First of Four Stakes Worth $400,000 on Father’s Day Program

LAUREL, MD – Heider Family Stables, Madaket Stables and Doheny Racing Stable’s Please Flatter Me got back on the winning track Sunday at Laurel Park, dueling Never Enough Time into submission and holding off Parisian Diva late in the $100,000 Alma North Stakes.

The Alma North for 3-year-old fillies was the first of four $100,000 stakes on a Father’s Day program that included the Polynesian for 3-year-olds and up, also at seven furlongs, as well as the Prince George’s County for 3-year-olds and up and Big Dreyfus for females 3 and older, each on Laurel’s world-class turf course.

Second behind Covfefe’s track record-setting performance in the Adena Springs Miss Preakness (G3) May 17 at Pimlico Race Course, Please Flatter Me ($2.80) completed the distance in 1:22.44 over a fast main track for her third career stakes win and second at Laurel following the Dec. 29 Gin Talking, her most recent victory.

“She’s an awful nice filly. She gives you everything she has, every trip over,” winning trainer Mark Reid said. “I went in today with a lot of confidence.”
    
Breaking from the rail as the 2-5 favorite in a field of seven, Please Flatter Me surged to the front under regular rider Alex Cintron and was quickly met to her outside by Never Enough Time, the two leaders sizzling through a quarter-mile in 22.55 seconds and a half in 44.67. Please Flatter Me was able to shake off Never Enough Time once straightened for home, and had enough left to outrun Parisian Diva to the wire by three-quarters of a length.

Charles Town shipper Parisian Diva had her five-race win streak snapped finishing second, a length ahead of late-running Gotta Be Strong. Never Enough Time was fourth.

“We were going to see how she started and whether we were going to go to the lead or were we going to stay, but with the one-hole I didn’t have too many options. She got there and she was so comfortable,” Cintron said. “Even going so fast, she was doing it so easy. I feel so confident on her because she always tries hard, so I just left her there and she gave me a nice kick at the end. In the middle of the lane she got to looking at something in the infield a little bit and slowed down, but as soon as she felt that horse coming she kept going again.”

Please Flatter Me, a Pennsylvania-bred daughter of multiple graded-stakes winning sprinter Munnings, is now owns four wins from six lifetime starts.

“We’ll have to talk it oved with the owners but we’re leaning toward probably a trip toward Saratoga,” Reid said of a next start.

The six-furlong Honorable Miss (G2) July 24 and seven-furlong Shine Again are the first two stakes for female sprinters 3 and up during the Saratoga meet.