Mike Welsch 14y

'Jessica' completes home-team sweep

Horse Racing

MIAMI -- Jessica Is Back completed an unprecedented, clean sweep by locally-based horses of the four graded stakes on Saturday's rich Summit of Speed program at Calder and gave trainer Marty Wolfson his second graded stakes win on the card by wearing down 2-1 favorite Warbling in the $350,000 Princess Rooney Handicap. The Grade 1 Princess Rooney is a Win and You're In race for the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Earlier in the day, Pica Slew captured the Grade 3 Azalea, Wolfson's Coffee Boy won the Grade 2 Carry Back, and Big Drama was triumphant in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint. All are based at Calder.

Jessica Is Back, a former claimer who finished sixth after nearly getting knocked down in the 2009 Princess Rooney, has raced at distances of a mile and beyond ever since. Wolfson said that strategy helped the 6-year-old mare during the latter stages of this year's Princess Roone, which was decided over a fast but cupping out racetrack.

Despite coming out of longer races, jockey Elvis Trujillo was able to keep Jessica Is Back within easy striking distance of pacesetter Dr. Zic and Warbling during during the opening half-mile of the Princess Rooney. Warbling looked home free after drawing out to a long lead near midstretch but Jessica Is Back finished full of run from between horses and easily ran by the tiring leader nearing the wire to win by two lengths.

Dubai Majesty finished third, a length behind Warbling.

She almost got thrown over the inside rail in this race last year and nobody even had their number taken down, said Wolfson, who trains Jessica Is Back for the Farnsworth Stables. Otherwise she would have been right there and that was a tougher field than this one.

She ran hard in her last start against Rachel Alexandra so I knew she'd run huge today. This is a tough track for shippers and even though Warbling opened a long lead in the stretch I was confident coming off that mile and one-eighth race she d be able to run her down.

Jessica is Back, a 6-year-old daughter of Put It Back, covered six furlongs in 1:11.48 and paid $19.

Wolfson said he'd probably look for something at Calder for Jessica Is Back s next start.

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