Bodacious Bay looks to keep it rolling in Mother Goose

ELMONT, N.Y. – The 3-year-old filly Bodacious Bay became a Grade 1 winner for new connections when she captured the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx seven weeks ago. On Saturday, she’ll look to build on that effort, while setting the groundwork for what her new owners hope is a big 2027 campaign when she starts in the Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park.

Mark Cornett, of C2 Racing, was impressed with Bodacious Bay’s runner-up performance to My Miss Mo – another filly he owns with a different partnership – in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks in July. Cornett put together a group that includes St. Elias Stable, Mathis Stable, Miller Racing, and BAG Racing to make that private purchase of Bodacious Bay with the Cotillion in mind.

Bodacious Bay, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., scored a pace-prompting, 3 1/4-length victory over Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner in the Cotillion.

“I think she’s versatile. Last time she showed a lot more speed than we thought,” Joseph said. “She broke well, Micah [Husbands] took the initiative to put her in the perfect spot. I think she can sit third or fourth, from that aspect she’s very rateable in the morning.”

Joseph said the initial plan out of the Cotillion was to point Bodacious Bay to a 2027 campaign with early season targets such as the Royal Delta at Gulfstream and the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn.

“She was doing well after the race. The Mother Goose is a pretty good race. Why not try to add another graded stakes to her, especially it being against straight 3-year-olds?” Joseph said.

Husbands rides Bodacious Bay from post 7 in an 11-horse field.

Joseph also sends out longshots Tahlequah and Laken in the Mother Goose. Tahlequah was eased in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks but rebounded with a decent third in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks in August. Joseph said Tahlequah missed some training time due to illness in October but was healthy enough to get a work in last week at Saratoga.

Laken, previously trained by Vicki Oliver, makes her first start since June, when she ran third in an allowance race at Churchill Downs.

Intrepids Fantasy, a daughter of Jess’s Dream trained by Gary Capuano, is 3 for 3, all her wins coming in two-turn races at Delaware Park this summer. She is making her first start for new owners Agave Racing Stable and Medallion Racing.

“She’s done everything asked of her so far, but she’s going to run against a quality bunch this time,” Capuano said. “She’s always been two turns. [The Mother Goose is] a one-turn race, obviously, against better horses and no Lasix either. There are a few questions out there. She’s training well, she’s doing well. I don’t see why there should be a problem.”

Trainer Chad Brown has won three of the last six runnings of the Mother Goose, including last year with Fully Subscribed. Saturday, he sends out Cognition, a filly coming off a four-length, front-running score going about seven furlongs at Keeneland. That race came off a 14-month layoff.

“She just won on the Beard Course off a layoff, on the engine the whole way. I figured that’s a pretty good horse to do that at Keeneland, that’s a tough race off a layoff,” Brown said. “I’m going to let her bound out there in the Mother Goose and see what happens.”

Answered Prayers, a full-sister to the Grade 1 winner Olympiad, comes off a second-place finish in the Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs to Consequent, a filly who has now won all four of her starts. Answered Prayers may work out a stalking trip behind speed under Junior Alvarado for Bill Mott.

Tap to Open, winner of the Cathryn Sophia Stakes; Iron Orchard, winner of the Fleet Indian Stakes for New York-breds; Ati Girl; and Ivy Girl complete the field.