Centre Court eyes millionaire status in possible final start in First Lady
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The last time the filly-mare turf elite convened at Keeneland in a Grade 1 event, all hell broke loose.
The proverbial cavalry charge hit the wire together April 12 in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley, with the victorious Hard Not to Like finishing less than a length ahead of fifth-place finisher Centre Court.
It’s funny, but hardly anybody would be surprised if something similar occurs when the Grade 1, $400,000 First Lady is run as the seventh of 10 races here Saturday. A remarkably well-matched field is in evidence, with no clear-cut favorite and absolutely no throw-outs among the nine entered in the one-mile race.
“It’s one heck of a race,” said Rusty Arnold, the trainer of Centre Court. “We’d like to think we’ve got a big chance, but I’m sure that’s what everybody else is thinking, too.”
The one-two finishers in the First Lady last fall, Better Lucky and Dayatthespa, are back, as is Discreet Marq, the runner-up in that Jenny Wiley scramble in the spring. They’re among an outstanding lineup completed by Filimbi, Kitten’s Point, Sassy Kitten, Istanford, and Somali Lemonade.
Post time for the 17th First Lady, a key link in all the multirace wagers on the latter half of a 10-race Saturday card, is 4:35 p.m. Eastern.
Key contenders
Filimbi (Last 3 Beyers: 81-101-89)
* This gray Juddmonte blue blood busted the Travers Day faithful when caboosing the Ballston Spa at 3-5 despite a good trip. She has shown herself better than that effort, and you have to like that top jockey Joel Rosario stays put.
Discreet Marq (Last 3 Beyers: 95-96-95)
* New York-bred gray has taken on all comers in the division and repeatedly has acquitted herself as a legitimate player, although it has been nearly a year since her last victory. She will be ridden for the first time by Jimmy Graham, the leading jockey at the recently ended Arlington Park meet.
Dayatthespa (Last 3 Beyers: 101-97-95)
* New York-bred mare, who captured the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup here in 2012, is on the threshold of millionaire status after outfooting Discreet Marq at Saratoga six weeks ago. She probably will be sitting a pretty trip behind Istanford through the early stages here.
Istanford (Last 3 Beyers: 93-94-76)
* The only 3-year-old in the field really came to hand at Del Mar over the summer by winning back-to-back stakes for trainer Mike Stidham. She’ll be the likely front-runner when ridden for the first time by Robby Albarado.
Centre Court (Last 3 Beyers: 86-90-92)
“This might well be her swan song,” said Arnold. “We were disappointed with how she didn’t finish up in the Ballston Spa, but she’s trained very well since then, and we thought we’d give her one more chance since we’re here at home. She can become a millionaire by running first or second, and we’d be tickled with that.”