Holywell Well-Respected for Saturday’s $350,000 My Dear Girl

December 10, 2019

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – When Jose and Tracy Pinchin were in the market to buy a broodmare, an unraced daughter of Gold Case caught their attention. The Pinchins had enjoyed success while campaigning her half-sister, Golden Mystery, a few years earlier, so they went ahead and added All Saint’s Day to their small broodmare band of four.

In foal to Milwaukee Brew when purchased, All Saint’s Day produced Sinister Brew, who went on to capture the $100,000 John Franks Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes in 2011 and nearly $200,000 in purses for the Pinchins. Another offspring of All Saint’s Day became a stakes winner for the Pinchins when Holywell earned a hard-fought nose victory in the $250,000 Susan’s Girl Division of the $1.4 million Florida Sire Stakes Series at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 6.

Holywell, who scored at 41-1 in the Susan’s Girl, will surely be more highly regarded by the bettors at Gulfstream Park Saturday when she returns in the $350,000 My Dear Girl Division of the series for juveniles sired by stallions standing in Florida. Orlando Bocachica has the return mount.

“We always thought highly of her. We always knew she was a good filly from the get-go,” said Jose Pinchin, who trains the Florida-bred filly. “In the first Sire Stakes Series race, she got knocked around at the starting gate and took her right out of the race. But if you looked at her works after that race, she was firing bullets.”

Holywell debuted at Gulfstream on June 14 with a third-place finish and, two weeks later, graduated with a front-running victory. Unfortunately, she finished sixth after experiencing early trouble in the $100,000 Desert Vixen Stakes. She rebounded with a gutsy effort in the Susan’s Girl, in which she pressed the early pace and just managed to hold off a charging Moment of Delight by a nose.

Although Holywell just hung on to win the seven-furlong stakes, Pinchin is confident that his 2-year-old filly will be suited to the two-turns of the 1 1/16-mile My Dear Girl.

“I don’t think she’ll have a problem going around two turns. In her last race, she virtually made all the running and she had to fight off everybody. She didn’t get a break. Hopefully she’ll get a break in this race,” said Pinchin, who trained in his native Jamaica before coming to South Florida in 2001.

Moment of Delight, who rallied from eighth to just miss catching Holywell, is scheduled to return in the My Dear Girl, which drew a field of eight fillies Wednesday.

“She had to circle wide. I don’t know how she missed. It looked like she won to me, but she missed. I think the extra distance will be a plus for her,” trainer Bill Kaplan said. “Hopefully, she won’t have as many traffic problems. I think she’ll relish the two turns and she’ll improve on her last race.”

Owned by Pinnacle Racing Stable and Norman Stables, the daughter of A.P. Warrior debuted at Gulfstream on Aug. 16 with a 4 ½-length victory.

“She’s a real long-bodied beautiful filly with a huge stride,” said Kaplan, who has named Juan Leyva to ride Moment of Delight. “Beside all her physical attributes, she has a great mind on her. She’s very trainable and does everything right.”

Leap Year Luck, who captured the $100,000 Desert Vixen to kick off the Florida Sire Stakes Series at Gulfstream on Aug. 9, also closed from off the pace to finish third in the Susan’s Girl. The Stanley Gold-trained filly finished less than a length behind Holywell and 3 ¼ lengths ahead of stablemate Awesome Ice, who closed to enter contention before fading late to finish fourth.

“Leap Year Luck had a wide trip and Awesome Ice was on the inside fighting traffic,” said Gold, who trains the two fillies for Jacks or Better Farm. “I’m not concerned about the two turns at all. Are they quality enough? We’ll see.”

Jesus Rios is set to return aboard Leap Year Luck, while Ramsey Zimmerman has the return mount aboard Awesome Ice.

Gil Campbell’s Herecomesmisskitty, a debut winner for trainer Kathleen O’Connell on June 14, is slated to make her third Sire Stakes appearance after finishing fourth in the Desert Vixen and seventh in the Susan’s Girl. Rose Family’s Jamie’s Dancer will try to better a fifth-place finish in the Susan’s Girl. Stonestreet Stables’ Free Flying is set to make her Sire Stakes debut after breaking her maiden in her second start by three lengths for trainer David Fawkes on Sept. 6. Pinnacle and Kaplan also entered recent maiden winner Wild Cat Magic in addition to Moment of Delight.