Guarana can cement divisional honors in Cotillion

Guarana has already done things that stamped her as special. Saturday, she could do something that could stamp her as a champion.

Guarana will seek her third consecutive Grade 1 victory in Saturday’s $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing, a race that looks to be her toughest assignment to date. Among her 10 rivals will be Grade 1 winners Serengeti Empress, Bellafina, and Jaywalk, last year’s 2-year-old filly champion. Graded stakes winners Street Band and Horologist make the Cotillion – a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita – an intriguing affair.

“If one of the Grade 1 winners in here wins on Saturday, I think they seal the 3-year-old filly championship,” said Tom Amoss, trainer of Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress. “That’s how good I think this field is.”

In three career starts, Guarana has been nothing short of sensational. She won her debut by 14 3/4 lengths sprinting at Keeneland in April. In her second start, Guarana defeated Serengeti Empress by six lengths in the Grade 1 Acorn going a one-turn mile at Belmont. She then passed her two-turn and 1 1/8-mile test, going gate to wire to win the Coaching Club American Oaks by one length.

The Cotillion, still at two turns, is run at 1 1/16 miles.

“She’s carrying plenty of weight. She’s training really, really well. It’s just a matter of whether she likes the track at Parx or not,” said Chad Brown, who trains Guarana for Three Chimneys Farm.

Guarana won two of her three races on the lead and sat behind wicked early fractions to win the Acorn. There appears to plenty of pace yet again in the Cotillion, with Serengeti Empress, Bellafina, and Jaywalk – the latter pair drawn in posts 10 and 11, respectively – in the field.

“I prefer her with some pace in front of her,” Brown said. “I think she’s drawn fine, there’s speed on both sides of her. I’ll leave it up to Jose [Ortiz]. So far, so good.”

Guarana is drawn in post 8.

Serengeti Empress, for the third straight race, has the rail. She won the Kentucky Oaks in gate-to-wire fashion from post 13, clearing what looked to be a speed-laden field. Amoss expects his filly to be on the lead again Saturday under Irad Ortiz Jr.

“There’s no secret to our game plan, we’re going to try and get out there,” Amoss said. “What happens in that first quarter of a mile, first half of a mile is going to have a lot to say about how Serengeti Empress is going to run. Coming out of sprints, our speed is pretty brilliant. She has shown she has speed and can carry it a route of ground. I think we’re the speed of the speed.”

The value in the race may be Street Band. Though she has twice been defeated by Serengeti Empress, Street Band has won the Fair Grounds Oaks and Indiana Oaks at the Cotillion distance. She is coming out of a third-place finish behind Dunbar Road in the Grade 1 Alabama at 1 1/4 miles. Street Band breaks from post 3 under Sophie Doyle.

“We’re liable to be farther back than we’ve been, but that way Sophie won’t have to fight with her,” trainer Larry Jones said. “I think it’ll be a good thing. Hopefully, we can get first run at anybody that’s backing up.”

Jaywalk, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, is at her home track and looks to bounce back from a loss to Horologist at 1-5 in the Monmouth Oaks. Jaywalk gets a rider switch to Joel Rosario.

Bellafina, the Santa Anita Oaks winner and beaten Kentucky Oaks favorite, comes off a third behind Covfefe and Serengeti Empress in the Grade 1 Test. Trainer Simon Callaghan is equipping her with blinkers for this start.

Horologist has won four straight races. Jeltrin comes off a win in the Cathryn Sophia, the local Cotillion prep on Sept. 2. Afleet Destiny, Collegeville Girl, She Makes Me Smile, and Sweet Sami D complete the field.

The Cotillion, race 10 on the 13-race Parx card that begins at 12:25 p.m. will be broadcast live on NBC Sports during a one-hour broadcast beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern that will include the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby.