Multiple stakes-winning New York-bred With the Angels will square off against 2024 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Immersive among a competitive field for Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Distaff [Race 10] is part of a stacked 12-race program headlined by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a nine-furlong 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier for sophomores in Race 12. Also featured on the five-stakes card are the Grade 2, $300,000 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in Race 6, the Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle – which offers 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points towards to Kentucky Oaks to the top-five finishers – in Race 11, and the Listed $150,000 Excelsior in Race 3. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by winter meet leader Linda Rice, With the Angels enters from a career-best victory in the local six-furlong Correction on March 1, earning a 93 Beyer Speed Figure for her 4 1/2-length victory that came after engaging in a three-way battle early in the four-horse sprint under returning rider Jose Lezcano.

“She ran a really big race in the Correction,” Rice said. “It was a fast number – almost too fast. We’re taking it one day at a time into the Distaff. We’ll be interested to see what the race looks like.”

The 4-year-old daughter of Omaha Beach is campaigned by Winning Move Stable, John Oxley, Lady Sheila Stable, Silverwood Stables and Sanford Robbins, and has won 7-of-9 starts, her only losses being close runner-up efforts. She began her career a perfect 5-for-5, including a trio of local state-bred stakes victories between six furlongs and one mile that were led by a 9 3/4-length romp over the Distaff distance in the 2024 Joseph A. Gimma.

Rice, who has won this race four times with La Verdad [2014-15], Holiday Disguise [2018] and Mommasgottarun [2023], said she expects With the Angels will relish the return to seven-furlongs.

“I think she’s just as good at six, six and a half, or seven furlongs,” Rice said. “That’s her sweet spot.”

Bred by Joseph DeRico, With the Angels was a $350,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training where she worked in 9.4. She is out of the winning Pulpit mare Sister Margaret, who also produced stakes-placed Maggy’s Palace. Her second dam is the multiple stakes-winning Disco Rico mare Dance Gal Dance, who won 6-of-9 starts led by four New York-bred stakes wins.

Lezcano has the call from post 5.

Steep opposition will be provided by Godolphin’s 2024 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Immersive [post 7, Manny Franco], who makes her 4-year-old debut off a more than six-month layoff for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

Cox said the Distaff distance is likely a bit short for Immersive, but he is looking forward to getting her back to the races.

“She’s great, and she’s ready to run,” Cox said. “I don’t think seven-eighths is what she’s meant to do, but I think this is a great race to get a run into her. Physically, she looks as good as a horse can look. Her energy level is great and she’s fit, it’s just more about getting a run into her. I expect her to run well, and hopefully this is a steppingstone to bigger and better things.” 

The daughter of Nyquist was a perfect 4-for-4 in her award-winning juvenile campaign, posting a debut graduation at Saratoga Race Course ahead of three consecutive Grade 1 scores in the Spa’s seven-furlong Spinaway, Keeneland’s Alcibiades and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar, the latter two at 1 1/16 miles. Returning rider Manny Franco was aboard for each of her starts at two.

Last year, she remained around two turns for a neck second to Take Charge Milady in the Monomoy Girl in June at Churchill Downs, and a distant second to Scottish Lassie in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks in July at the Spa ahead of a win in the Seneca Overnight at Churchill that yielded a career-best 90 Beyer.

Immersive returned to the work tab in mid-February at Payson Park Training Center, where she most recently covered a half-mile in 49 seconds flat on Saturday.

“She’s always been a really good work horse, and continues that at four,” Cox said. “She hasn’t taken that long to get ready – she’s probably been ready for a few weeks, just trying to get the right race for her. This isn’t going to be easy, but it’s a good spot to get started and build off of.”

A Kentucky homebred for Godolphin, Immersive is out of the winning Bernardini mare Gap Year, whose dam Dubai Escapade won the Grade 1 Ballerina Breeders’ Cup in 2006 at the Spa.

Kasey K Racing Stable, Michael Day and Final Turn Racing Stable’s Maryland homebred Takethemoneyhoney [post 1, Eliseo Ruiz] has finished first or second in each of her 10 starts and makes her graded bow for trainer Michael Moore.

The 5-year-old Golden Lad dark bay enters from a five-length romp in Laurel Park’s seven-furlong restricted Conniver, where she was eight lengths back in second-of-3 at the half-mile call before unleashing a strong turn-of-foot and powering home with ease in a final time of 1:24.84.

Takethemoneyhoney was game in defeat in Laurel’s Listed Barbara Fritchie on Valentine’s Day, landing a nose behind Passage East after dueling throughout with Dry Powder and being met with the new challenge in the turn. She fought on valiantly and earned a career-best 93 Beyer, improving on her previous best 90 she earned at Laurel for an optional claiming score last April and a one-length win in the restricted six-furlong Politely in December.

A four-time stakes-winner, Takethemoneyhoney has banked $411,770 through a 10-7-3-0 record. She is out of the Great Notion mare Goodonhoney, a stakes-winning full-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Twisted Ride for the same connections.

The Saffie Jospeh, Jr.-trained Grammy Girl [post 8, Javier Castellano] looks to pick up where she left off last year when completing her season with a head win over Takethemoneyhoney in the Willa On the Move in November at Laurel. 

Campaigned by Red Storm Stable, Miller Racing and Flower Power Stables, Grammy Girl returns from a more than four-month layoff dating to her determined head score over her familiar foe in the 6 1/2-furlong Willa On the Move, her first stakes victory in her second career attempt.

The 5-year-old Mastery dark bay was in strong form to cap her 4-year-old campaign, finishing first or second in her last four outings, including a local starter allowance score sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in October over Brzina, who finished second in the Videogenic starter allowance on Saturday at the Big A.

Previously trained by Horacio De Paz, Grammy Girl moved to the Joseph, Jr. barn last summer and has posted a 6-2-2-1 record since. Overall, she has banked $286,050 through a lifetime record of 18-5-3-4.

The competitive field is completed by Grade 2-winner Jody’s Pride [post 3, Paco Lopez] for trainer Jorge Abreu, stakes-winners Hold Your Breath [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer John Servis and Boutwelltime [post 2, Christopher Elliott] for trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero, and stakes-placed Lucille Ball [post 4, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Chris Englehart. 

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