Miss Behaviour tries two turns in Charles Town Oaks

The Grade 3, $500,000 Charles Town Oaks will be held next Saturday evening.

The Oaks, which will be run around two turns at seven furlongs, is being targeted by Laurel Park-based Miss Behaviour, who finished second in both the Grade 1 Test and Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga.

In the seven-furlong Test, Miss Behaviour raced close to the pace throughout. She was beaten a length by multiple Grade 1 winner Sweet Reason and held second by a nose over Little Alexis, both of whom are pointing to the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx.

The Charles Town Oaks will be Miss Behaviour’s first start of the year around two turns.

“She proved in the Test she can get seven furlongs,” trainer Phil Schoenthal said, “and she handled the tight turns at Delta Downs fine last fall when we took her to the Delta Princess.”

Both Delta Downs and Charles Town have six-furlong tracks.

“When you come into the stretch at Charles Town, you are pretty much at the eighth pole,” Schoenthal said. “I think she’ll be fine there.”

Co-owner Cal MacWilliam was at Laurel last Saturday to watch Miss Behaviour train. MacWilliam bought her dam, Successful Romance, at the 2009 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

“The industry was tanking and we scooped her up at a reasonable price,” MacWilliam said. “She’s a stakes-placed Successful Appeal mare.”

Successful Romance, now 11, won a maiden race at Keeneland in her debut and a first-level optional claiming race at Aqueduct in 10 career starts.

“We have a Ghostzapper 2-year-old colt out of her,” MacWilliam said. “We had him here in training for a while and then we sent him back to the farm. He’ll be coming back soon. We also have a Langfuhr weanling.”

Successful Romance was in foal to Afleet Alex when MacWilliam bought her for $40,000. Miss Behaviour, her second foal, has so far won 4 of 10 starts, including the Grade 2 Matron at Belmont Park, and $502,000..