Ladies Turf: Mission of Joy finally holds the upper hand

Mission of Joy has spent her season competing against an army of Chad Brown-trained fillies and mares. She finished fourth in the Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs, a race in which Brown ran three. In the Just a Game at Saratoga, Mission of Joy came home a good third while facing four from the Brown barn. And in the Diana last month, a paceless race that worked against Mission of Joy, she was sixth in a Grade 1 with five Browns.

It has taken a trip to Kentucky Downs for Mission of Joy to escape the Brown hordes, and even in the Grade 3 Ladies Turf on Saturday she has not done so entirely, with Brown having sent key contender Fluffy Socks for this one-mile contest. This time, it’s trainer Graham Motion with power in numbers, as Sparkle Blue joins Mission of Joy in the starting gate.

There should be a dozen led into the gate Saturday since the Ladies Turf drew 14 entrants, including two also-eligibles. The race offers a base purse of $900,000 with another $600,000 available to Kentucky-breds.

Mission of Joy was bred in Canada and was scratched three weekends ago from the Canadian at Woodbine on the same day she was entered in the Beverly D. at Colonial Downs. She came out of that race as well, connections focusing on the filly’s first trip to Kentucky Downs.

“As long as she handles the turf course, we’re probably in the right spot,” said Motion.

:: Kentucky Downs Package Available Now - Get All Access PPs, Picks, Players Guide for just $20!

Sparkle Blue finished second in this race a year ago, giving Motion some confidence she handles the European-style course. Mission of Joy, who hasn’t had a truly good trip yet this season, has only some experience at Motion’s Fair Hill Training Center base to accustom her as best as possible to Saturday’s conditions. Motion said he takes all his prospective Kentucky Downs starters out to train in a field at Fair Hill, a closer approximation to Kentucky Downs than can be found at any racetrack.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a foolproof system. It doesn’t necessarily lead us to know if they’re going to handle it,” Motion said.

Mission of Joy shows solid Grade 2 form, verging on Grade 1, and she’ll be a handful under John Velazquez if her standard performance level carries over to the Kentucky Downs quirks and undulations.

Six-year-old Fluffy Socks has two years on Mission of Joy, finished behind her in the Diana, and this past spring lost to Sparkle Blue at Tampa Bay Downs, but she brings to the table winning Kentucky Downs form, albeit in a maiden race four years ago.

“Knowing she had a good run over that course before, we did mark this on the calendar, try and separate her from some of the others in our barn,” Brown said.

Rain could fall this weekend at Kentucky Downs, and Fluffy Socks also has good form over soft going.

Nadette ran in the 1 3/16-mile Beverly D., finishing fourth in another paceless race. Cutting back to one mile won’t hurt her chances. Regal Realm, who won this race last year, is 20-1 on the morning line, a sign of this field’s depth. Some case can be made for Sacred Wish, Implicated, Mouffy, Walkathon, and Evvie Jets.

But if Mission of Joy adapts to the conditions, the Ladies Turf is hers.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.