Exotics Plays for the Florence Stakes

A full cast of 12 fillies and mares will travel 1 1/4 miles on the Tapeta in Saturday’s $125,000 Florence S. at Turfway Park. The ever-challenging handicapping assignment lacks a clear standout and looks like the perfect race to spread with multiple contenders. 

Florence Exotics

• $3 exacta key box 10 with 2,3,6 ($18)
• 50-cent trifecta 10 with 2,3,6 with all ($15)
• 20-cent superfecta 10 with 2,3,6 with 2,3,6 with all ($10.80)

Group 2 victress #10 Ayra Stark (7-2) was last seen dominating allowance foes on the lawn at Keeneland at 1 1/2 miles and seems well-suited for her first run on the local synthetic course. The chestnut five-year-old appears to have acclimated well to racing in the states after importing from her native Argentina, and the daughter of Cosmic Tiger will be making her first run for conditioner Horacio de Paz in the affair. She has a measure of tactical speed in a mostly paceless event and will be in range turning for home with Victor Carrasco in the controls.

#2 Dazzlin' Dictator (10-1) ran two big races at 10 furlongs on the course at the previous meeting here and has to be considered for Rodolphe Brisset. The American Pharoah four-year-old is three-for-six with a second on the Turfway surface, and she comes in fresh for her first run since July for a capable layoff conditioner. The Kentucky-bred four-year-old wouldn’t be a surprise with Irving Moncada signed on. 

#3 Duvet Day (3-1) will have no trouble enduring the trip and could be the one if she takes to this oval in her first since arriving in the barn of Conor Murphy. The Starspangledbanner six-year-old is far from a win machine with four lifetime scores in 30 attempts, but she has some class to her as well as the stamina to ace this voyage. She will be doing her best work from off the pace with Pietro Moran in the silks. 

#6 Adrasteia (8-1) has never broken through in the stakes ranks in preparation for this affair, but the Fergus Bogle pupil has been in solid form and has appeal with Edgar Morales signed on. The Speightster four-year-old comes off a solid fourth in the grassy Cardinal S. at Churchill and has arguably never been better. Kentucky-bred filly will be making one run from well off the early action.