The $300,000, Grade 2 Mom Goose Stakes highlights Saturday’s 10-race card at Aqueduct with a really aggressive subject of 9 3-year-old fillies.
Traditionally, the Mom Goose has been run in the summertime at Belmont Park with legendary fillies profitable earlier editions together with Rachel Alexandra dominating by a report 19 ¼ lengths in 2009 following her wins within the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks and Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. This 12 months, Drexel Hill is the lone Mom Goose contender that ran within the 2025 Kentucky Oaks. Among the many different eight fillies, Being Myself drew the rail submit with John Velazquez driving for the primary time. This Curlin filly will likely be making her third begin after a virtually 11-month layoff. Queen Azteca began her profession in Norway and Sweden earlier than coming to the states for a bid within the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes Offered by Keeneland Gross sales in August at Saratoga. Lemon Zest is an ideal 2-for-2 going a mile on the grime and completed runner-up within the Remington Park Oaks final day out when stretching out to 1 1/16 miles for the primary time. The Godolphin homebred will get red-hot Flavien Prat aboard for the primary time. Ourdaydreaminggirl narrowly missed final day out, ending third by only a neck within the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at odds of 42.90-1. Filly Freedom, a daughter of Structure skilled by Chad Brown, received her first race by 8 ¼ lengths in her third profession begin final day out going a mile on the grime on this monitor. Stablemate Totally Subscribed is on Filly Freedom’s outdoors in submit six and will likely be making her third profession begin since a virtually 11-month layoff after she received at this monitor in October of 2024. Cue the Duckboats notched her first profession victory at this 1 1/8-mile distance at Churchill Downs again in June in her third profession begin and returns to the U.S. after a bid within the Ontario Damsel Stakes at Woodbine over an all-weather monitor final day out. So There She Was drove clear to win the Remington Park Oaks by 2 ¾ lengths final day out over Mom Goose contender Lemon Zest in second. The aforementioned Drexel Hill drew the far outdoors submit and will likely be making her first begin since operating second to Good Cheer at odds of 32.23-1 within the Kentucky Oaks on the primary Friday in Might.
Evaluation and Predominant Contenders:
This ultra-competitive subject has yielded a really troublesome version of the Mom Goose Stakes with many of those 3-year-old fillies having official probabilities at discovering the winner’s circle. Among the many most compelling is Being Myself who might fly beneath the radar for the Cherie DeVaux secure with John Velazquez within the saddle. This jockey/coach duo is profitable at 40% in all races collectively this 12 months and will very nicely add one other win to that share. A $450,000 buy by Lael Stables on the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale, Being Myself has at all times been held in excessive regard. She debuted in September of 2024 at Churchill Downs going 6 ½ furlongs on grime and completed a distant fifth behind Muhimma, who returned to win her subsequent begin by 5 ½ lengths earlier than profitable the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes. After that debut, Being Myself went to the sidelines for almost 11 months earlier than returning in August at Ellis Park, the place she impressively received first off the layoff going one mile on grime. Being Myself took a notable step ahead in her most up-to-date begin at Churchill Downs in September, drawing clear with authority to win an allowance race by 4 lengths going 1 1/16 miles and incomes a career-best 96 Equibase Velocity Determine. The added distance once more ought to show favorable with Being Myself being ranked second in late tempo amongst this subject with a 107.5. Being Myself’s pace figures proceed a gentle upward development. Outdoors of her debut, a race through which one thing presumably went unsuitable, her kind has been constantly bettering, and we’ve got but to see the total potential of this filly.
Drexel Hill faces a troublesome check to come back again off a protracted layoff to run 1 1/8 miles in a Grade 2 stakes; nevertheless, in accordance with coach Whit Beckman, she is coaching higher and stronger than ever. She began her profession at Woodbine over the all-weather monitor and after three begins received by six lengths. Then, she transferred to the Beckman barn and moved to Truthful Grounds. In December, Drexel Hill completed fifth within the Untapable Stakes after operating into some visitors within the stretch, and went on to complete third in her subsequent begin within the Fasig-Tipton Silverbulletday Stakes, incomes a 90 Equibase Velocity Determine. Drexel Hill took a slight layoff and returned right here at Aqueduct and placed on an excellent efficiency, splitting horses in midstretch and profitable the one-mile Busher Stakes by three-quarters of a size regardless of stumbling at first. She once more took a slight layoff earlier than her bid within the Kentucky Oaks, the place she completed second 2 ¼ lengths behind Good Cheer after breaking final within the 13-horse subject. Based mostly on her final two performances, this Bolt d’Oro filly has confirmed she is a serious contender in graded stakes races and certain has many extra wins to come back in her profession. Jockey Ben Curtis retains the mount for the fourth consecutive time which is constructive as he will get the most effective effort out of her. Drexel Hill loves the Aqueduct grime and has proven she will carry out at this 1 1/8-mile distance as nicely.
The very best common class on this subject belongs to So There She Was, a Munnings filly skilled by Doug O’Neill. So There She Was began her profession as a sprinter and has shortly developed right into a gifted grime route filly. Following a third-place end within the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Stakes in September of 2024, she was sidelined for almost 11 months and returned in August, ending a distant fifth in an allowance non-compulsory claiming race at Del Mar. Simply 27 days later, she made a bid within the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes and was narrowly caught on the end after main each step of the best way in her route debut, incomes a career-best 102 Equibase determine for that effort. Final day out, So There She Was stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for the primary time and received the Remington Park Oaks by 2 ¾ lengths in dominant vogue. Joel Rosario will likely be aboard So There She Was for the primary time on Saturday and he wins at an unbelievable 32% from 57 begins over the previous 12 months in grime routes at Aqueduct. This filly may very well be very troublesome to beat within the Mom Goose and shouldn’t be off any tickets.
The remainder of the sphere, with their greatest Equibase Velocity Figures in related races, is Queen Azteca (87), Lemon Zest (98), Ourdaydreaminggirl (106), Filly Freedom (83), Totally Subscribed (92), and Cue the Duckboats (89).
Win Contenders in Desire Order:
