Seven-Furlong Interborough Fits Saguaro Row Perfectly

There was a time when trainer Michael Stidham believed success was awaiting his filly Saguaro Row at two-turn distances.

Efforts such as a sixth in the 2018 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) pretty much brought an end to those thoughts. And since Stidham has focused the Union Rags  mare's attention on sprints, she's done an admirable job of living up to her connections' expectations.

Owned by Newtown Anner Stud and Mark Breen, Saguaro Row enters the Jan. 20 Interborough Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in solid form. The seven-furlong, $100,000 test will serve as her seventh consecutive assignment in a stakes at one mile or less, and in her past five tries, she's compiled a record of a win, two seconds, and a third.

"We've found that 6 1/2 to seven furlongs is the sweet spot for her, and without a doubt she's gotten better with age. She's a big filly that has matured nicely," Stidham said. "From the beginning, she made us feel she could handle two turns, but it worked out she was better around one. Once we got her situated in sprints, she's become very consistent and a stakes winner."

Bred in Kentucky by Breen out of the Indian Charlie mare Charlie Girl, Saguaro Row figures to attract plenty of attention in the Interborough after finishing a game second to Spiced Perfection in her previous start, the Go for Wand Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct. She finished 2 1/4 lengths behind her multiple grade 1-winning rival in that one-mile test, which only enhanced a 4 1/4-length victory in the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie Stakes at Aqueduct and a length loss in the Shine Again Stakes at Laurel Park.

Her only unplaced finish in her past five efforts was a seventh in the Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2) on a synthetic surface.

"She's doing fantastic right now," Stidham said. "We got her at the right distances, and she's shown an affinity for Aqueduct. We're happy with where we're at with her. She should be favored off her last few starts. I thought she ran big last time. She just got beat by a little better horse."

While racing in December and January could lead to some rest in the spring, Stidham is hopeful of a strong showing that will keep the 5-year-old on track for the $250,000 Barbara Fritchie Stakes (G3) Feb. 15 at Laurel Park.

"Our goal, if she runs well, is to come back in the Barbara Fritchie, and then there's a chance we'll give her a break," said Stidham, who notched his 2,000th victory Nov. 27. "The Interborough and the Fritchie are the two races we marked out for her."

With Joel Rosario in California, Jose Lezcano will be aboard Saguaro Row, who has won four of 12 starts and $264,104. Saguaro Row will break from post 2 in a field of eight.

The Interborough will also mark the return of WinStar Stablemates Racing's Abounding Joy, a homebred 5-year-old Quality Road  mare who will be making her first start for trainer Bill Mott since finishing fifth in the May 24 Jack Bishop, a non-black-type stakes at Prairie Meadows as a 3-5 favorite.

The field also includes a pair of returnees from the six-furlong Garland of Roses Stakes Dec. 8 at Aqueduct.

Jay Em Ess Stable's Our Circle of Love, a 5-year-old Distorted Humor  mare trained by Michelle Nevin, pressed the pace of the victorious Pauseforthecause throughout and wound up second, 2 1/2 lengths behind.

Grey Fox Stable's New Year's Wish rallied from sixth to finish third in the Garland of Roses, a length behind Our Circle of Love. A 5-year-old New Year's Day mare trained by Linda Rice, who posted her 2,000th win Jan. 12, New Year's Wish has won five of 10 starts with two thirds.

The Interborough is slated as the eighth race (3:55 p.m. ET) on Monday's nine-race Martin Luther King Jr. Day card that begins at 12:30 p.m.

Entries: Interborough S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Monday, January 20, 2020, Race 8

• STK
• 7f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:55 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Slimey (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	David A. Cannizzo	15/1
2	2Saguaro Row (KY)	Jose Lezcano	120	Michael Stidham	2/1
3	3Our Circle of Love (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Michelle Nevin	5/2
4	4Piedi Bianchi (IN)	Dylan Davis	118	Carlos F. Martin	10/1
5	5New Year's Wish (FL)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	Linda Rice	7/2
6	6Honor Way (KY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	118	Charlton Baker	10/1
7	7Abounding Joy (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	5/1
8	8Champagne Bliss (KY)	Luis A. Rodriguez Castro	118	Chad Summers	30/1