Sun, April, 2024
Central Banker’s 3-year-old filly Sunday Girl earned her first stakes win on April 14 at Aqueduct with a convincing win in the $200,000 New York Stallion Park Avenue S.
Sunday Girl, who broke her maiden by 7 ¼-lengths in her Feb. 10 debut, broke very well from her outside post in the field of eight and was head-to-head for the lead early on. She backed off longshot Bustin Time then willingly took over the lead with three furlongs to run. Unleashed at the top of the stretch, she pulled away with ease to win by three lengths in 1:16.91 for the 6 ½-furlongs on a fast track.
“I gave her [jockey Katie Davis] no instructions,” said trainer David Duggan. “I knew she was going to be a little bit sharper again and she had a clear trip on the outside. She had to pass the test today and she did that. The question mark going in was seasoning and I think she passed that test.”
In her two wins, Sunday Girl has earned $148,500 for owners Mitre Box Stable, Clear Stars Stable and Eighth Note Stable.
“You roll on to the next challenge that they give us which will probably be the Bouwerie at Saratoga,” Duggan said of the filly’s next start. “If she gets seven-eighths – there will be a different type of horse coming in there, so with a little more time and maturity you’d like to think that you’re going to improve again. I don’t think she needs to improve a whole lot but that was quite a nice performance today.”
Bred in New York by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and Spruce Lane Farm, Sunday Girl was a $100,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and is out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Lady Daphne.
Last year’s leading New York sire, Central Banker leads the Empire State’s 2024 sire list by both black type winners and black type horses. He stands this year for $7,500 S&N.