Flora Dora Opens Season in Busanda Stakes

After earning a stakes win and grade III placing last season, Flora Dora is scheduled to begin her 3-year-old campaign on Sunday, Jan. 31 in the $100,000 Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Winter weather forced the race to be postponed from Jan. 23 to 31.

Florida-bred Flora Dora secured her maiden win in the restricted My Dear Girl division of the Florida Stallion Stakes Oct. 3 at Gulfstream Park. The Coffeepot Stables runner followed that effort with a runner-up finish to Big World in the Tempted Stakes (gr. III) Nov. 4 at Aqueduct before wrapping her juvenile season with a fourth in the Demoiselle Stakes (gr. II) there on Nov. 28.

Bred in Florida by Dizney Double Diamond, Flora Dora is a daughter of First Dude  —Aidan, by Dixieland Band. She is trained by Marialice Coffey. Jose Ortiz will be aboard for the first time.

Flora Dora will be the 122-pound highweight in the Busanda, an inner track, one-mile and 70-yard race for 3-year-old fillies that drew a total of seven fillies. The Busanda is a points qualifying race in the Kentucky Oaks Championship Series, with points being awarded 10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers.

Alto Racing's Alto Belle will be making her first start since rolling to an 18 1/2-length maiden special weight victory over four other fillies in a Nov. 20 race on the Aqueduct main track. The daughter of Trappe Shot   is trained by Todd Pletcher and will be ridden Sunday by Irad Ortiz Jr.