By Ben Massam
Phipps Stable homebred Carrumba (Bernardini) showed significant promise with a quick ascent of the class ladder last year, notching three straight wins in New York through the summer and fall, and looks to kick off her 2016 campaign on a winning note in Sunday's GIII Top Flight H. The regally bred gray, out of a dam who is a half to GI Manhattan H. winner Dancing Forever (Rahy), completed her 2015 season with a hard-fought, narrowly beaten runner-up finish behind repeat winner Forever Unbridled (Unbridled's Song) in her graded stakes bow in the trip-and-track GIII Comely S. Nov. 28. Now 4 years old, Carrumba has posted a steady series of works for trainer Shug McGaughey at Payson Park in Florida, and ships north as the Aqueduct meeting switches back to the main track.
Bobby Flay has a homebred of his own for the Top Flight in America (A.P. Indy), winner of the GIII Turnback the Alarm H. at Belmont last autumn. Conditioned by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, he two-time Grade I-placed mare rounded out her 2015 season with a fifth-place finish in the GIII Go For Wand H. here Nov. 27.
Mei Ling (Empire Maker) was second behind Taris (Flatter) in the Go For Wand that day and returns to graded stakes company on the heels of a win in the Heavenly Prize Invitational S. going 1 1/16 miles over the inner track Mar. 5. The Todd Pletcher trainee makes her second start with blinkers back on Sunday and figures to be a significant pace presence.
Joint Return (Include), owned by Main Line Racing Stable and conditioned by John Servis, seeks to snap a prolonged losing streak Sunday. Second, beaten a half-length, by Pangburn (Congrats), in Laurel's Maryland Racing Media S. Feb. 13, the mare was fourth in this event in 2015.
Last term's Cicada S. winner Noble and a Beauty (Noble Causeway) seeks her second consecutive win after notching a local allowance score Feb. 18, while Zayat Stables' Madam Aamoura (Zensational) and Godolphin Racing's Regia Marina (Medaglia d'Oro), first and sixth, respectively, in a Feb. 21 entry-level allowance, complete the field.
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