Munnys Gold Looks to Shine in Honorable Miss

It’s Munnys Gold ‘s time to shine in the July 24 Honorable Miss Handicap (G2).

The daughter of Munnings appeared nearly unbeatable in her first three starts last year before suffering three straight defeats. Given the remainder of 2023 off following a third-place finish in Saratoga Race Course‘s Test Stakes (G1), Munnys Gold returned to the Spa a handy winner of a first-level allowance test June 7 for trainer Todd Pletcher. The Robert and Lawana Low color-bearer targets stakes company once more in Saturday’s $200,000 six-furlong affair against a field of seven other fillies and mares.

“I thought it was a very good comeback. It was good to see her back in what appears to be top form,” Pletcher said of Munnys Gold’s allowance win in which the filly made her first start in 10 months. “It was a good stepping stone to this. I think she’s had some physical maturity (since last year) and is a little bigger and a little stronger.”

Breaking on top and coasting gate to wire in that allowance score, Munnys Gold will undoubtedly try to employ similar front-running tactics in the Honorable Miss. Although she faces the hurdle of starting from the outermost post 8, she secures the services of leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr., who takes off recent Bed o’ Roses Stakes (G2) victress Accede to ride Munnys Gold.

Accede, the co-high weight in the Honorable Miss at 122 pounds, will carry four more pounds than Munnys Gold as she attempts to put together back-to-back graded stakes wins. The Bed o’ Roses was in fact the third consecutive tally for the Chad Brown trainee since capturing an allowance race at Keeneland last October.

“She’s come back this year a little faster and stronger after a rest after her 3-year-old season,” Brown said. “I really like where she’s at.”

Flavien Pat will pilot the Into Mischief filly, a homebred for Juddmonte Farms.

The co-high weight in the Honorable Miss is the Steve Asmussen-trained Clearly Unhinged , another daughter of Into Mischief exiting a graded stakes win.

Clearly Unhinged, second over Munnys Gold in the 2023 Test when under the care of trainer Michael McCarthy, has posted two straight wins since transferring to the Asmussen barn over the winter. Owned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Jarret Prussin, the 4-year-old nabbed her first graded title when victorious by 1 1/2 lengths in the Winning Colors Stakes (G3) May 27 at Churchill Downs.

Joel Rosario retains the mount.

Another key player in the Honorable Miss figures to be Miller Racing’s speedy Spirit Wind . The 5-year-old Bahamian Squall mare enters Saturday off an electrifying score in the Memorial Day Sprint Stakes May 27 at Lone Star Park. A 3 1/2-length winner under Mike Smith, who reunites with Spirit Wind here, the Saffie Joseph Jr. pupil netted a career-best 108 Equibase Speed Figure for her performance.