Lovely Maria targets Alabama Stakes
STANTON, Del. – Lovely Maria came out of her fifth-place finish in the Delaware Oaks last week in good shape and is pointing to the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga, according to trainer Larry Jones.
The Delaware Oaks was the first start for Lovely Maria since her victory in the Kentucky Oaks 10 weeks earlier. She tired in the stretch of the Delaware Oaks as the 3-10 favorite and was beaten 6 1/4 lengths.
"Lovely Maria came back good, she just got tired," Jones said. "We've had a little sickness going through the barn, and she coughed a little after the race. We're still on target for the Alabama."
The $600,000 Alabama will be run at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 22.
Although she didn’t run to expectations, Jones said Lovely Maria benefitted from the Delaware Oaks.
"She came out of the race a lot better than she went into it," he said.
White Clover, who finished seventh in the Delaware Oaks after pressing the pace of eventual winner Calamity Kate, will be pointed to the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on Aug. 22. The $100,000 Monmouth Oaks is a 1 1/16-mile race.
"We've had a lot of luck in that race," Jones said.
Jones has won the Monmouth Oaks four times since 2008. He won it last year with Cassatt. He also won it with No Such Word in 2010, Just Jenda in 2009, and Maren's Meadow in 2008. Jones's wife, Cindy, was the trainer of record for No Such Word.
I'm a Chatterbox, who swept the 3-year-old stakes series for fillies at Fair Grounds last winter, is on target for next Sunday's Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. The CCA Oaks is a 1 1/8-mile race.
In her last start, I'm a Chatterbox finished third in the Kentucky Oaks after dropping much farther off the pace than usual. Jones said he thinks I'm a Chatterbox doesn't handle the Churchill surface as well as other tracks.
"It's the only track she's ever been beat on," he said. "And her workouts there seem slower when compared to my other fillies."
I'm a Chatterbox is 0 for 3 at Churchill and unbeaten in four starts at Fair Grounds and Keeneland.