Devious Dame gets more ground in Sorority Stakes

Even when Devious Dame debuted with a five-furlong maiden win May 5, her trainer, Norm Casse, thought the filly would better suit route racing than sprinting. Sunday, in the $200,000 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park, Casse will find out if that assessment was accurate.

Devious Dame is one of eight 2-year-old fillies entered in the Sorority, contested over one mile around two turns. The filly was 2-1 when she romped in her career debut and 2-5 when she crushed four foes in the Astoria Stakes on June 9 going six furlongs at Belmont Park. She’ll be favored Sunday, and if she does what’s expected of her, Devious Dame will head to the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes in October at Keeneland still unbeaten.

Her opposition includes some promising horses. Vedareo smartly won her career debut at Parx Racing and has a couple plausible excuses for a flat fifth-place finish July 14 in the Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga. Vedareo stumbled at the start while careening into the horse inside her, then faded from the three-furlong pole to the wire.

“The track up there was really deep,” trainer Butch Reid said. “We had her up there a week and galloped her, but I don’t think she was fit enough to be ready for that. Monmouth is much more conducive to the kind of speed horse she is. She trains like she can run all day – like her big sister.”

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Reid was referring to Vequist, an early developing 2-year-old of 2020 who stretched out to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Rail-drawn Shiny Slam should be prominent early, but while she drew clear late to win her six-furlong debut, Shiny Slam’s pedigree strongly suggests she’ll struggle to get one mile. New Jersey-breds Sea Maiden and Riding Pretty aren’t hapless, and Riding Pretty in particular has a chance at a top-three finish. Born Dapper, already with four races, would be making her dirt debut, while Outofnothingatall wasn’t especially impressive visually or on the clock beating three rivals in a winning Evangeline Downs debut.

Alma Rosa debuted at Monmouth finishing a distant second to Munnys Gold, whose 101 Beyer Speed Figure was off-the-charts high for a mid-June 2-year-old. Alma Rosa in her second start, July 19 at Colonial, pressed the pace and under strong upper-stretch urging drew away to a 10 1/2-length maiden win in a six-furlong sprint. She’s by hot first-crop sire Sharp Azteca, who could carry his speed around two turns, and Alma Rosa’s family imparts turf-route blood. It’s she who might give Devious Dame her sternest test.

Devious Dame, by Girvin, another streaking first-crop sire, has yet to be tested. The filly is atypical for a precocious juvenile winning sprints in May and June. She rates kindly and has come from off the pace in both races and has continued to look like a good thing during morning exercise.

“We’re excited about the way she’s training, and everything she does points out to me she’s a two-turn horse,” Casse said. “Galloping, she moves so much better when she’s in the bridle than when she’s chasing. She’s very laid back, takes everything in stride, just seems like a professional horse.”

Joe Talamo, aboard for Devious Dame’s debut, has the mount. Devious Dame was to ship Friday from Kentucky to New Jersey – and she’s likely to go home with a second stakes win.