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Bellezza Favored in Competitive Orchid Stakes Field
26 Mar
Summary
- Six graded stakes winners compete in the $175,000 Orchid Stakes.
- Bellezza, the program favorite, launches her 5-year-old campaign.
- The Orchid Stakes is part of a 10-stakes, $2.675 million program.
The 62nd running of the Orchid Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park on Saturday will feature a compact yet competitive field of older female horses.
Multiple graded stakes winners, including Bellezza, Dona Clota, Arya Stark, Just Basking, Speed Shopper, and Sultana, are entered.
Bellezza, a 5-year-old mare trained by Miguel Clement, is the 8-5 program favorite. She won the Sheepshead Bay (G3) last spring and later captured the Flower Bowl (G2) at Saratoga.
Dona Clota, a two-time Chilean Group 1 winner, enters the Orchid after a third-place finish in The Very One (G3) for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Other notable contenders include Just Basking, winner of The Very One (G3), and Speed Shopper, who finished first or second in the Christophe Clement (G3).
The 1 ½-mile Orchid is the fourth of 10 stakes races on the program, which is highlighted by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).
