Mechaya hopes for better luck in ongoing quest for second win
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On July 8, trainer Jim DiVito bemoaned all the bad luck that had kept Mechaya, a filly too good to be stuck at the first allowance level, from winning a second race.
Two days later, at Ellis Park, she got another dose of it, though “luck” probably isn’t quite the right word. In-race human decisions, or lack thereof, put Mechaya in an impossible position, and even an eye-catching late burst could not get Mechaya home.
Beaten a half-length three weeks ago, Mechaya tries, once again, to win for the first time since her debut in August 2024 when she starts in the eighth race Friday at Ellis. Mechaya and nine other older fillies and mares were entered in a first-level turf mile allowance, and the 9-2 morning line odds on Mechaya would be more than fair.
Had they run that July 10 race over 1 1/2 miles rather than 5 1/2 furlongs, Mechaya might have lapped the field. After losing position going into the turn when taken off the rail, Mechaya wound up stuck behind horses from the three-furlong marker to nearly the eighth pole. She finally got room to operate after being steered inside, flashed home with a huge run, and when the camera pan ended the gallop-out presentation 12 seconds after the finish, Mechaya had at least 15 lengths on her closest rival.
Mechaya does not want to run 1 1/2 miles, but she can get one mile. She’s tried two turf routes, finishing fourth with a bad trip in the Grade 2 Jessamine at age 2 and turning in an entirely unrepresentative performance in the Grade 3 Regret in May 2025. Ben Curtis picks up the mount.
The line has Leinani as the 3-1 favorite. By turf sire Karakontie and out of the turf mare Romy, she makes her grass debut after four solid, if unspectacular, dirt races. She’s trained by Chad Brown, a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer who strongly concentrates on East Coast racing during the summer. Over the last three years, the Brown barn has gone 7 for 74 in straight maiden and allowance races at Churchill Downs and Ellis.
Call On Me will take plenty of betting despite a poor showing last month in the Grade 2 Wonder Again at Saratoga. Call On Me scored a good-trip, second-start turf route maiden win in April at Keeneland and, through circumstances more than poor judgement, made the lead too early when third in a May 7 first-level Churchill allowance that had a late-running, outside flow. At risk of going wide into the first Wonder Again turn, her rider attempted to take a hold of Call On Me, who fought him, never really settled, and never reached contention.
◗ There’s quite an interesting one-mile turf maiden special weight for 2-year-olds earlier on the card in race 4. Entered are several well-bred first-timers, including Starry Night, by Flightline out of Spanish Star, the dam of graded-stakes winners Kilwin, One Timer, and Just Basking. Starry Night, trained by Ian Wilkes, has the high knee action some associate with turf horses, but even working on dirt, she has evinced serious ability.
◗ Leading jockey Francisco Arrieta on Friday serves the last of his three-day suspension for careless riding.
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