Brown has trio in Wonder Again, goes for fifth win
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ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has won four of the first nine runnings of the Grade 2, $200,000 Wonder Again Stakes and with three of the eight entrants in Thursday’s 10th renewal, he stands a good chance to win it again.
Revalita, beaten less than a length in two graded stakes in the 3-year-old filly turf division this year, heads the Brown trio that includes Venencia and Prerequisite.
Revalita, a French-bred daughter of the two-time Group 1 winner Recoletos, had wide trips in both the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride at Gulfstream Park and Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs, finishing fourth in the former, and second in the latter, both times beaten three-quarters of a length.
The Herecomesthebride, in which Revalita galloped out past the field, produced next out stakes winners Danse Macabre and Papalito. In the Edgewood, Revalita finished in front of Mission of Joy and Papalito who came back to run one-two in last Saturday’s Grade 3 Regret at Churchill.
Though both of Revalita’s wins came at seven furlongs, Brown said of the nine furlongs Thursday, “I think she’ll handle it just fine.”
Jose Ortiz rides Revalita from post 4.
Prerequisite is coming off a maiden win going 1 1/8 miles that impressed Brown.
“She had a little bit of a rough trip, made more than one move in the race and still won,” Brown said. “She came back and worked super two weeks in a row so I decided to put her in there. She’s got tactical speed which might help her.”
Flavien Prat rides Prerequisite from post 7.
Venencia, who won her debut in France last November, was purchased privately by a multiple-group partnership and sent to Brown. On April 27, at Keeneland, Venencia rallied from last of 12 to finish third in a first-level allowance going one mile.
“She came with a very nice turn of foot,” Brown said.
Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Venencia from the rail.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, a two-time winner of the Wonder Again, sends out Spansive, who has won her first two starts, both on the front end.
Pletcher said in a turf work at Palm Beach Downs – which led him to start her on turf – Spansive sat off another horse “and showed a good turn of foot. I don’t think she needs the lead.”
Juniper’s Moon, second to Spansive in a first-level allowance, was third behind Mission of Joy in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa.
Allamericanbeauty came out of a fifth-place finish in the Florida Oaks to win a first-level allowance going 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland on April 14 for trainer Shug McGaughey.
“If she breaks good and settles in right and gets in a good kind of gallop, I think she’ll be fine,” McGaughey said.
Be Your Best won the P.G. Johnson at Saratoga at 2 and may have needed her first start this year when she was seventh in the Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland. Thirty Thou Kelvin, fifth in the Hilltop at Pimlico on May 19, completes the field.
The Wonder Again goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 3:05 p.m. and includes the $150,000 Jersey Girl Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
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