Lady Prancealot faces deep group in Gamely Stakes

Lady Prancealot has not raced since late February and is thriving this spring in advance of Monday’s Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita. Trainer Richard Baltas said the brief layoff is “a big positive” for Lady Prancealot.

“She had a lot of dances last year,” he said.

:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Lady Prancealot won consecutive starts in turf stakes at the end of an eight-race 3-year-old season last year – winning the Grade 3 Valley View Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland in October and the Grade 1 American Oaks as the 8-5 favorite at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita in December.

Lady Prancealot rates as a leading contender in Monday’s $300,000 Gamely Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf. The same can be said of Mucho Unusual, second in the American Oaks; Keeper Ofthe Stars, who beat Lady Prancealot in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes in February; the French import Etoile; and Beautiful Lover, a stakes winner at Monmouth Park last July.

Lady Prancealot is a danger from off the pace. John Velazquez has the mount for the first time.

“She’s a Grade 1 winner, but she’s running against older,” Baltas said.

The Gamely Stakes has a projected field of 11, including Ollie’s Candy, who was second in one graded stakes on turf last year and two in 2018. Ollie’s Candy, second by a head in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap on dirt April 18 at Oaklawn Park, could skip the Gamely for the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. Last August, Ollie’s Candy won the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes on dirt at Del Mar.

Chad Brown, honored with the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding trainer for the last four seasons, starts Beautiful Lover and Etoile in the Gamely.

Beautiful Lover, a winner of 3 of 7 starts, will have her Grade 1 debut in the Gamely. She was second by 1 1/4 lengths to Starship Jubilee in the Grade 2 Hillsborough Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf on March 7 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“She’s doing really well,” Brown said Wednesday. “She’s in good form. It’s a big step up in class.”

Brown sent five horses to Santa Anita for stakes on Saturday and Monday at a time when opportunities around the nation are limited because of the coronavirus outbreak. Brown is based at Belmont Park in the spring and summer, but that track that has yet to reopen.

Etoile is one of the latest French imports trained by Brown. Last spring, Etoile won the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre at about 1 5/16 miles on turf and was fourth, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Group 1 French Oaks at the same distance last June for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget.

Etoile typically races from off the pace and will have her American debut in the Gamely.

“She trains like she has the quality,” Brown said.

Keeper Ofthe Stars had a stalking trip when she rattled the toteboard with a 36-1 upset in the Buena Vista for her second graded stakes win at a mile since late October.

Keeper Ofthe Stars was fourth, beaten three lengths, in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in her last start at 1 1/8 miles. Monday, Abel Cedillo will ride Keeper Ofthe Stars, whose best chance is from a stalking position, trainer Jonathan Wong said. Wong said he thinks she can get the 1 1/8 miles if Cedillo can get her to settle early.

That strategy worked in the Buena Vista when Keeper Ofthe Stars closed from fourth of nine to beat the heavily favored Jolie Olimpica.

“We backed off her a little bit after that and gave her a break,” Wong said. “I think she’ll run with the best of them if she gets her trip.”