Filly smorgasbord on tap this weekend

A pair of sophomore filly stakes and one juvenile miss contest are on tap this weekend around the country.

The biggest event is the Mother Goose S. (G1) at Belmont Park, which features the return of Eskenformoney (Eskendereya) and Wonder Gal’s (Tiz Wonderful) third try at a distance greater than a mile.

Eskenformoney gained attention over the spring with a 9 3/4-length maiden victory and a 3 3/4-length allowance/optional claiming score at Gulfstream Park. The dark bay miss would go on to closely place in both the Davona Dale S. (G2) and Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), but suffered her worse loss to date when 10th in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) last out on May 1.

The normally early running filly found herself squeezed back at the start of the Oaks and in last rounding the first turn and on the backstretch. Eskenformoney began her move circling the far turn but was obviously not going to get there. Jockey Javier Castellano saw the writing on the wall and didn’t persist but Eskenformoney still might have picked up a better placing if not for suddenly finding herself pinned down on the rail when a couple of rivals came over and squeezed her.

Call it race trouble or whatever, but Eskenformoney is better than that and will get the chance to prove it in the Mother Goose. She’ll be making her first start at Belmont in the 1 1/16-mile contest, but brings Castellano along for the ride.

Wonder Gal and Include Betty (Include) are just a couple of fillies looking to derail Eskenformoney’s return celebration.

The former is based at Belmont with trainer Leah Gyarmati and has plenty of experience over the track, breaking her maiden in the Lynbrook S. by 14 lengths last July and finishing second in the Frizette S. (G1). Wonder Gal also just missed by a length when third in Santa Anita Park’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and did the same exact thing last out in the Acorn S. (G1) at Big Sandy.