Juliet Foxtrot catches paceless field in Modesty Handicap

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois – In the second start of her career back in September 2017, Juliet Foxtrot won a maiden race at Goodwood by seven lengths. It took a year and a half and a change of continents, but that early promise finally is coming to fruition.

Exported from England earlier this year and turned over to trainer Brad Cox, Juliet Foxtrot has won both her American races. That’s a far cry from the goose eggs she put in during five starts last season, and on Saturday at Arlington, Juliet Foxtrot can win her first stakes race in the Grade 3, $150,000 Modesty Handicap.

Juliet Foxtrot, a Juddmonte Farms homebred, gets into the Modesty with a modest 115-pound impost owing to her lack of stakes experience. But her last start, a 4 1/2-length pasting of second-level allowance rivals going 1 1/8 miles at Churchill, looked like a stakes-quality performance.

“Her first start for us, I thought she was a little keen, just gutted it out at the end,” Cox said. “Watching that race, you wouldn’t think she’d go 1 3/16 miles in the Modesty, but watching her last race you would.”

Cox doesn’t see much pace in the Modesty, and he won’t be alone in that assessment. Remember Daisy could go forward but no one else has shown front-running tendencies, and Juliet Foxtrot, ridden by Florent Geroux, could wind up in front.

“We’ll just see how the race unfolds. You wouldn’t want her to get too aggressive,” said Cox.

Simply Breathless appears to be the main competition. Another 4-year-old English import, Simply Breathless ships from California, where she won the Grade 3 Wilshire at Santa Anita last out after capturing a $75,000 stakes race at Golden Gate in her North American debut and first start for trainer Neil Drysdale. Flavien Prat was aboard for both races and has the call Saturday.

Vexatious, a former Drysdale pupil now trained by Jack Sisterson, drops in class after finishing fifth in the Grade 2 New York last out at Belmont. Sisterson said he hopes Vexatious can stick closer to the pace Saturday, and if they go slow up front, she ought to.

Trainer Ignacio Correas has two entrants, blue-collar Na Pali Spirit and talented Cascanueces, who could have something to say at a long price. Correas said Cascanueces had a long-running sinus infection that has been successfully treated and that her talent exceeds her North American past performances.

Dalika tough in Hatoof

New Orleans native Al Stall doesn’t come across too many horses from Germany, but he likes what he’s seen so far from Dalika. The German filly ran decently in her North American debut, beat first-level allowance fillies and mares last out at Churchill, and ships to Arlington with a good chance to win the $75,000 Hatoof Stakes.

The Hatoof, carded at 1 1/16 miles, drew a solid field of nine and is a prep for the Pucker Up Stakes on the Arlington Million undercard.

Jockey Miguel Mena rode Dalika in her Kentucky races, the first of which turned difficult when Dalika hit the gate and was difficult to settle in the early and middle stages. That comeback run out of the way, the filly was an easier ride June 15, when she used a fast final furlong to win by a head.

Winning Envelope hasn’t had a chance to show her talent in three starts this year. The first came on dirt, which is her worst surface; the second with the wrong trip in the Florida Oaks (won by the excellent Concrete Rose); and the third on soft Keeneland turf she didn’t handle.

Specrealight, 10-1 on the morning line, could be a live longshot. She had a tough trip facing males last out in the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby, her first American start after being imported from Italy. Specrealight’s trainer, Brian House, and jockey, Eddie Martin, teamed up last week with Winning Number, who shipped from Canterbury Park to finish first in the $250,000 Iowa Derby, though he was disqualified to third.