French imports Kenzadargent, Stellar Path meet again in Eatontown

Kenzadargent came back running in her first start after a winter vacation to win the Miss Liberty Stakes at Monmouth Park in style. On Saturday, she will be favored to earn her first graded stakes win in the $100,000 Eatontown, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for fillies and mares.

Kenzadargent was powerful in winning the Miss Liberty. She middle-moved up the rail on the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile race, awaited racing room behind the leaders nearing the stretch, then shot through an inside opening to win by 3 1/4 lengths.

Imported from France last summer by owner Martin Schwartz and turned over to trainer Chad Brown, Kenzadargent won her first two U.S. starts – first- and second-level optional-claiming races at Saratoga and Belmont – before finishing sixth as the 2-1 favorite in her 3-year-old finale, the $200,000 Pebbles Stakes.

Kenzadargent seems on the verge of a strong season but will face a solid rival in Stellar Path on Saturday.

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Like Kenzadargent, Stellar Path is a French-bred 4-year-old. The pair raced against each other last June in the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly, with 10-1 Kenzadargent finishing third in the eight-horse field, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of fifth-place Stellar Path, who was sent off at 13-1.

The Prix de Sandringham was Kenzadargent’s final race in Europe. Stellar Path made three more starts overseas, winning the $71,200 Prix Millkom in France at Le Bouscat.

Stellar Patch won her U.S. debut in the four-horse Plenty of Grace for Christophe Clement at Aqueduct in April. She ran a strong race last time out when fourth, beaten 1 3/4 lengths, in the Grade 2 Nassau, a quickly run one-mile turf stakes at Woodbine.

Stellar Path seems to possess more early speed than Kenzadargent and could prove to be an elusive target.

The Eatontown has 11 horses in the body of the field, one also-eligible, and two main-track-only entrants.

KEY CONTENDERS

Kenzadargent (Last 3 Beyers: 95-79-85)

◗ She has been given three five-furlong works over the Widener turf course at Belmont since the Miss Liberty.

Stellar Path (Beyers: 90-90)

◗ She was 5 for 13 in Europe and won the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs at Deauville as a 2-year-old.

◗ She has made her last 11 starts at a mile.

Bocaiuva (Beyers: 85-85)

◗ Trained by Arnaud Delacour, she has made two U.S. starts this year after beginning her career in France.

◗ She made five of her last six French starts in group company.

◗ Her last five European races came at either 1 1/4 miles or 1 5/16 miles. Her two U.S. efforts have come at 1 1/16 miles, but she has not shown very much early speed and is likely to come from well back here.

Rusty Slipper (Last 3 Beyers: 82-88-84)

◗ She has won turf stakes at Monmouth Park the last two seasons for trainer Graham Motion.

◗ This will be her first East Coast start since returning from California, where she made five stakes starts between September and March.