Chocolate Gelato Faces Red Carpet Ready in Jersey Girl

Repole Stable's grade 1 winner Chocolate Gelato  will make her first start since finishing off the board in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) when taking on six other 3-year-old fillies in the Jun. 8 $150,000 Jersey Girl Stakes going six furlongs at Belmont Park.

Chocolate Gelato, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, captured the Frizette Stakes (G1) last fall going a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A where she battled down the stretch with New York-bred You're My Girl  to win by one length. The triumph, her first at stakes level, came following a gate-to-wire maiden score at second asking going six furlongs at Saratoga Race Course, where the daughter of Practical Joke   earned a career and field-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies was the first start going two turns for Chocolate Gelato, who Pletcher said has progressed well into her 3-year-old year.

"She's done well and has been breezing really well. For her, it's been a good transition from 2 to 3 and we're looking forward to getting her going again," said Pletcher, who also trained the race's three-time grade 1-winning namesake.

Pletcher added that the Jersey Girl is a springboard for "hopefully bigger things down the road" but did not identify any specific race as a long-term goal.

Irad Ortiz, Jr., the pilot in all four of the filly's prior starts, retains the mount from post 4.

Ashbrook Farm and Upland Flats Racing's graded stakes winner Red Carpet Ready  (post 1, Luis Saez) brings field-best earnings of $588,670 to the Jersey Girl, arriving off a narrow victory over promising filly Munny's Gold in the May 5 Eight Belles Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Rusty Arnold, the Oscar Performance   filly suffered her lone defeat in five starts when third, beaten seven lengths in the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) March 4 at Gulfstream Park.

"I think the race in Florida, there were just a couple small things that weren't quite as well going into that race. But Rusty brought her back to Keeneland and did a great job getting her back to winning form," said Bo Bromagen, racing manager for Ashbrook Farm.

Prior to the Davona Dale, Red Carpet Ready won her sophomore debut in the Forward Gal Stakes (G3) over the Gulfstream oval around one turn.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux will send up Turtle Creek Farm's Aunt Becca  (post 5, Joel Rosario) following a 6 1/4-length conquest at 13-1 odds against winners April 22 at Keeneland. The Uncle Mo   filly has made all three of her starts going six furlongs, starting with a Feb. 1 debut triumph at Turfway Park.

"She exited her last race in really good shape," DeVaux said. "She trains really well on the dirt and she was 13-1 because her numbers were a little slower on the synthetic. I was impressed with how she ran, but I was not surprised that she won."