a first-level allowance/optional $45,000 claiming race that serves as the feature on a nine-race card.

Sunday marks the final day of Aqueduct’s 42-day winter season. The five-week (19-day) spring meet begins Thursday.

Dancing Sophia is coupled in the wagering Sunday with My Sweet Wife. Both were also entered in Saturday’s $75,000 Sis City starter allowance at Aqueduct. On Friday, Englehart said Dancing Sophia would run Sunday while My Sweet Wife will run Saturday.

Of Sunday’s race for Dancing Sophia, Englehart said, “She’s got a better shot of winning, I think.”

Dancing Sophia is 3 for 5 at Aqueduct with all three wins coming at the same one-mile distance as this race. She is drawn nicely on the outside under Dylan Davis and figures to get a good stalking trip behind likely pace prompters Run Devil and Mariah’s Fortune.

Run Devil finished a half-length behind Dancing Sophia in the aforementioned Jan. 13 race. She has since come back to win her next two starts, a $25,000 claimer and a starter allowance. Both wins have come since trainer George Weaver added blinkers to Run Devil’s equipment.

Sunday’s race includes Texian, who represents trainer Shug McGaughey’s first starter of 2023 in New York. She finished last in a first-level allowance at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 26. McGaughey is adding blinkers to Texian’s equipment on Sunday.

Handal runners work for stakes

The 4-year-old filly Funny How, a winner of five straight races, and Promiseher America, a recent 3-year-old filly maiden winner, breezed a half-mile in 49.78 seconds in company Friday morning at Belmont Park in preparation for upcoming stakes assignments.

Funny How, winner of the Broadway Stakes versus New York-breds last out, is pointing to the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap on April 7. Promiseher America, a 6 1/4-length maiden winner on Feb. 18, is pointing to the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle Stakes on April 8.

In Friday’s move, the pair came home in 24.50 seconds.

“Both have trained on great and look great physically and are taking nice progressive steps forward like you want to see,” trainer Ray Handal said.

While Funny How’s five-race win streak has certainly earned her step into open graded stakes in the Distaff, Promisher America will be stepping up against winners and stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time when she runs in the Gazelle.

“I haven’t had a ton of young horses myself who want to go two turns but I worked around a lot of them when I was with Tony [Dutrow] and she seems the prototypical type that should like two turns and [stretching out] – lean, rangy type of body,” Handal said. “She’s not super big but when you want to go long you don’t want to be too heavy and carry that weight all the way around there.”

Handal also said Timeless Journey, winner of the Biogio’s Rose for New Yorkbreds on March 12, will run back in the $100,000 Top Flight here on April 2.

Handal said he didn’t want to wait until the May 29 Critical Eye Stakes to run her back and the Top Flight is expected to come up a short field.

◗ Arctic Arrogance, runner-up in the Grade 2 Remsen and Grade 3 Withers, worked six furlongs in 1:13.20 in preparation for the Wood Memorial.

◗ Occult, winner of the Busanda Stakes on Jan. 14, and her Chad Brown-trained stablemate Shidabhuti, winner of the Busher Stakes on March 4, worked a halfmile together in 48.88 seconds Friday morning. Both are being pointed to the Gazelle.

CHELSEA DURAND/NYRA Funny How has won her last five starts, including the Broadway Stakes over New York-breds. She will try open-company stakes rivals in the April 7 Distaff Handicap.