Glitter Woman, Limehouse Stakes Showcase Promising Sprinters

While it’s difficult to say whether the $75,000 Glitter Woman Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park will have Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) implications, the six-furlong sprint for three-year-old fillies has drawn a quality field with a few promising runners that could be worth watching during the coming months.

The Glitter Woman Stakes is restricted to fillies that have never won a stakes race, though a few of the contenders have run well at that level without scoring a victory. First and foremost is the talented Lil B Quick, a Rohan Crichton-trained filly that ran third in the Juvenile Fillies Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park West and third in the House Party Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Her proven ability against tougher competition makes her an obvious candidate for victory while dropping into a restricted stakes race.

Then again, she’ll have to be sharp to beat the exciting Elevenses, who recently arrived in Florida after breaking her maiden by an easy ten lengths while sprinting six furlongs at Aqueduct. Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Elevenses has drawn well in post seven and will have the top jockey Jose Ortiz in the saddle for the second start of her career. Foxtrot Sally, who ran third in the Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill Downs two starts back, is another logical contender, as are the recent maiden winners Others Will Follow (a ten-length winner at Gulfstream Park West), Cicatrix (who ships in from Kentucky for trainer Ian Wilkes) and Act Now (a winner at Parx Racing for trainer Alan Goldberg).

Also on the card is the $75,000 Limehouse Stakes, which is identical to the Glitter Woman Stakes but open to colts and geldings. Six horses have been entered, including the speedy Reed Kan, who finished third in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park West before winning a five-furlong allowance sprint at Gulfstream Park by 2 ¼ lengths, going gate-to-wire despite running the opening quarter-mile in a terrific :20.99 seconds.

Reed Kan’s speed makes him a clear contender, but Aequor—third against open company in the six-furlong Buffalo Man Stakes last time out—is another front-running threat, while Woodbine’s Colin Stakes runner-up Piven could be a contender from off the pace in a race filled with speed. Interdiction, a 14-length debut winner at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico, could be the wildcard while making his debut in the United States.