Arlington Matron a real puzzler of a race

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – There are points in favor of at least six of the eight entrants in the Grade 3, $100,000 Arlington Matron Stakes on Saturday at Arlington.

And in equal measure, there are counterpoints opposing them.

It’s that kind of race, this nine-furlong tilt over Polytrack for fillies and mares – a race in which merely identifying the favorite is no simple task.

Will it be Con Te Partiro, the Wesley Ward-trained filly with Grade 1 form not far back in her past performances and esteemed jockey Corey Nakatani in to ride? Maybe, but Con Te Partiro never has tried a synthetic surface and has raced just three times since winning the Sandringham Stakes last June 27 as part of Ward’s raiding party at Royal Ascot.

Con Te Partiro also has a very recent Arlington analogue in Master Merion, the 4-year-old colt trained by Ward and ridden by Nakatani to a fourth-place finish as the tepid favorite here last weekend in the Grade 3 Hanshin Cup. Master Merion hurt his chances with a stumble at the start, but he, like Con Te Partiro, showed flashy works over Turfway’s synthetic surface coming into his Polytrack debut and didn’t seem to relish the local synthetic surface.

Apologynotaccepted could be favored, but so could Daddy’s Boo, and what also could happen is these two hooking up on a demanding pace.

In from Kentucky for trainer Brendan Walsh, Apologynotaccepted finished a close second to Valadorna last out in the Doubledogdare Stakes over Keeneland’s dirt track, but her lone synthetic-surface start, in the March 17 Latonia Stakes at Turfway, yielded a modest fourth-place finish.

Jose Valdivia Jr. winds up riding Apologynotaccepted rather than Daddy’s Boo, despite the fact he’s Daddy’s Boo’s regular jockey as well as the de facto stable rider for her trainer, Larry Rivelli. Valdivia’s choice probably can be explained by the fact Daddy’s Boo wasn’t originally intended for the Matron and was entered only after a turf allowance race failed to attract sufficient entries to be run. Chris Emigh is an able replacement on Daddy’s Boo, who is 2 for 2 on Arlington Polytrack, albeit in softer spots than Saturday’s.

Speaking of Arlington’s Polytrack, Princess La Quinta has three wins, all of which came on the local synthetic. Just a 4-year-old facing several who are older, Princess La Quinta had a right to need a May 4 second-level allowance race, her first start in more than three months, but instead overcame trouble and won going away. Trained by Jim Gulick, who owns her with Al Moorehouse, Princess La Quinta offers both upside and value, though there’s no assurance she’s quite good enough.

Babybluesbdancing and Kyllachy Queen both have had synthetic-surface success, Babybluesbdancing over Arlington’s surface, Kyllachy Queen at Wolverhampton and Kempton Park in England. Neither is at all impossible, though Kyllachy Queen looks more likely.

Felt in Pocket and Moonlit Garden look like they are in a notch too tough – but in this quagmire of a race, that could prove a rash analysis.