Deep fields for Mrs. Revere, Commonwealth Turf
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The opportunity to remain within the division and compete for graded black type is a major reason why sensational fields of 3-year-olds have assembled Saturday for twin turf stakes at Churchill Downs.
The Grade 2, $200,000 Mrs. Revere and its little brother, the Grade 3, $100,000 Commonwealth Turf, anchor a 10-race card on what will be a frigid afternoon at Churchill. Both 1 1/16-mile races amount to final chances for virtually all of these horses to remain in their age group before being dispersed into the ranks of older horses.
The Mrs. Revere is extraordinarily deep, with 19 fillies having been entered. As many as 14 can run; four are on an also-eligible list, and one was excluded altogether. New York is particularly well represented: Testa Rossi, Distorted Beauty, Lady Lara, Sandiva, and Walk Close will be in from Belmont Park to mix it up with Maryland shippers Munirah and A Little Bit Sassy and such accomplished local runners as Sparkling Review, Personal Diary, Speed Seeker, and Kiss Moon.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Testa Rossi. Trainer Chad Brown is 12-0-5-1 over the past five years in graded stakes routes with horses returning from a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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It truly is quite a race.
To a similar degree, the Commonwealth Turf is a genuinely classy-looking grab bag, with Heart to Heart appearing to be the horse to catch among a field of 13 colts and geldings.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Munirah. Trainer Graham Motion is 106-20-11-13 with a $3.83 ROI over the past two years in turf route graded stakes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
First post Saturday is 12:40 p.m. Eastern, with the Commonwealth Turf (race 7) going at 3:37 and the Mrs. Revere (race 9) set for 4:36. The forecasted high temperature is 41.
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MRS. REVERE (RACE 9)
KEY CONTENDERS
Testa Rossi (Last 3 Beyers: 75-84-82)
◗ Trainer Chad Brown told Churchill publicity this week that this late-running French-bred filly injured herself slightly following the April 5 Ashland but that “she came back from it in good order and has been training well since. We’ve had the Mrs. Revere circled since about August.”
Distorted Beauty (Last 3 Beyers: 89-85-84)
◗ This top New York stable goes out of its way to send in a New York-bred filly for a rare Churchill start (Bruce Levine is 1 for 5 lifetime here). Her speed, tractability, and consistency are obvious pluses, so it’ll be up to Joe Rocco Jr. to work out the right kind of trip.
Sparkling Review (Last 3 Beyers: 85-82-74)
◗ Her dominating victory in the Grade 3 Valley View last month at Keeneland made Ben Colebrook a hometown hero with his first stakes win as a trainer. A couple of maintenance works in the interim have kept this Lemon Drop Kid filly on her toes.
Lady Lara (Last Beyer: 90)
◗ This Irish-bred filly, who pulled a mild come-from-behind upset in a key race toward this, the Oct. 13 Pebbles on the Belmont turf, will be getting first-time Lasix for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. She was a group-level filly for much of her career in England, so she clearly belongs.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 11 Lady Lara. Trainer Bill Mott is 153-9-15-15 with a $0.71 ROI over the past five years in turf routes with horses getting Lasix for the first time. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Sandiva (Last 2 Beyers: 82-81)
◗ One of five fillies in here exiting the Pebbles, she stands to benefit from that outing when making her third North American start for the ever-dangerous Todd Pletcher barn.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Miss Frost. Trainer Neil Howard is 34-0-2-5 over the past five years in races following a trainer switch. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Personal Diary. Trainer Victoria Oliver is 44-1-7-8 with a $0.34 ROI over the past five years in turf routes in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
COMMONWEALTH TURF (RACE 7)
KEY CONTENDERS
Wallyanna (Last 3 Beyers: 79-77-89)
◗ This Langfuhr colt from an underrated stable wowed them in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame at 23-1 but has yet to validate that surprise; he’s here on a mission while well drawn with top New York rider Irad Ortiz Jr. accepting a call.
Heart to Heart (Last 3 Beyers: 94-96-79)
◗ He didn’t beat a whole lot when getting the easiest of trips in the Grade 3 Jefferson Cup here in September, so don’t overestimate that romp; conversely, he does tend to create his own luck and could prove elusive once again if permitted to steal off.
Highball (Last 3 Beyers: 85-85-84)
◗ This steady colt has faced some real good ones (i.e., Adelaide) and sports a terrific work slate for a high-percentage barn since having lived up to favoritism in a lighter spot at Kentucky Downs; if they make any mistakes, he’ll be bearing down late.
Bashart (Last 3 Beyers: 85-83-81)
◗ The far-outside post makes this a tricky assignment for Luis Saez, who makes his first appearance here since the tragic Oct. 14 death of his younger brother, Juan; the homebred colt is still winless this year but has met some pretty stiff competition.