Peach Tie Seeking Third Stakes Win in Miss Preakness (G3)

Among Six Stakes, Three Graded, Worth $1.05 Million May 15

LAUREL, MD – Dependable Peach Tie, never worse than third in her seven-race career, will try to take another step up the class ladder in the $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) Friday, May 15 at Laurel Park.

Peach Tie, a homebred owned by the Estate of Brereton C. Jones, drew Post 2 in the field of seven entered in the six-furlong test on dirt for 3-year-old fillies. The daughter of the late sire Preservationist, trained by Brittany Russell, has made her last four starts at Laurel, winning three and finishing second by a head in the one mile Beyond the Wire March 21. She is 5-1-1 thus far in her career and is 2-for-2 at the distance.

“She’s been really consistent. She’s been really cool to have around,” Russell said. “Obviously, we had to try her a little bit longer last time and it wasn’t what she wanted, but she likes this racetrack. I don’t know how this race is going to come up but I like the cutback.”

Russell’s husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, will be up for the fifth consecutive start.

Tessellate has had a solid start to her career, winning three stakes for her ownership group of Magic Cap Stables, Paul Braverman Timothy Pinch, Castle Gate Farm, LLC, BAG Racing Stables, John Reinhardt and Turf Express Racing, Inc. The daughter of McKinzie trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. was purchased as a yearling for $170,000 and has already banked $232,510. She is venturing out of her home state of Florida for the first time.

“She’s a good horse,” Joseph said. “I feel like she’s a come-from-behind sprinter and I actually think six [furlongs] is going to be better for her than seven because she has tactical speed and she doesn’t need the lead. I think this is a good spot for her and hopefully she can pick up a graded win. It would be nice to get a graded win on her resume.”

In her lone try against graded company, Tessellate was a well-beaten sixth in the Forward Gal (G3) Jan. 31 at Gulfstream Park.

“She was stuck on the inside that day and that was when the inside at Gulfstream was [difficult],” Joseph said. “She made a brief run at the quarter pole and looked like she was going to have a chance and then she just hit the wall. The inside at that point was very biased. You didn’t want to be on the inside, but we didn’t have much choice where we were drawn and the way the race was unfolding. I feel like it was actually a better performance than it looked.”

Tessellate followed that lone off-the-board finish with a 4 ¾-length win in the Sophomore Fillies Stakes March 29 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride her from Post 5.

Gold Square LLC’s Lights Out Leni moves to a graded-stakes after breaking her maiden by 2¼ lengths on April 3.

“She is certainly a lightly raced filly. It’s a big ask,” trainer Chad Summers said. “She won at first asking at Aqueduct. She’s a filly with a load of talent that we have been very, very high on from the beginning.”

Lights Out Leni, named for owner Al Gold’s granddaughter, is by late champion Speightstown out of a Rockport Harbor mare and was purchased as a yearling for $300,000. In the Miss Preakness she will be cutting back slightly from her 6 ½-furlong unveiling.

“She was very, very good in debut. Very fast,” Summers said. “It’s a big jump, obviously, to go from the maiden ranks to a stake, but we think she’s really a special filly.”

Luis Saez has the mount and the pair will leave from Post 3.

Homebred Little Miss Curlin, has won five of her six career starts for Coteau Grove Farms and trainer Patrick Devereaux. She went 3-for-3 last year in state-bred company to wrap up the Louisiana-bred 2-year-old filly title. Her win streak ended on a sloppy track at Oaklawn Park Feb. 14 with a fourth in the Dixie Belle but she bounced back with her fifth victory in an open allowance at Oaklawn April 2. Little Miss Curlin is by Charlatan out of the Curlin mare Mylady Curlin.

Little Miss Curlin drew Post 1 and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz.

Three Diamonds Farm’s homebred Victory Music returns to Laurel Park, where she won the Xtra Heat by a neck Feb. 4. In her most recent start, Victory Music was a non-factor over the synthetic track at Turfway Park in the Serena’s Song.

The Maclean’s Music filly drew outermost Post 7 for the Miss Preakness and will be ridden by Flavien Prat.

Tessellate’s Joseph-trained stablemate, Late Night Text, was supplemented to the race by Daugherty Racing and 24th Road Racing. The Into Mischief filly broke her maiden on April 23 at Gulfstream Park in her first start since being transferred to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. She is the first foal to race out of the Curlin mare Arrifana, who was 5-1-0 in six career starts and was unbeaten in four races at Laurel.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione and Late Night Text will start from Post 6.

Eric Long and JWS Racing’s Getting Closer steps up to stakes company off a front-running two-length maiden claiming triumph April 15 at Keeneland. Jose Lezcano rides from Post 4.

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