Sun | May 3, 2026

Bootylicious to make Portmore Stakes fourth on the trot

Published:Thursday | May 4, 2023 | 12:48 AMAinsley Walters/Gleaner Writer
BOOTYLICIOUS, ridden by Reyan Lewis, wins The Thornbird Stakes over seven furlongs, a three-year-old graded stakes for fillies, at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer
BOOTYLICIOUS, ridden by Reyan Lewis, wins The Thornbird Stakes over seven furlongs, a three-year-old graded stakes for fillies, at Caymanas Park yesterday.

IT CAN only get worse for the fillies lined up against BOOTYLICIOUS in Saturday’s Portmore Stakes at seven and a half furlongs.

Reporting off a three-month break for her seasonal debut, February 18, BOOTYLICIOUS galloped a half-mile in 51.3, six days before the event. With one race under her girth, a 15-length win from November 5, the speedy filly showed a little ring rust in clocking 1:14.1 for six furlongs, beating BURLAP.

Brought back seven weeks later for the Thornbird Stakes against rivals who had the full gamut of top two-year-old races under their belts from last season, including the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, BOOTYLICIOUS stalked and sprinted away from them at the top of the lane – after putting in a measly five-furlong gallop in 1:01.0 out the mile chute six days earlier.

Prepping for the Portmore Stakes at seven and a half furlongs, BOOTYLICIOUS galloped six furlongs in 1:15.0 two Sundays ago, the best she has ever trained for a race since debuting last November, spelling trouble for her all-but-one exposed rivals as she goes for four wins in a row.

Stablemates MAMMA MIA and THALITA have shown their hands multiple times over, putting in flashy exercise gallops such as the 1:06.3 and 1:06.0 for five and a half furlongs, respectively, clocked two Mondays past.

MAMMA MIA and THALITA were not as braggadocious at exercise heading into the Thornbird Stakes but were outclassed, not outsped, by BOOTYLICIOUS, a fact which flashy gallops won’t change with an additional half-furlong to travel in the Portmore Stakes.

The unknown quality in the lineup is PRINCESS SHARON, who won by four and a quarter lengths at seven furlongs on debut a month ago.

PRINCESS SHARON’s 1:28.1 had a classy look about it, which could make her a dangerous horse at a mile in the 1000 Guineas, considering she is a Soul Warrior-sired filly.

However, the speed of multiple-winner BOOTYLICIOUS and friends will hit PRINCESS SHARON like a bolt of lightning, giving her too much to do against faster and more experienced rivals.