Brisset finds modest spot for Peignoir in Wayward Lass
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Trainer Rodolphe Brisset admits he might have gotten a bit greedy last fall when it came to his 3-year-old filly Peignoir.
Following back-to-back allowance wins 22 days apart, Brisset went back for more by entering Peignoir in the Grade 3 Falls City at Churchill Downs back in 20 days. Peignoir finished a well-beaten seventh.
“Trainer mistake, ran her back too quick,” Brisset said. “I know I told the ownership group at some point she’s going to tell me to [back] off, and she did.”
With more than six weeks to get over that busy fall campaign, Peignoir is set to make her 4-year-old debut in Saturday’s $100,000 Wayward Lass Stakes, run at 1 1/16 miles, at Tampa Bay Downs. Brisset chose the Wayward Lass – for which Peignoir is only running for $60,000 – over three other stakes options in hopes of getting her a stakes win. She is by Mendelssohn out of a dam who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner I’m a Chatterbox.
“I got her back in a routine, she’s been working with Girl Math who broke her maiden pretty nicely at Turfway the other day,” Brisset said. “Her works have been very good. Is she graded stakes quality? Maybe not. Can she win an overnight stakes race like this? I think so.”
Peignoir breaks from the rail under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Dream Concert, trained by Kathleen O’Connell, finished second as the favorite in this race last year. O’Connell is removing the blinkers from Dream Concert’s equipment, something she did going into this race last year when she was beaten just three-quarters of a length. Dream Concert has worn blinkers in her last three starts, all at seven furlongs.
Literate runs on dirt for just the second time in her career after running on turf and synthetic for the most part. Literate, trained by Marty Drexler, finished a well-beaten second in her lone dirt try in April 2023.
Abundancia, third to the 21-time winner Free Like a Girl in a stakes at Delta Downs last November, American Retro, Louder Than Words, Easy Come Easy Go, Little Jamie, and America’s Vow complete the field.
Nutella Fella back in allowance
Nutella Fella, the 54-1 winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga in 2023 and who has made just one start since, makes his 4-year-old debut in a second-level allowance going seven furlongs Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs. A field of 10 was entered.
In his lone start since the Hopeful, Nutella Fella finished third, beaten just 1 3/4 lengths by Book’em Danno, in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Saratoga last June. Shortly after that race, he was diagnosed with bone bruising in a hind ankle, similar to the situation that had sidelined him after the Hopeful.
Trainer Gary Contessa said Nutella Fella was given ample time for the bone bruising to heal, was given the okay last fall to go back into training, and comes into this race with plenty of works.
“He has trained brilliantly,” Contessa said. “All I can tell you is I’m as confident in him as when I ran him in the Woody Stephens.”
Contessa’s confidence with the late-running Nutella Fella comes with a caveat.
“He’s a bad gate horse,” Contessa said. “We’ve worked with him at the gate, but you can’t reproduce the race-day scenario no matter how many times you school them in the gate. But I wouldn’t have done anything differently. I don’t think I could have him any more ready to run than he is right now.”
Contessa said he is hopeful of using this race as a springboard to graded stakes sprinting later in the year.
There does appear to be a number of speed types in this field, including Paynted Warrior, Go Otto Go, and Catire Vizcaya. Among those with the best chance to upset Nutella Fella is Chrome Ghost.
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