Grade 1 winner Maracuja was among five horses trained by New York-based Rob Atras to arrive New Year’s Day at Oaklawn Park. The 4-year-old Honor Code daughter is a candidate for the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 23.
Beach Haven Thoroughbreds, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, and Barry Fowler’s Maracuja topped her sophomore season with a victory in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Last spring she was also second in the Gazelle Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack and closed her campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Cotillion Stakes (G1) Sept. 25 at Parx Racing.
Atras said he’s targeting a March return for Maracuja and then “hopefully” a date in the Apple Blossom. The Azeri Stakes (G2) March 12 is the final major local prep for the Apple Blossom. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.
“It could be the Azeri or it could be something else,” Atras said. “I’m not exactly sure yet. We’re just going to kind of see how things go. She got a real light breeze in up here before she left, so we’re kind of just starting up with her. She had a few months off at the farm in Kentucky. She had been galloping here in New York for a month, with a light breeze, and so we’re just kind of starting to get her back going again. So, we don’t have an exact timeframe with her yet.”
