OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Despite a pedigree that suggests she might be best sprinting, Hot City Girl proved her ability to go two turns, winning a first-level allowance race for New York-breds by 2 1/2 lengths Sunday at Aqueduct.
Now, the 3-year-old Hot City Girl may get a chance to prove herself against open company for her next start. With no stakes opportunities for 3-year-old statebred fillies on the schedule this winter, Hot City Girl will most likely make her next start in the $100,000 Busher Stakes on Feb. 21. That race will give Hot City Girl a chance to prove whether she belongs with some of the division’s better horses in the Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle on April 4.
“We’ll see; one step at a time,” trainer Linda Rice said.
Hot City Girl, a half-sister to the graded-stakes-winning sprinter La Verdad, took her first successful steps around two turns on Sunday, stalking the pacesetting favorite Bourbonstateofmind through soft fractions before taking over in upper stretch. She responded to jockey Fernando Jara’s vigorous hand ride to run away from Building Permit and win by 2 1/2 lengths.
“She’s built more like a route horse than La Verdad is, and obviously that looks like it’s going to be the case,” Rice said Monday. “She still had her legs underneath her pretty good yesterday. I’m excited about having one out of that mare that can go long on the dirt.”
Hot City Girl was one of two winners on Sunday’s card for Rice, who is the second-leading trainer at the meet with 11 wins, trailing David Jacobson by four.
Rice noted that La Verdad and her multiple-Grade 1-winning sprinter Palace are still on vacation.
The Rice-trained Kid Cruz, who won the Dwyer Stakes, worked a half-mile in 49.95 seconds Sunday, his second breeze since returning from surgery to remove a knee chip.
Original Article – http://www.drf.com/news/premium/hot-city-girl-may-try-busher-stakes