Cotillion could clear up 3-year-old filly division
While Lady Eli proved far superior to her 3-year-old filly turf rivals earlier this season, the main-track division still is in search of a leader.
Stellar Wind is the best in the West, but in her lone out-of-state trip, she finished fourth in the Kentucky Oaks. Back East, the major 3-year-old filly stakes have been a revolving door, and only Curalina has won more than once, though that came with an assist from the stewards in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.
The $1 million Cotillion, a 1 1/16-mile, Grade 1 race that will be run Saturday at Parx, is the next and final stop of the year for the division. It may provide some needed separation at the top of the pecking order, or it may further confuse matters.
The Cotillion has attracted Embellish the Lace, the winner of the Grade 1 Alabama for trainer Tony Dutrow, and I’m a Chatterbox, who has won the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks and was disqualified from a nose win over Curalina in the CCA Oaks. Trained by Larry Jones, she most recently finished a hard-trying second in the Alabama.
The Cotillion also includes Black-Eyed Susan winner Keen Pauline and Delaware Oaks winner Calamity Kate, plus last year’s 2-year-old filly champion, Take Charge Brandi.
The only players missing are Include Betty, the winner of the Grade 1 Mother Goose and Grade 3 Fantasy; Curalina, who has won the Acorn and CCA Oaks; and Kentucky Oaks winner Lovely Maria.
“I think if the right horse wins the Cotillion, Larry Jones’s horse or our horse, they would be one of the division leaders,” Dutrow said. “It would give us two Grade 1 wins, or it would give I’m a Chatterbox a Grade 1, which is extremely important for her.”
I’m a Chatterbox is ready for the rematch, according to Jones.
“Everything is okay,” he said. “She’s ready to go.”
Embellish the Lace came into the 1 1/4-mile Alabama with two huge wins at Pimlico and Parx from four career starts. She took her game to a new level with a front-running 1 1/4-length victory under Javier Castellano in the Alabama.
“The Alabama was a comfortable win,” Dutrow said. “She pretty much went the same speed the entire race. I don’t think Javier ever hit her. At least, he didn’t raise his whip. She was very impressive.”
If Embellish the Lace, a $320,000 Keeneland yearling purchase by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, wins or runs well in the Cotillion, Dutrow plans to send her to Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
* Desert Valley is expected to scratch from the Cotillion, which would leave a field of 10.
Key contenders
Embellish the Lace (Last 3 Beyers: 96-65-95)
* Embellish the Lace set the Alabama pace on an open lead but may have company Saturday as Calamity Kate and Keen Pauline have scored their biggest wins on the front end.
* Prior to the Alabama, Embellish the Lace set the pace before tiring to ninth in the Mother Goose.
“She just went too fast,” Dutrow said. “It was one turn, and obviously she’s not a one-turn horse. We are going to keep her at two turns from now on.”
* Embellish the Lace is 3 for 3 around two turns and 0 for 2 at one turn.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Embellish the Lace and No. 6 Pangburn. Trainer Tony Dutrow is 25-2-3-8 with a $1.06 ROI over the past five years in dirt route graded stakes with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
:: Learn more about Formulator | Buy Formulator PPs
:: Follow the @DRFFormulator Twitter feed and get free Formulator facts
I’m a Chatterbox (Last 3 Beyers: 94-92-88)
* She is 3 for 6 this year but has been a little unlucky in her last three starts. She was shuffled back a bit at the start of the Alabama and may have spotted Embellish the Lace too much of a lead, she was disqualified for drifting out in the CCA Oaks, and she was much farther back than usual when third in the Kentucky Oaks over a Churchill Downs track where she never has run well.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 I’m a Chatterbox. Trainer Larry Jones is 16-2-3-4 with a $0.76 ROI over the past five years in dirt route graded stakes in the third start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Peace and War (Last 3 Beyers: 91-82-70)
* She has improved in her first two starts for Graham Motion and has every right to take another step forward at a big price. She has been in steady training at Fair Hill in the 10 weeks since her runner-up effort in the Delaware Oaks.
Calamity Kate (Last 3 Beyers: 94-57-85)
* Went to the lead and never looked back in the Delaware Oaks, springing a 54-1 upset for Kelly Breen.
* She has a gap in her work pattern between July 25 and Aug. 15 but has worked steadily since.
Keen Pauline (Last 3 Beyers: 79-93-73)
* Was strong in wiring the Black-Eyed Susan. In her only start since, she raced well to upper stretch of the 1 1/8-mile CCA Oaks at Saratoga before tiring.
* Was entered in the Locust Grove against older rivals at Churchill last weekend, but trainer Dale Romans has opted for this race.
Take Charge Brandi (Last 3 Beyers: 41-78-87)
* This will be the second start of her form cycle after she set the pace and tired Aug. 8 in the Grade 1 Test.
Tara’s Tango (Last 3 Beyers: 80-91-90)
* Battled Stellar Wind – the leading West Coast 3-year-old filly – and lost by a nose in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita in June. She tuned up for this with a first-level optional-claiming win at Del Mar. Difficult to gauge.
* Eskenformoney (Last 3 Beyers: 85-74-81)
She looks to be the stronger of two Todd Pletcher entrants. Exits a runner-up effort in the Monmouth Oaks.