THE well-decorated Bootylicous, from the stables of Ian Parsard, puts her unbeaten record and tall reputation on the line in the third staging of The Portmore feature event — the final stop on the “Road to the Triple Crown” for fillies over seven and a half furlongs (1,500m) — at Caymanas Park today.

Bootylicious, who is bred by Key To Power out of the Bellamy Road mare Keep The Faith, has won all three of her races to date, most notably overwhelming her peers in the Thornbird Stakes over seven furlongs (1,400m) on April 8.

Bootylicious sat slightly off the pace and pounced on the leader at the top of the straight to win by three lengths in 1:26.1 minutes, making her the top native-bred three-year-old filly at the moment.

The promising bay filly has looked the part in training, clocking 1:07.4 over five and a half furlongs (1,100m) and 1:01.4 for the last five furlongs (1,000m) on Sunday, April 30.

Despite giving weight to her 12 competitors Bootylicious should love this journey, and with her great speed and tempo this race might be a stroll in the park for her. She may either lead these or come from behind but, either way, she should be a clear winner. Reyan Lewis, the reigning champion, will continue to ride.

The competition for second place is the most fascinating aspect of the race, and anybody from the group of Princess Sharon, Mamma Mia, Savvy Girl, and Thalita may fill that slot.

The Graded Stakes event, which carries a purse of $3 million, is positioned as the ninth event on the 10-race card with a post time of 4:35 pm. First race is at 11:45 am.

Princess Sharon, own and trained by Fitzroy Glispie, was an encouraging winner on debut. She easily won a seven-furlong contest by 4¼ lengths in a time of 1:28.1 on April 10. Princess Sharon should go well over this distance but will have to put every hoof right to rattle the principals, but she can go home with a share of the spoils.

Mamma Mia was expected to put up a better fight in the Thornbird Stakes when finishing third by 3¾ lengths behind Bootylicious and stablemate Thalita. The Jason DaCosta trainee led for most of the way before giving way at the top of the lane. With the distance increased Mamma Mia is expected to fall short of the target once again.

The Anthony Nunes-trained Savvy Girl finished fourth in the recent Thornbird Stakes, coming from far behind runners. With the distance increased for The Portmore, Savvy Girl should again be coming in deep stretch.

Thalita, who also comes from the stabes of DaCosta, ran the best race of her career when finishing second behind Bootylicious in the Thornbird Stakes on April 8. Thalita is going to enjoy this trip again and could complete the exacta once more.

Ones to watch:

Race 1) Wayne’s Princess/May Sellington/Digital Light

Race 2) Sensational Ending/Maya/Gone A Negril

Race 3) Daddy Jones/Rum With Me/Sir John

Race 4) Manaco/Bold Sammi/El Gringo

Race 5) Contractor/Sir Frederick/Poker Star

Race 6) Rhosa The Warrior/Hunza/Jack Of Spades

Race 7) She’s My Destiny/Madelyn’s Sunshine/King Arthur

Race 8) Answer my Prayers/She’s A Mirace/Powerofthehighness

Race 9) Bootylicious/Mamma Mia/Thalita

Race 10) Slammer/Sunset Silhoutte/Real Boss