Please Flatter Me Tests Perfect Mark in Big A's Busher

Heider Family Stables, Madaket Stables, and Doheny Racing Stable's Please Flatter Me, undefeated in three lifetime races, journeys to New York for the first time, putting her perfect record on the line in the $250,000 Busher Stakes for 3-year-old fillies March 9 at Aqueduct.

The Munnings filly will be stretching out to a mile for the first time after a pair of stakes victories at six- and seven-furlongs. Please Flatter Me, trained by Mark Reid, is a speedy sort who has widened her advantage in the latter stages of her races to date. She is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line for the one-turn mile test.

The Busher awards qualifying points to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) to the top four finishers (50-20-10-5).

Always Shopping, who will likely be closing into the pace, is coming off a victory in the Busanda Stakes at the Big A and will be shortening up from that 1 1/8-mile effort. Her connections would mind a duel breaking out up front early in the field of 12. Oxy Lady is the lone graded stakes winner in the Busher, having scored in the Tempted Stakes (G3) last November at Aqueduct. She has failed to threaten in two graded stakes efforts since, but gets class relief here.

Orra Moor drew the far outside post but is undefeated in two races and has plenty of time to work out a trip down the long backstretch. Ujjayi will leave from the rail. She was runner-up twice to Please Flatter Me before scoring in the Ruthless at seven furlongs last out. Espresso Shot comes in off two good efforts at Aqueduct, including a victory at a mile in the East View Stakes against other New York-breds last out. The cleverly named Filly Joel set the pace in the Busanda before weakening to second, but the turn back in distance could come in handy here.

Entries: Busher S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, March 09, 2019, Race 11

• STK
• 1m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Ujjayi (PA)	Tyler Conner	120	Erin C. McClellan	10/1
2	2Espresso Shot (NY)	Eric Cancel	118	Jorge R. Abreu	8/1
3	3Oxy Lady (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	Jack Sisterson	5/1
4	4Enliven (KY)	Dylan Davis	118	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	15/1
5	5It Justhitthe Wire (KY)	Rajiv Maragh	118	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	30/1
6	6Excess Capacity (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Steven M. Asmussen	30/1
7	7Filly Joel (FL)	Jeffrey Sanchez	118	Rudy R. Rodriguez	8/1
8	8Dovey Lovey (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	Gary C. Contessa	20/1
9	9Shelley Ann (NY)	Reylu Gutierrez	118	James A. Jerkens	20/1
10	10Please Flatter Me (PA)	Alex Cintron	120	Mark J. Reid	3/1
11	11Always Shopping (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
12	12Orra Moor (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1