Mrs D enters Breeders' Cup picture with upset in Algonquin Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Mrs D could be Breeders’ Cup-bound after she upset the heavily favored Go for Launch in Saturday’s Grade 3 Algonquin Stakes for 2-year-olds at Woodbine.

The five-furlong inner turf dash was run over a course labeled as good and featured a speed duel between Allura and Excessif.

Go for Launch made up ground quickly from fourth in the stretch to hit the front inside the eighth pole, before Mrs D came wide with a lethal kick from a trailing sixth to score by 1 3/4 lengths, in a time of :57.74.

Speaker’s Speech was along for third, ahead of Allura, Lou’s Room, and Excessif.

Jose Campos rode Mrs D for trainer Steve Chircop, who was winning his second 2-year-old stakes of the meet.

“The plan was to come just behind the speed,” Campos said. “The filly broke a little bit slow, so (I decided) to stay here and wait and make just one move. Everything to win - nothing to lose. From the two and a half, I said okay we’re going to have a good time. We were last, but he had a good trip. When I asked her to go, she was ready to go.”

A daughter of Bolt d’Oro, Mrs D ($17.40) earned $150,000 of the $250,000 purse for JDLP Holdings.

Cy Fair won last year’s Algonquin before annexing the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar. Chircop said Mrs D could run back in this year’s renewal of that race Oct. 30 at Keeneland.

“It was definitely something we discussed before the race if she won,” Chircop said. “We were taking a shot. Her last work was phenomenal. You couldn’t have asked for a better work. She had some hiccups that we had to work with, but (owner Joe Demarinis) let us give her the time. It all prevailed today.”

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