Litfin's preview: Opportunity knocks in CCA Oaks

CCA OAKS THERE FOR THE TAKING

Untapable awaits the Haskell, and so Sunday’s Coaching Club American Oaks presents an excellent opportunity for six 3-year-old fillies to garner a Grade 1 title.

It’s not the saltiest field ever assembled. Stopchargingmaria ran well here twice last summer, and boasts the only three graded stakes wins, as the others are a combined 0 for 12 in stakes. She is also 2 for 2 at 1 1/8 miles, while the rest have yet to win at the trip.

On the other hand, Stopchargingmaria hasn’t busted any stopwatches. The 85 Beyer Figure she received for a hard-fought win in the Black-Eyed Susan merely matched her first two figures as a 2-year-old here, and there was nothing faster than 81 in between.

Unbridled Forever has been beaten better than 24 lengths in three graded stakes starts, but 20 of those lengths were thanks to Untapable on the Fair Grounds Oaks and Kentucky Oaks, when she got figures of 89 and 90. Coming off a respectable third in the one-mile Acorn out of the chute at Belmont Park, she appears to be the main threat.

Miss Besilu, a $2.6-million weanling purchase, has been on turf and synthetic for two prior attempts in graded stakes. She is still eligible for second-level allowance conditions, but is coming off a pair of improved workouts for Bill Mott, and will never have a better chance to win a Grade 1 race.

FORMER STABLEMATES CLASH

The only Saratoga turf winners in the Lucky Coin Stakes (race 5) are Spring to the Sky and Strong Impact, who were both trained by Bruce Brown when they ran in a similar $100,000 stakes called the Fiddlers Patriot on the first Sunday of the meet a year ago.

Strong Impact won that race with a perfect hedge-hugging trip, while Spring to the Sky was basically eased due to a foot issue. He returned in late August to outgame the venerable Awakino Cat, who is a multiple stakes winner at the Spa (and entered Monday).

Strong Impact was claimed from a win in his 8-year-old debut for $80,000 by David Jacobson, and he won back a chunk of that by taking the John McSorley Stakes at Monmouth 23 days later. He ran back just six days after that, finishing fifth on yielding turf going seven furlongs at Belmont, and seems likely to rebound on the heels of a five-week break.

Spring to the Sky, meanwhile, comes off a career-best performance for Brown three weeks ago, when he scorched six furlongs in a near-track-record 1:07.05 under Javier Castelllano.

Spring to the Sky is now 4 for 8 with Castellano, and winless from 13 starts with anyone else.

ROYAL DELTA’S LITTLE SISTER

Crown Queen, a half-sister to dual champion Royal Delta, looks to advance through the preliminary allowance condition in race 9, scheduled for 1 3/16 miles on the Mellon (outer) turf.

Crown Queen, a stablemate of CCA Oaks entrant Miss Besilu, was purchased as a weanling for $1.6 million out of the same Keeneland sale as Miss Besilu in 2011. She showed flashes in two starts last year despite receiving trouble comments at the gate, and returned June 15 with an eye-catching maiden win from a difficult post going a mile on Belmont’s Widener course, running the last quarter in well under 23 seconds.

The added distance should suit her nicely.