Artistic Diva, Good Move take on seasoned fillies in Miss Preakness

BALTIMORE – Talent vs. experience. It was the main question handicappers had to ponder in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, and it’ll be a focal point on Friday at Pimlico in the Grade 3, $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes, as Artistic Diva and Good Move, both unbeaten in two starts, will face far more seasoned 3-year-old fillies in one of the better renewals of this six-furlong race.

Artistic Diva, based in California with trainer John Sadler, has not raced since October but has turned in a strong series of works at Santa Anita for her return. Good Move won twice at Oaklawn Park this year before a small quarter crack forced trainer Brad Cox to wait until now to bring her back.

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Both will need to be ready because this race is deep. It includes Happy Like a Fool, who won last year’s Matron at Belmont and figures to improve off her comeback effort in last month’s Grade 3 Beaumont at Keeneland; Purrfect Miss, a fast winner at Saratoga last summer who is making her first start since finishing fourth to the likes of Separationofpowers and champion filly Caledonia Road in the Grade 1 Frizette; and Lezendary, whose two wins since adding blinkers include the listed Cicada.

Artistic Diva “was ready to run early at Santa Anita but got a hock infection,” Sadler said of her absence. “She’s ready to run. I was looking for a race going six furlongs, and this popped up. It’s an easy ship with all the horses going back there from California.

“She’s training really well, had a beautiful work on Sunday,” Sadler said of a five-furlong drill at Santa Anita in 1:00.20. “And I think my filly will mud.”

That’s important because the forecast for Friday is for day-long rain, meaning an off track is a near certainty.

Good Move scored front-running wins in maiden and allowance races at Oaklawn. Cox on Wednesday said she was intended for the Beaumont on April 8, but that’s when the quarter crack developed.

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Cox then considered the Eight Belles two weeks ago at Churchill Downs, but thought rushing Good Move into that race, especially since it’s at seven furlongs, was not prudent. The Miss Preakness, two weeks later and at six furlongs, was far more appealing, he said.

“I thought she was a work behind to go against that group of fillies in the Eight Belles,” Cox said. “She’s done everything right. There’s a lot of speed in this race, and I’m sure she’ll be part of it.”

The Miss Preakness goes as race 7 on the 14-race card.

KEY CONTENDERS

Artistic Diva, by Munnings
Beyers: 76-66

◗ Well regarded before she ran last summer, she won her debut on turf at Del Mar, then the listed Anoakia on dirt at Santa Anita.

Good Move, by Broken Vow
Beyer: 79-81

◗ She had inside draws for her two races but this time gets a potentially cozier spot, breaking from post 9 in the field of 10.