Nest could give Pletcher his seventh win in Demoiselle
Nest gives trainer Todd Pletcher the impression she’ll appreciate 1 1/8 miles and two turns when she runs in the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle for 2-year-old fillies.
Pletcher has won the Demoiselle six times, including last year with Malathaat, who went on to win this year’s Kentucky Oaks and Alabama.
Nest, a daughter of Curlin owned by Repole Stables, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House, won a 1 1/16-mile maiden race as easy as she pleased, by five lengths, at Belmont on Sept. 25. In her next start, she made a belated bid when finishing third behind Gerrymander and Magic Circle in the one-mile Tempted Stakes on Nov. 5.
“She’s definitely a two-turn filly,” Pletcher said. “I thought she ran well in the Tempted, got going a little too late. She’s trained well since then. I think she’ll like the mile and an eighth.”
Pletcher also sends out Miss Interpret, who won the off-the-turf P.G. Johnson Stakes before running eighth, without excuse, in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland.
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Venti Valentine, a daughter of Firing Line, gets a chance to stretch out in distance and take on open company after beating New York-breds in her first two stats. She is coming off a dominant 3 3/4-length victory in the Maid of the Mist, run over a sloppy track.
“She came out of her last race really well. I think stretching her out is going to be good for her,” trainer Abreu said.
Tap the Faith, a $1.25 million yearling purchase, overcame a slow start to win a one-mile maiden race by a head on Nov. 7. Trainer Christophe Clement said Tap the Faith was a little fractious pre-race, and an assistant starter was holding her tail right before the gates opened.
“She’d never been a problem before or since,” Clement said.
Tap the Faith is by Tapit out of the Grade 1 Alabama winner Embellish the Lace.
Magic Circle won her debut at 25-1 at Saratoga before finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Frizette at 36-1 and second in the Tempted at 11-1.
Nostalgic, was a dominant winner of slow maiden race going 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 22. Full Count Felicia and Golden Essence complete the field.
The top four finishers in the Demoiselle earn qualifying points (10-4-2-1) toward the Kentucky Oaks.
Saturday's Aqueduct card will start with $729,611 pick six carryover after the bet went unhit last Sunday and Thursday.