“BRANDY’S GIRL” WINS THE CRANK IT UP

Brandy’s Girl delivered as the heavy favorite in the $61,200 Crank It Up Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park, drawing off down the lane to score by 2 1/2 lengths for her first stakes victory over open company.

With Paco Lopez aboard, Brandy’s Girl broke sharply from the gate in the 5 1/2- furlong turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies. She initially contested the pace three wide with Un Po Di Vino and Tizanillusion before settling into third in the field of nine. Brandy’s Girl made a three-wide move toward the front around the turn and easily pulled away down the stretch, stopping the
clock in 1:03.14. Tizanillusion held on for second, half a length ahead of World Peace, who was a nose better than April Gaze.

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“She wanted the lead right from the start, but I was able to get her to calm down and sit just off the speed,” said Lopez, who won four races on the 11-race card. “I let her run around the far turn, and she just took off from there. She’s a really nice filly.”

Brandy’s Girl ($3.20), a daughter of Posse (https://www.rockridgestud.com/posse/) bred, owned, and trained by Edwin T. Broome, has now won four of seven career starts for $147,890. She defeated fellow Florida-breds in the $100,000 Juvenile Filly Sprint on the main track at Gulfstream Park West in November and was running well in the open, $75,000 Melody of Colors Stakes on turf at Gulfstream Park in February when she clipped heels with another horse and went down at the three-sixteenths pole, severely injury jockey Rafael Hernandez.

The filly returned to the races in April, winning an optional $62,500 claimer on the Gulfstream grass. She’s 2 for 3 on turf and 2 for 4 on dirt.

“Ever since she clipped heels down at Gulfstream, she’s been so aggressive but a little uneasy running up along horses,” Broome said. “Today, Paco was able to get her to relax outside of
runners, and when he asked, she responded. He thinks she’ll go longer, so we may try her at a distance down the road. We’ll see how she comes back and make our plan from there.”