Coffee Clique looking to pad résumé
ELMONT, N.Y. – As a Grade 1 winner and a millionaire, Coffee Clique is headed to the breeding shed next year. Her connections would like to get at least one more win from her before she retires, and they feel she’s well spotted to accomplish that in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia Stakes at Belmont Park.
Coffee Clique is one of 13 fillies and mares entered in a competitive renewal of the Athenia, a one-turn, 1 1/16-mile race over the inner turf course. The field includes the graded stakes winners Lady Lara, Rusty Slipper, and A Little Bit Sassy as well as the European shippers Wiener Valkyrie and Faufiler.
Coffee Clique recorded her biggest win at Belmont Park in the Grade 1 Just a Game in 2014. She has gone only 1 for 6 this year, but trainer Brian Lynch said Coffee Clique is showing him all the right signs coming into this race.
“I think I have her as good as I’ve had her this year,” Lynch said Thursday. “I got a good feeling about her, just the way she’s feeling and acting. I really like her a lot.”
Lynch said he would rather the race be around two turns because “she settles better when she gets to run into the first turn.”
Luis Saez will be aboard Coffee Clique.
Lady Lara must break from the outside post in the 13-horse field, and that has trainer Bill Mott concerned.
“She probably fits in the race well, but still, you got to get the trip,” Mott said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be as easy from out there.”
Junior Alvarado rides Lady Lara.
Rusty Slipper and A Little Bit Sassy finished heads apart when first and second in the One Dreamer Stakes at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 19, a race in which the winner set a course record (1:41.70) for a mile and 70 yards. The third- and seventh-place finishers each won an allowance race in her next start.
KEY CONTENDERS
Coffee Clique (Last 3 Beyers: 95-97-94)
◗ After winning the Dr. James Penny Memorial at Parx in July, she finished fifth in the Ballston Spa and fourth in the Noble Damsel in races just three weeks apart.
“I ran her back pretty quick the other day for her, but she didn’t run bad,” Lynch said.
◗ She finished behind Lady Lara this year in the Grade 2 Honey Fox at Gulfstream, Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont, and Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont but ahead of that horse in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs.
Lady Lara (Last 3 Beyers: 98-90-97)
◗ She might have run her best race this year when beaten a half-length by Recepta in the Noble Damsel.
“She ran a very good race but ran very wide,” Mott said.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 13 Lady Lara. Trainer Bill Mott is 34-2-7-10 with a $0.64 ROI over the past two years in turf route graded stakes in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Tango Time (Beyers: 89-79)
◗ Lightly raced filly won a high-quality allowance race in solid fashion Aug. 29, a race from which the second- and third-place finishers both came back to win.
Rusty Slipper (Last 3 Beyers: 88-80-84)
◗ Came back off a two-month freshening to set a course record in winning the One Dreamer Stakes by a head at Kentucky Downs.
◗ Trainer Graham Motion has won four stakes at this meet, including last week’s Grade 3 Knickerbocker with Messi.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Rusty Slipper. Trainer Graham Motion is 17-6-1-3 with a $6.23 ROI over the past three years in turf route graded stakes with last-out winners making their second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan