Princess Rooney Handicap Preview

by Patricia Woo | Jul 6 2009

Some of horse racing's top female sprinters are featured this weekend on Saturday, July 11, in the Princess Rooney Handicap, a "Win and You're In" event for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. This 6-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up carries a purse of $350,000 and a Grade 1 title and kicks off the Summit of Speed program at Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Fla. Among those expected to line up include Indian Blessing, Game Face and Dubai Majesty.

Striking an imposing figure as horse racing's pick for top female sprinter in 2008, Eclipse Award-winning Indian Blessing tops the Princess Rooney Handicap field. At 4 years old, Indian Blessing is a already a multiple Grade 1 winner, having claimed such prestigious races as the $250,000 Test Stakes and the $250,000 La Brea Stakes in 2008, as well as the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies event in 2007. The Bob Baffert trainee began her 2009 campaign in Dubai with a second place finish in the $2M Golden Shaheen, and followed up with her worst finish in her career: fourth in the $70K Desert Stormer Handicap, a performance that could be chalked up to her dislike of the Cushion Track surface at Hollywood Park. The Princess Rooney Handicap will be a good indicator of whether Indian Blessing's Desert Stormer finish was a mere blip in an otherwise stellar career or a sign of a more serious issue.

Also coming off disappointing performances is Game Face, a 4-year-old filly trained by Todd Pletcher for Zabeel Racing International. Prior to a sixth-place finish in the $300,000 Gr. 1 Humana Distaff Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 2 and a fifth-place finish in the $150,000 Gr. 2 Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park on May 24, Game Face had won two of her three races this year. Wet track conditions may have played a factor in Game Face's lackluster performance in the Humana Distaff Stakes, and as thunderstorms are forecast for the week leading up to the Princess Rooney Handicap, Game Face may be in for another challenging race.

Dubai Majesty is becoming a familiar name in the money in recent races. Trained by Bret Calhoun, the 4-year-old filly earned her first graded stakes victory in the $108,900 Gr. 3 Winning Colors at Churchill Downs on May 25. Prior to that win, Dubai Majesty came in third in the Humana Distaff Stakes, ahead of rival Game Face. Calhoun is confident that his charge is ready to take top prize over a classy Grade 1 field. "She's got speed to steal away on the lead if she needs to... but she's pretty versatile and [has] proved she can come from off the pace if need be," he commented after Dubai Majesty's latest work at Churchill Downs, 4 furlongs in 49.40.

Last year, Mistical Plan defeated Dream Rush, the even-money favorite, with a strong stretch run. Who will win this year's Princess Rooney Handicap and capture a guaranteed berth to the Breeders' Cup? Bet on horse racing at the Bodog Racebook!