HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Three Witches was the least experienced member of the field, making only her seventh career start, in Saturday’s $200,000 Princess Rooney Invitational at Gulfstream Park. Her eighth might come in the Breeders’ Cup after Three Witches held off 7-5 favorite Maryquitecontrary to register a half-length, upset victory in the Grade 3 Princess Rooney. The Princess Rooney was a Breeders’ Cup Challenge series race that earned Three Witches an automatic, expenses-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. Three Witches, a well-bred daughter of Into Mischief, had won just two of her previous six starts but earned herself a spot in the seven-furlong Princess Rooney after returning from a 5 1/2-month layoff to defeat modest optional-claiming and allowance competition by 4 3/4 lengths here Aug. 27. Three Witches was one of three fillies that leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. started in the Princess Rooney, along with the more highly regarded Bluefield and 35-1 outsider Rosie’s Halo. :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2023: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more for each division Three Witches, a half-sister to multiple Grade 3 winner Kid Cruz, was reserved near midpack for the opening five furlongs by jockey Leonel Reyes. She swung four wide to wrest control in early stretch, edged clear, and then held safe Maryquitecontrary under strong handling to the end. Maryquitecontrary had captured six of her seven previous local starts and also was beaten just a length by reigning female sprint champion Goodnight Olive earlier this season in the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland. She trailed the field, racing well back as usual, in the run down the backstretch, commenced her bid on the turn, swung extremely wide while continuing her rally moving within easy striking distance near the furlong grounds, but could not sustain the bid. R Adios Jersey prompted the pace from the outset and outlasted the others to finish third. :: Bet the races with a $250 First Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Three Witches is owned by eFive Racing Thoroughbreds. She covered the distance over a fast track in 1:22.89 and paid $22.40. “She’s run some decent races, where she showed some glimpses of hope, basically, but then she disappointed, so we gave her a break,  brought her back. She ran well, and today she put it all together,” Joseph said. “She wasn’t far off of the favorite on numbers but needed to step up again. I really thought [Maryquitecontrary] would nail us when we got past the eighth pole. She’s run me down a couple of times before, and normally when she gets to that position, she runs down most horses.” Joseph said a decision will be forthcoming on whether to send Three Witches to Santa Anita next month to compete in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint. “This win was big for her resume because she’s going into the Keeneland sale after the Breeders’ Cup,” Joseph noted. “Obviously, the Breeders’ Cup is another jump up in class, but she’s earned the right to go. I’ll discuss it with Bob [eFive owner Bob Edwards], give him feedback on how she’s doing, and then it will be his decision to make that call.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.