Litfin's preview: Spotlight on 3-year-old fillies
3-year-old fillies spotlighted on turf and dirt
It’s a big day for 3-year-old fillies on turf and dirt, with the Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid scheduled for the inner turf at 1 1/8 miles as race 3, and the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama carded as race 10.
Although just five entered for turf, the Lake Placid is an intriguing race that pits Chad Brown’s uncoupled duo of graded stakes winners Minorette and Xcellence against the regally bred Crown Queen.
Minorette and Xcellence, first and fourth in the Belmont Oaks, have since turned in four straight bullet workouts together. Minorette has improved with each start in the United States this season, while Xcellence will be first-time Lasix after being given over to Brown following her stateside debut.
Crown Queen, a half-sister to Royal Delta, is rising from the preliminary allowance ranks, but could not have been more impressive on the first Sunday of the meet when she swept past the leaders on the far outside approaching the stretch and drew away with something left.
“This is a big jump up because there are some really nice fillies in there,” said trainer Bill Mott. “We could have run in a restricted stakes at a mile, but [based on her last race] the distance would be satisfactory going at a mile and an eighth.”
Mott also takes three swings against clear-cut favorite Stopchargingmaria in the Alabama with America, Miss Besilu , and Size.
Miss Besilu and America were third and fourth behind Stopchargingmaria in the Coaching Club American Oaks, but the equalizer could be 1 1/4 miles.
“We’ve been looking forward to 10 furlongs for America for quite some time,” said Mott.
After three races at six furlongs, Size handled a stretch to 1 1/16 miles to win a sloppy Iowa Oaks in her last start.
“She keeps coming, keeps coming,” said Mott. “Whether she’ll keep coming at 10 furlongs, we just have to wait and see.”
Stopchargingmaria has won four graded stakes, and other than Size, the only other graded stakes winner is Fortune Pearl, who closed strongly to take the Delaware Oaks most recently.
The Alabama is the third leg of a late pick four with a $500,000 guaranteed pool that gets under way with race 8 at 4:49 p.m. Eastern.
Horse to watch
SILKY
Trainer: Alan Goldberg
Last race: Aug. 14, 3rd
Finish: 2nd by 2 1/4
Beyer: 78
Slow to settle into stride early, and then lacked room through the stretch and bumped several times with the winner while attempting to bull her way out for a clear lane.