Minorette may have to contend with soft turf in Queen Elizabeth II
LEXINGTON, Ky. – If there’s a dancing queen in the field, well, she’d better be able to perform with give in the ground. Kindred contenders Ball Dancing, Daring Dancer, Sea Queen, and Crown Queen are among the nine 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s serendipitously named Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, a 1 1/8-mile turf race that likely will be run over a yielding course at Keeneland.
Personal Diary and Minorette don’t quite fit an ABBA playlist but nonetheless are among the other logical threats in this 31st running of the $500,000 QE II, which anchors a 10-race Saturday card as the sixth and last Grade 1 race of the Keeneland fall meet. Clearly, it’s one of those wide-open races that have come to characterize major turf events here, as Personal Diary, the winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, is pegged at a relatively high 7-2 as the program favorite.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Minorette. Trainer Chad Brown is 46-11-9-6 with a $2.30 ROI over the past two years in graded stakes turf routes following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
:: Learn more about Formulator | Buy Formulator PPs
:: Follow the @DRFFormulator Twitter feed and get free Formulator facts
Chad Brown, here Thursday during training hours, has one filly who does (Ball Dancing) and one who doesn’t (Minorette) fit the dancing-queen narrative. Predictably diplomatic, he gives both a solid chance, regardless of course condition.
“They’ve both run well in a variety of conditions,” said Brown, who won the 2012 QE II with Dayatthespa. “All I can tell you is both fillies have been training very well. We’ve been targeting this race with both of them for some time now.”
The QE II is named for the reigning British monarch who actually was here for the 1984 inaugural as the guest of Will Farish, whose green and gold colors will be carried in this renewal by Ball Dancing.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Ball Dancing. Trainer Chad Brown is 35-3-14-5 with a $0.75 ROI over the past two years in graded stakes turf routes following a layoff of 30 days or less. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
The QE II, the ninth race Saturday, will be directly preceded by three straight allowances. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the QE II going at 5:13. There could be many late arrivals among fans who will first attend the University of Kentucky football game at nearby Commonwealth Stadium (noon kickoff).
The weather forecast does not necessarily call for rain here Saturday, but the Bluegrass region was supposed to be hit with a deluge Friday.
KEY CONTENDERS
Minorette (Last 3 Beyers: 84-92-89)
◗ A big effort two starts back got her the largest chunk of a $1 million purse in the Belmont Oaks in July, after which she regressed slightly in the Lake Placid. Brown said he is looking for this Coolmore filly to show more punch on the rebound when favorably drawn with Joel Rosario up.
Ball Dancing (Last Beyer: 92)
◗ Her first and only start after crossing the pond was terrific, as she pulled a mild upset in the Grade 2 Sands Point in her debut for Brown. The ever-underrated Joe Bravo retains the mount.
Personal Diary (Last 3 Beyers: 94-80-85)
◗ All she did was win the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in her latest, although a soggy Keeneland turf course figures to be markedly different from what she last raced on. She’s been working regularly over the local course.
Sea Queen (Last 3 Beyers: 88-87-88)
◗ The beaten favorite in both the Del Mar Oaks and the Sands Point, this Christophe Clement-trained filly tends to fare best when overlooked on the tote board and when reserved off the early lead.
Crown Queen (Last 3 Beyers: 88-91-78)
◗ Her quick ascent up the class ladder was capped by a third straight victory amid a short field in the Grade 2 Lake Placid. John Velazquez rode five winners here last Saturday, while public sentiment surely rests with Bill Mott as the trainer of the late, great Cigar.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Crown Queen. Trainer Bill Mott is 17-1-3-3 with a $0.27 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes turf routes at Keeneland. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Daring Dancer (Last 3 Beyers: 78-87-69)
◗ She looked sensational in winning the Grade 3 Appalachian here in the spring, but trainer Graham Motion, who already has sent out nifty turf winners Arcane and Rainha Da Bateria at this meet, said he might scratch this Sagamore Farm homebred if the turf is too soft.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Daring Dancer. Trainer Graham Motion is 15-4-1-1 with a $6.00 ROI over the past two years in graded stakes turf routes at Keeneland. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan