Birdatthewire Targets Molly Pitcher Stakes

Grade I winner Birdatthewire will try to end a five-race skid dating back to her top-level win when she starts in the $100,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes (gr. III) Sunday, July 31 at Monmouth Park.

Forum Racing's Birdatthewire closed out her 3-year-old season by rallying from ninth to win the seven-furlong La Brea Stakes (gr. I) Dec. 26 at Santa Anita Park. The late-running daughter of Summer Bird has not won a race in five starts this season but made up some ground to finish third in her most recent effort, the Princess Rooney Stakes (gr. II) July 2 at Gulfstream Park, also at seven furlongs.

Trained by Dale Romans, Birdatthewire has competed in sprints in her past three starts but will return to two-turn racing in Sunday's 1 1/16-mile test for fillies and mares 3 and older. Birdatthewire, who will start from the outside in an expected field of six in the Molly Pitcher, won last year's Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II) at the 1 1/16-mile distance.

The runner-up from last year's Gulfstream Oaks, StarLadies Racing's Eskenformoney, also is set for the Molly Pitcher. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the daughter of Eskendereya will start from the inside Sunday.

Eskenformoney won an allowance-optional claiming race in March to snap a seven-race skid and followed that effort with a third-place finish in the Lady's Secret Stakes July 4 at Monmouth. Eskendereya's stablemate Genre finished second in the Lady's Secret and also is entered in the Molly Pitcher.

The speedy Super Majesty enters off a runner-up finish in the Iowa Distaff Stakes July 1 at Prairie Meadows, Royal Jewely is the only horse entering the race off a win after scoring in an allowance-optional claimer July 3 on the Monmouth turf, and stakes winner Stiffed, a New Jersey-bred, will try for a graded score.