EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Even though trainer Brittany Russell has only had Lady de Barry for a few months, she knows there’s something ability-wise just waiting to break out.

The challenge, she said, has been finding a way to coax that out of the 4-year-old daughter of Practical Joke.

The next attempt to do so will come on opening night of the Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet, which kicks off its nine-day all-turf meet on Friday, when Lady de Barry takes on eight other fillies and mares in the featured $42,000 first-level allowance at a mile and a sixteenth.

“She has trained well and is doing well. I just feel I haven’t been able to get her going the way I’d like,” said Russell. “There has been some tough racing luck with her. The last time I had her entered (at Colonial) I had to scratch her for something minor.

“It has been difficult to get things to work out the way I need them to with her. But I think this is a good spot. Hopefully we can pick her head up and move on.”

Though winless in six starts since breaking her maiden at Keeneland at a mile and a sixteenth on the turf on Oct. 27, 2023, the Kentucky-bred Lady de Berry showed enough promise at 2 – and hints of more since then – that Russell is determined to tap into that.

She was second in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante at Del Mar at 2, but was 0-for-3 as a 3-year-old, though she did finish third in the Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth Park that year.

Russell took over the training duties from Chad Brown this year, with Lady de Berry flashing speed in her two starts so far. She was a close-up third in her seasonal debut on June 19 at Delaware Park and then blazed to the lead before fading to fourth in her other start on July 9 at Colonial Downs.

“Sometimes it’s hard to gauge how much they train on if they show ability at 2,” said Russell. “Obviously, I didn’t have her then. All I can do is work with what I have in front of me.

“I’ll be honest. I’ve had a terrible time getting the right race for her. So nothing has gone according to plan with her. She has trained well and is doing well. None of it is her fault. It’s a little frustrating on that end because I think she’s a nice filly.”

Lady de Berry, a $270,000 purchase as a 2-year-old, has flashed front-end speed in her first two starts this year. Russell will take the blinkers off this time in the hopes of getting her to relax. Her husband, Sheldon Russell, rode her in both of her starts this year.

“Sheldon made the comment after her rode her those two times that she was bouncing in the post parade and ready to go. She has been on the engine,” said Russell. “We tried her with blinkers but I just wonder at this point in her career if she doesn’t need them. Hopefully this gets her to relax.

“We never really wanted her to just go the way she has her last two starts. But she breaks sharply and she’s right there so we let her do her thing. So maybe if we take off the blinkers, when she breaks she will settle in.”

Christopher Elliott is listed to ride.

The Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet, which races on Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 17, has a 7 p.m. first race post time for all of its six-race cards.