LOUISVILLE, Ky. – If a single race suffices to create a rivalry, then the fillies Cy Fair and Slay the Day renew theirs Thursday at Churchill in the Mamzelle Stakes. Cy Fair landed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint to cap a highly successful 2-year-old campaign, but making her 3-year-old bow April 10 in the Limestone Stakes at Keeneland, Cy Fair could do no better than a competitive third as the even-money favorite. Making just her second turf start, Slay the Day pressed Cy Fair down the backstretch and around the turn, caught her at the furlong grounds, and had enough left to hold clear Sapphire Beach, who sat a perfect pocket trip. Sapphire Beach, as of April 27, hadn’t worked back after the Limestone, but Cy Fair, Slay the Day, and nine others went into the Grade 3, $300,000 Mamzelle, a 5 1/2-furlong grass dash restricted to 3-year-old fillies. Neither George Weaver, who trains Cy Fair, nor Brian Lynch, Slay the Day’s trainer, was thrilled about running their horse back on 20 days’ rest. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, news, and more “I don’t really like coming back that fast, but it’s a $300,000 race, and since all the signs are she’s doing good, I can’t just leave her in the barn,” Weaver said. Cy Fair broke a half-beat behind Slay the Day in the Limestone but pushed forward under Irad Ortiz Jr. to take the lead. In her first two races Cy Fair had pressed the leader, but never before had she set tempo. In the Algonquin at Woodbine, her start before the Breeders’ Cup, Cy Fair swooped home from last with a flashy run, and in the Breeders’ Cup she stalked and pounced. Her lead in the Limestone had become precarious at the head of the homestretch, and by the time Cy Fair belatedly changed leads, Slay the Day had drawn even. Cy Fair mildly surged after swapping leads and stayed on solidly, losing by three-quarters of a length. “I thought she was a little sharp, just wound up on the lead the way things worked out. It wasn’t Irad’s choice,” Weaver said. What kind of trip Cy Fair gets in the Mamzelle – that, too, will rest with Ortiz. “I don’t give a lot of instructions. I don’t want to tie Irad’s hands.” Two Mamzelle longshots, Thank You Amy and Midnight Martini, have a lot of speed. Those two and Slay the Day could end up ahead of Cy Fair in the early stages Thursday. Slay the Day showed ability in three dirt starts last year but hit a new level when Lynch tried her on grass two months ago. “She was ultra-impressive the other day, pressed a pretty fast pace and was able to kick on, went eyeball to eyeball with the Breeders’ Cup winner,” Lynch said. Jose D’Angelo has trained the last two Mamzelle winners, Shisospicy and Twirling Queen, but with Snappy Comeback and Ifyousaidso, he seems to be bringing snowballs to a rock fight. While Hen Party, on March 28, comfortably captured the $125,000 Serena’s Song over Turfway Park’s Tapeta surface, she didn’t quicken like a horse especially suited to short turf sprints. Snow Face Princess made her 3-year-old bow with blinkers removed, but they go back on after she checked in a flat ninth in the Limestone. That leaves Final Accord the most appealing upset chance. Final Accord crunched a slow group of Woodbine maidens on debut, then won the six-furlong Matron at Aqueduct, leading trainer Mark Casse to try her over a two-turn mile in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Final Accord finished ninth with a bad trip and came out of the race with a minor injury that required surgery. “I thought she could win the Breeders’ Cup,” Casse said. “I think this race might be a touch too short for her, but we wanted to get her started somewhere.” Workout video of an April 15 breeze offers evidence Final Accord comes to her 3-year-old bow ready for something competitive. Whether that gets her into the nascent rivalry between Cy Fair and Slay the Day, we’ll find out in the Mamzelle. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.