G3 Winner Faces Dozen Rivals in 1 1/16-Mile Turf Stakes
Among Four Stakes Worth $400,000 in Purses Sunday, June 16

LAUREL, MD – Don Alberto Stable’s consistent homebred Andina Del Sur, winless since taking the Florida Oaks (G3) last March, makes her 14th consecutive stakes start seeking to regain her winning form in Sunday’s $100,000 Big Dreyfus at Laurel Park.

The Big Dreyfus for fillies and mares 3 and older is one of four $100,000 stakes on a special Father’s Day program, joined by the Prince George’s County for 3-year-olds and up, also at 1 1/16 miles on Laurel’s world-class turf course, and a pair of seven-furlong dirt sprints, the Polynesian for 3-year-olds and up and the Alma North for sophomore fillies.

First post for the nine-race program is 1:10 p.m.

Andina Del Sur, based in New York with trainer Tom Albertrani, has faced stakes company exclusively since capturing her debut in the fall of 2017 at Belmont Park. Most recently, the 4-year-old Giant’s Causeway filly was fourth, beaten 3 ½ lengths, by Homerique in the 1 1/16-mile Beaugay (G3) May 11 at Belmont Park. Homerique came back to win Belmont’s New York Stakes (G2) June 7.

“She was a bit unlucky in the Beaugay,” Albertrani said. “She broke a step slow and got pushed in and, in that particular race, we thought that we would definitely be cruising on the front end but actually it worked out the total opposite.

“She ran well,” he added. “She didn’t disgrace herself, but it just kind of took her out of her style that day. She came back fine and this looks like it could be a nice spot to get a win for her.”

Andina Del Sur has shown an ability to run at various distances and over all kinds of turf conditions in her career. In 10 starts last year, she was second in the one-mile Pebbles Stakes in the fall at Belmont and was beaten a head by stablemate Too Charming in the 1 1/16-mile Tropical Park Oaks at Gulstream to cap her sophomore campaign.

Prior to the Beaugay this year, Andina Del Sur was fourth in the 7 ½-furlong South Beach and third in the one-mile Sand Springs, both at Gulfstream, beaten a total of 3 ¼ lengths. Horacio Karamanos rides the chestnut from Post 7 of 13 at 124 pounds.

“She’s always run well,” Albertrani said. “Even in Florida she ran second behind my other filly Too Charming on soft ground which she probably didn’t prefer that day, but she always tries. If she runs back to any one of her races, hopefully it puts her in a good spot.”

This will be the first race in Maryland for Andina Del Sur, whose graded triumph came going the Big Dreyfus distance at Tampa Bay Downs. She has also raced at Aqueduct, Keeneland and Saratoga.

“Every place where she’s shipped in to, the ship never really seemed to faze her so it shouldn’t be a problem,” Albertani said. “She’s got some quality to her. We’ve been trying to get her to come back and win another graded-stakes somewhere down the road. She’s just consistent it’s just a matter of getting her the right trip and everything goes well. We’ll keep plugging along and hopefully we’ll find some spots for her where she can do that.”

Lael Stables’ I’m So Fancy, a Group 3 winner in France, will be making her second North American start in the Big Dreyfus. The 5-year-old Irish-bred mare debuted running fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Stella Artois Gallorette (G3) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course, chasing fast early fractions and moving to second at the top of the stretch behind impressive pacesetting winner Mitchell Road before tiring.

“It wasn’t too bad a race. We really tried to win the race so we went after the winner, who was in front going pretty quickly,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said. “We were trying to challenge the winner so she probably paid for it a little bit at the end, off the layoff she might have got a little bit tired. I think with one race under her belt now and knowing her a little bit more, I think she could be very competitive.”

The Gallorette was I’m So Fancy’s first race in eight months, and she has had two subsequent works over the all-weather surface at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. for her return.

“It was very encouraging,” Delacour said. “I think we’ve learned a little bit about her. She didn’t break that fast, we kind of hustled her a little bit to be right behind the speed which was the winner and then she got a little bit strong on us, but I think this time we can start a little bit more mellow and let her be comfortable at whatever pace she wants to be and hopefully she’ll give us an even better finish.”

Trevor McCarthy, winner of four straight meet titles in Maryland, has the mount from Post 8 at 122 pounds.

Trainer Hamilton Smith entered the pair of Enchanted Ghost and Quick Witted. Mens Grille Racing’s Enchanted Ghost makes a two-week turnaround for the Big Dreyfus off a runner-up finish in the 1 1/16-mile Susquehanna Stakes over a yielding course June 1 at Penn National, part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

It was the fifth start this year for the 4-year-old daughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper, her lone win coming in the Maryland Racing Media Stakes Feb. 16 at Laurel. She was also third by a neck behind multiple stakes winner Anna’s Bandit in Laurel’s seven-furlong Conniver March 16.

“I ran her in the MATCH Series up there and she bounced out of it pretty good. Coming back in two weeks is a little bit quick, but we’ll see how she does. She’s training good and everything’s good in that respect,” Smith said. “She ran real good, no doubt about that. She got in a little traffic jam around the turn and had to wait a little bit and then when she made her run down the lane, a horse kind of came over a little bit and she had to adjust and go outside of them. But she ran a good race.”

Lorian Francesca Peralta-Ramos’ 5-year-old Quick Witted, by Preakness (G1) and Belmont (G1) winner Afleet Alex, ran a troubled ninth in her lone 2019 start, the one-mile Dahlia Stakes April 20 at Laurel, her first race in seven months. She capped last season closing to be fifth by three lengths to subsequent Grade 3 winner Valedictorian in the 1 1/16-mile All Along Stakes at Laurel.

“She’s a better filly than what she ran last time. She’s coming into the race fine so we expect a little better result this time around for her,” Smith said. “She usually runs her race and she just wasn’t ready last time. Hopefully I did a little better job going into this one. She had a little bit of a bad trip but she just wasn’t quite ready. She came out of it fine. I was going to run her in the same MATCH Series race, but I skipped that and waited for here so we’ll see. “

Jevian Toledo has the call on Enchanted Ghost from Post 6 at topweight of 126 pounds while Quick Witted will carry 122 pounds including Daniel Centeno from outside Post 13.

Heider Family Stables, Madaket Stables and Michael Kisber’s English-bred Malakeh will be making her third start off the layoff and third in North America after being multiple Group 2-placed in Germany last spring and summer.

The 4-year-old filly ended a nine-month break between races by running second by a head to next-out winner Juliet Foxtrot in a one-mile entry-level allowance April 19 at Keeneland, then came back to capture a similar spot going 1 1/8 miles by a neck May 24 at Belmont Park.

“She trained really well all winter down in Florida at Palm Meadows and I was very excited to run her at Keeneland. She had kind of a tough trip that day and she actually was beaten by a Juddmonte filly that went on to win her next start,” trainer Graham Motion said. “We took Malakeh up to New York and ran her a mile and an eighth, which might be a little further than she wants to go, and she won kind of in spite of it. She’s a nice filly with a pretty bright future, I hope.”

Jorge Vargas Jr. has the call from Post 2 at 122 pounds.

Hillwood Stable’s Shimmering Aspen is a multiple stakes winner on the dirt who is entered to make her turf debut in the Big Dreyfus. Eight-for-16 lifetime with $334,610 in purse earnings, the 5-year-old Malibu Moon mare most recently won a six-furlong conditioned allowance May 8 at Delaware Park for trainer Rodney Jenkins.

“I’m going to stretch her out and run her on the grass because I can’t get any races for her,” Jenkins said. “She never has [tried the grass] but I’m going to try it. She’s a Malibu Moon, and they’ll run on the grass. I’d like to see her do something like that. I love that filly.”

Shimmering Aspen and regular rider Victor Carrasco drew Post 11 at 122 pounds.

Trainer Michael Dickinson also entered two runners in Lift Up and Theodora B., both owned by Augustin Stable. A stakes-winning daughter of Ghostzapper, Lift Up hasn’t raced since finishing second by a neck in the 1 ¼-mile Maple Leaf (G3) Nov. 3 at Woodbine, while Theodora B. is coming off a nose optional claiming allowance triumph going a mile May 18 at Monmouth Park.

Multiple stakes winners Dark Artist and Hogans Holiday; Pugilist, a winner of two straight; So Innocent, cutting back off the 1 ½-mile Searching Stakes May 18 at Pimlico; and Good Roll complete the field.