Surging Exotic West Looks Tough in Allaire du Pont

Exotic West  has bounced around a lot for a 4-year-old Thoroughbred who has earned more than a quarter of a million dollars. She's run for four trainers at seven tracks, and she's on a roll for New York-based Gary Sciacca.

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Hard Spun   has a record of 5-3-2 in 15 starts, and if you ignore her 0-for-4 mark on grass for Sciacca, Exotic West looks even better. He finally figured out that her thing would be going long on the main track, and May 20 she'll make her graded-stakes debut in the 1 1/8-mile, $150,000 Allaire du Pont Distaff (G3) for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. It's one of five stakes on the undercard of the $250,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-year-old fillies (G2) at Pimlico Race Course.

Exotic West comes off a career-best performance, a 10-1 upset by three-quarters of a length April 10 in the Top Flight Invitational Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at Aqueduct Racetrack. She saved ground in third before rallying wide and zipping the final furlong in :11.90 for Javier Castellano.

"In her last race, she really put it all together," Sciacca said. "She's a big, good-looking filly. She's doing well, she loves the two turns, so we're going to take our best shot."

Exotic West drew post 1 with Castellano back aboard.

"I'm happy with the rail," he said. "I wanted to be in the 1 or the 2 with the speed in there."

The pace should come from class-rising Lil Kings Princess  and the aptly named Super Quick , who finished in a dead-heat for third in the Baird Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) at Keeneland last out.

Exotic West, 2-for-3 at 1 1/8 miles, is the only one in the field of six who has won at the distance. Only Frost Point, third in the Top Flight, has tried it.    

Exotic West went 1-for-2 for Bob Baffert before owner-breeder Gary West moved her to Wayne Catalano. She was 0-for-4 for him before Ray Handal claimed her for $50,000 last June at Churchill Downs. On Aug. 1, Handal ran her for the only time, and Sciacca and owner Louis Lazzinnaro took her for $40,000 out of a win at Saratoga Race Course.

Sciacca ran her four times on turf (third, fifth, second, second) before switching to dirt Dec. 12 in a mile starter allowance at Aqueduct. She won and is 2-for-3 since, losing after she unseated Dylan Davis Dec. 16 in the Ladies Handicap at the Aqueduct.

Sciacca can't pinpoint the reason for Exotic West's upswing.

"Sometimes horses get good," he said. "You just hope they peak at the right time."

Happy Soul Tops Miss Preakness

Few trainers can match Wesley Ward's touch with sprinters. He's earned worldwide recognition for his victories with turf sprinters at Royal Ascot. Ward also is deadly going short on dirt.

He won the $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies with Red Ghost  last year. He'll try to repeat Friday at Pimlico with Happy Soul, who will start from post 6 under regular rider John Velazquez. Two quick five-furlong works at Keeneland should have her primed. Her main rival looks like speedy California shipper Under the Stars , who took the seven-furlong, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) Jan. 8 at Santa Anita.

Happy Soul, a Gayla Rankin-owned daughter of Runhappy  , is 3-for-5. She dominated by 11 lengths in the 5 1/2-furlong Astoria Stakes last June at Belmont Park and took the six-furlong Dixie Belle by three lengths Feb. 19 at Oaklawn Park. Ward stretched Happy Soul out to 1 1/16 miles April 8 in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. She tired after prompting the pace and faded to sixth, 25 lengths behind runaway winner Nest .

"She's awfully talented sprinting, I'll tell you that," Ward said. "In the Ashland she just hit the far turn and said, 'This isn't my game.' So, we gave her a little time. She started tearing the barn down, we gave her a couple of works, and she's ready to go. I'm looking forward to it. Real excited."

Under the Stars, a daughter of Pioneerof the Nile owned by the Coolmore affiliated Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, is 2-1-2 in six starts with earnings of $214,520. Trained by Sean McCarthy, she finished fourth most recently in the 1 1/16-mile Santa Anita Oaks (G2) after stumbling at the start. A race earlier, she had been second in the Santa Ynez Stakes (G3).

Entries: Miss Preakness S. (G3)

Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 20, 2022, Race 10

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:07 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Verylittlecents (KY)	Jon Kenton Court	122	Randy L. Morse	12/1
2	2Under the Stars (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Sean McCarthy	8/5
3	3Lady Scarlet (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Michael J. Maker	6/1
4	4La Casa d'Oro (MD)	Jevian Toledo	118	Brittany T. Russell	8/1
5	5Saucy Lady T (KY)	Feargal Lynch	118	H. Graham Motion	8/1
6	6Happy Soul (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Wesley A. Ward	5/2
7	7Sweet Solare (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Horacio De Paz	20/1
8	8Gimmick (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Steven M. Asmussen	10/1