Spicy Nelly just misses in $75,000 Panama City Stakes

Spicy Nelly became the first $100,000 earner for Beau Choix and just missed becoming his first stakes-winner when she finished an unlucky second in the $75,000 Panama City Stakes at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

With Leonel Reyes doing his best to avoid traffic on the final turn in a race that was taken off the grass, the 3-year-old filly was forced to take the unenviable sloppy rail route down the lane. Despite digging in gamely while being pinned to the fence, Spicy Nelly fell a neck short of second choice Shanghai Starlight after a mile in 1:37.30. The filly owned and bred by Just For Fun Stable earned $14,700 for the effort and boosted her total to $105,657 on a record of 3-5-1 in 12 starts.