Phipps Stable's Carrumba Ready for Top Flight

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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Carrumba (right) finished second in the Comely Stakes

Making her first start of the season since closing 2015 with a narrow loss to Forever Unbridled in the Comely Stakes (gr. III), Phipps Stable homebred Carrumba will try to nail down her first stakes win April 10 in the rescheduled $200,000 Top Flight Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Oringinally set for April 3, an Aqueduct card lost to bad weather, the Top Flight was rescheduled to April 10. 

A daughter of Bernardini  , Carrumba will be making her 4-year-old debut in the 1 1/8-mile Top Flight on the Aqueduct main track. Carrumba will be making her first start since dueling through the stretch with Forever Unbridled in the Nov. 28 Comely, also on the Aqueduct main, only to finish a head behind that rival.

Forever Unbridled came back with a clear victory in the Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (gr. III) Jan. 30 at Sam Houston Race Park.

Carrumba's early speed could be tested Sunday by Mei Ling, who enters off a front-running win in the Heavenly Prize Invitational Stakes March 5 on the Aqueduct inner track.

Sunday's expected field of five fillies and mares features only one previous graded stakes winner, Bobby Flay's America, who captured last year's Turnback the Alarm Handicap (gr. III) Oct. 30 at Belmont Park. The 5-year-old A.P. Indy mare will be making her first start of the year.

Top Flight Invitational H. (gr. III)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Sunday, April 10, 2016, Race 3
  • 1 1/8m
  • Dirt
  • $200,000
  • 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 2:26 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Noble and a Beauty (KY) Aaron T. Gryder 114 Richard A. Violette, Jr. 15/1
2 2America (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 William I. Mott 4/1
3 3Mei Ling (KY) John R. Velazquez 118 Todd A. Pletcher 2/1
4 4Saythreehailmary's (NY) Manuel Franco 117 John Morrison 6/1
5 5Carrumba (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 116 Claude R. McGaughey III 6/5