Navratilova takes a shot with drop into allowance
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Navratilova won’t ever make the Hall of Fame like her namesake, but that’s okay. The 3-year-old filly has competed exclusively in stakes since she won on debut 14 months ago, a record that speaks for itself.
Now comes a first-ever dip into the allowance ranks for Navratilova, one of a handful of contenders in a terrific Sunday feature at Keeneland. Getting Lasix for the first time, she’s part of an oversubscribed field of fillies and mares competing for a maximum purse of $90,000 in the eighth of nine races, a 5 1/2-furlong turf race restricted to 3-year-olds who have never won a graded stakes on the grass.
Navratilova was named by her owner-breeder, G. Watts Humphrey Jr., for tennis legend Martina Navratilova, but ironically, Humphrey is not a big tennis buff.
“Mr. Humphrey is more of a football and baseball kind of guy,” said trainer Rusty Arnold. “These names just kind of fell in our lap.”
Navratilova was produced by Centre Court, who was produced by Let, who was produced by Net Dancer, who was produced by Doubles Partner. You get the idea.
“Our first time into the family actually was with Let,” explained Arnold. “We bought her out of a Lane’s End dispersal in the mid- to late-1990s, and that’s how we got into the family – and how good has it been to us? Let was a Grade 2 winner, Centre Court was a Grade 1 winner, and now we have this filly.”
Navratilova earned the distinction of being the last horse to win a race over a Churchill Downs turf course that is undergoing a total renovation when she captured the Tepin Stakes going a two-turn mile on June 26, closing day of the spring meet. She then went unplaced in the Grade 3 Lake George at Saratoga and the Music City at Kentucky Downs. Arnold said he was puzzled by the subpar Kentucky Downs finish but noted the filly has rebounded in her training at Keeneland and a big effort could be forthcoming Sunday.
“She came out of the last one really, really well,” he said. “The five-and-a-half distance might be a touch short for her, but you don’t always get what you want. I’m very happy with how she’s doing and it’ll be a good spot to finish up her 3-year-old year.”
Navratilova will wear saddletowel No. 1, even though she has been assigned post 12 (before scratches). That’s because she’s part of a stable coupling that includes also-eligible Farsighted (No. 1A), also trained by Arnold. If Farsighted draws in, Julien Leparoux will ride her; otherwise, Leparoux has a second call on Navratilova.
Several familiar rivals for Navratilova will oppose her, including Lady Edith (post 4, Joe Talamo) and New Boss (post 2, Adam Beschizza), the one-two finishers ahead of Navratilova in a three-way photo in the May 8 Mamzelle going five furlongs on the Churchill turf. Other contenders in a competitive lineup include Amalfi Princess and Illegal Smile.
The nominal feature is the last of three straight allowances on a Sunday card that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern. Race 6 is an $88,000 second-level turf sprint that also drew a capacity field, while race 7 is an $86,000 first-level race for fillies and mares going a two-turn mile on the main track.