Frizette fillies enter with something to prove
There aren’t any household names in the Grade 1 Frizette on Saturday at Belmont Park, but there is a lot of promise in the field of seven lightly raced 2-year-old fillies.
The $400,000 Frizette, a one-turn mile, is the final Win and You’re In for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland.
There are two stakes winners in the lineup, four last-out maiden winners, and a debut winner who most recently finished fourth in a Grade 1.
The stakes winners are Nemoralia, an Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March 2-year-old purchase who has made four starts, all in Britain, and She’s All Ready, who owns the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the field, a 78, for her win over New York-breds in the Seeking the Ante at Saratoga.
The last-out maiden winners are Width, who overcame a bad start to win her debut at Saratoga for Christophe Clement, and Nickname, Desert Tune, and Where’s the D, who each improved on her first start to win next time out.
Where’s the D has been sent in from California by trainer Doug O’Neill. As sometimes happens, she was written off by the public after failing to make an impression at 12-1 in her debut. She paid $71 when scoring by 1 3/4 lengths at Del Mar on Labor Day.
“She disappointed in her debut, and we were shocked,” O’Neill said. “She broke slowly, and we were expecting more. We were wondering, ‘Is she a morning glory?’ We gave her a gate work, and in her second start, she jumped right into it like we wanted her to.”
Key contenders
Width (Beyer: 72)
◗ She broke in the air to get away last of 10, steadily advanced four wide on the far turn, then pulled away to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Third-place finisher Libreta came back to win her next start for Godolphin.
◗ Bred and owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, she is a half-sister to Grade 3 Iowa Oaks winner Size.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Width. Trainer Christophe Clement is 15-7-2-0 with a $2.33 ROI over the past five years with juveniles in their second career start following a winning debut. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
:: Learn more about Formulator | Buy Formulator PPs
:: Follow the @DRFFormulator Twitter feed and get free Formulator facts
Nickname (Beyers: 76-62)
◗ Didn’t get away well in her debut, then moved four wide on the far turn with Rachel’s Valentina before tiring. Trained by Steve Asmussen, she showed more speed in her maiden win and should vie for the lead here.
Desert Tune (Beyers: 69-58)
◗ Has the advantage of a win over the track at the Frizette distance.
◗ Her debut race was better than it looks on paper. Last early, she made a sustained run up the fence to reach contention in upper stretch before flattening out.
◗ Daughter of Street Cry is a half-sister to the versatile Better Lucky, a two-time Grade 1 winner on turf who was beaten a head in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
She’s All Ready (Beyers: 78-74)
◗ Junior Alvarado worked her last week for trainer Jim Ryerson. Alvarado takes over from Kendrick Carmouche, who is at Keeneland on Saturday.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 She’s All Ready. Won the Seeking the Ante Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 28; horses coming out of that race have gone 4-0-0-0 in their next starts, with a top Beyer Speed Figure of 58. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Where’s the D (Beyers: 73-39)
◗ Showed good speed in her maiden win. May challenge Nickname for the lead.
Nemoralia
◗ Has won on turf and synthetic in Britain for trainer Jeremy Noseda. Daughter of Scat Daddy was a $170,000 2-year-old buy.
Anna Rae (Beyers: 61-69)
◗ Won a $65,000 maiden-claiming race at Saratoga by 11 1/2 lengths for Jeremiah Englehart before finishing fourth of six in the Spinaway.