Warriorscmoutoplay Rolls Into Azalea

After taking seven tries to break her maiden, it's safe to say Warriorscmoutoplay has figured things out and now she'll try graded stakes competition in the $150,000 Azalea Stakes (gr. III) July 5 at Gulfstream Park.



A habitual traveler (she's raced at six different tracks in nine starts and will be making her Gulfstream debut Sunday), the 3-year-old Warrior's Reward   filly is on a three-race win streak for trainer Michael Stidham. She followed her April 18 maiden-breaking win at Keeneland with an allowance victory at Churchill Downs May 10, then took another step up to win the June 6 Jostle Stakes at Parx Racing. Jamie Theriot has the mount from post 8 in a nine-horse field.



Four other 3-year-old fillies will be entering the seven-furlong race coming off victories, including allowance winners Sweet Swingin, Moment of Delight, and Distinta.



St. George Stables' Huasca is entering the Azalea off a victory in Gulfstream's June 6 Tangelo Handicap, and joins Warriorscmoutoplay as the only stakes winners in the group. The Efren Loza Jr. trainee was also graded stakes placed two starts back, when she was second, 1 1/4 lengths behind Irish Jasper, in the Adena Springs Miss Preakness Stakes (gr. III) at Pimlico Race Course.



Allowance winners I'm a Looker, Dogwood Trail, and Fond of Sarah, along with claiming winner Joni Gail, complete the field.

The Azalea is one of four graded stakes on the July 5 Summit of Speed program at Gulfstream Park. The card will be highlighted by the Smile Sprint (gr. II) and Princess Rooney (gr. II), both designated "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Challenge events. Nine of the 12 races on the program will be stakes. First post is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET.