Crimson Advocate readies for another crack at Royal Ascot

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Crimson Advocate gave George Weaver one of the most memorable moments of his training career when winning the Group 2 Queen Mary last summer at Royal Ascot.

On Sunday, the speedy filly will try to take the first step on the road back to those hallowed grounds later this season when she makes her 3-year-old debut in the $100,000 Melody of Colors Stakes at Gulfstream Park. A field of 11 was drawn for the five-furlong Melody of Colors that also includes Tiger Belle, a Group 3 winner at Longchamp at 2; the multiple stakes winner Let Them Watch; and the undefeated and still untested El Terreno.

Crimson Advocate earned an automatic berth in the Queen Mary by virtue of winning her maiden in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes here in early May. She then gained international notoriety holding on for a nose decision over Relief Rally in the Queen Mary. A daughter of Nyquist owned by Wathnan Racing, Crimson Advocate would not run again until the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, where she finished sixth against the boys after contesting the pace to midstretch in the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

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“Winning the race with her last year at Ascot was definitely one of the most gratifying moments of my career along with winning the Dubai Golden Shaheen in Dubai many years earlier with Saratoga County. That was very special too,” Weaver said. “Naturally we’d like to get her back to Ascot again this summer. We gave her some down time after the Breeders’ Cup. She’s stayed with me the whole time and has trained really well coming into this race.”

Weaver said Crimson Advocate just wasn’t herself prior to her race on Breeders’ Cup Friday.

“She got upset, she kind of lost her marbles when I saddled her in the paddock,” Weaver recalled. “She’d never shown me anything like that before. In my opinion, she was too tight mentally. She drew the rail, which was really disadvantageous, didn’t break that great and then got herself in a speed duel. So nothing really went right for her that day.”

Crimson Advocate will break from post position 4 with regular rider John Velazquez aboard in her 2024 debut.

Tiger Belle began her career in Europe, winning 3 of 5 starts, including the Group 3 Prix d’Arenberg at Longchamp on Aug. 31 before coming to the United States and finishing a tiring 12th after prompting the pace in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. Owners Michael and Julia Iavarone along with their partner Mark Frimmel purchased an interest in the filly prior to the Breeders’ Cup and have since transferred her to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., for whom she’ll make her first start on Sunday.

Let Them Watch captured the Sharp Susan and Sandpiper stakes in gate-to-wire fashion at 2 but will be making her turf debut in the Melody of Colors. The speedster has not started since finishing fourth after disputing the early running in the Glitter Woman decided over a sloppy track here Jan. 7.

El Terreno also will be making her turf debut if the race goes as scheduled on the grass, having won her only two previous starts over synthetic tracks at 2 for trainer Christophe Clement. She dominated maidens by 11 lengths at Presque Isle Downs to launch her career before capping off an abbreviated juvenile campaign with a very popular, 4 1/4-length allowance win over the Tapeta course here Dec. 15.

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