Nice as Pie seeks to go to 4-for-4 at Turfway in Serena’s Song

Turfway Park stakes advance by Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media photo of Nice as Pie’s Valdale win)

FLORENCE, Ky. (Monday, March 25, 2024) – Dede McGehee’s brilliant homebred Nice as Pie will attempt to win her fourth race this meet at Turfway Park when she faces eight 3-year-old fillies that entered Saturday’s third running of the $125,000 Serena’s Song Stakes.

          Run at six furlongs, the Serena’s Song Stakes is the featured event on the eight-race closing night program. First post is 5:55 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Serena’s Song will go as Race 6 at 8:25 p.m.

          Trained by Kelsey Danner, Nice as Pie has not been beaten at Turfway Park in three starts. The daughter of Tapiture rewarded her backers on Jan. 3 when she broke her maiden at odds of 14-1 then went on to dominate a first-level allowance field by 7 ¼ lengths and cruise to a 2 ¼ length score in the $125,000 Valdale Stakes six weeks ago. Jockey Adam Beschizza, who’s been aboard Nice as Pie in all four of her lifetime starts, will once again have the call in the Serena’s Song.

          Among Nice as Pie’s challengers in the Serena’s Song is Pamela Ziebarth’s recent gate-to-wire maiden special weight winner Sweet Gal of Mine. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Sweet Gal of Mine was unsuccessful trying to break her maiden in three starts on the dirt but once she switched to the Tapeta, she comfortably defeated 11 rivals by 1 ¾ lengths. Jockey Gerardo Corrales will have the return-mount.

          Here is the complete field for the Serena’s Song Stakes from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):Pinotslilgirl (Tyler Conner, Cipriano Contreras); These Apples (Abel Cedillo, Eric Foster); Sweet Gal of Mine (Corrales, McCarthy); J Rivers (Luan Machado, Arnaud Delacour); Kachow (Gavin Ashton, Quinn Howey); Pipit(Axel Concepcion, Brendan Walsh); Gold Del Mar (Javier Padron-Barcenas, Felipe Salas); Nice as Pie (Beschizza, Danner) and My Girl Ginger (Joe Rocco Jr., Rey Hernandez).

          Saturday is the close of the Winter/Spring Meet which means there will be mandatory payouts in all wagers including the 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot which had a carryover of $117,612. Racing will resume Wednesday with a first post of 5:55 p.m.