Our Epiphany, Legal Laura make grass debuts in Christiana Stakes

Our Epiphany and Legal Laura both ran extremely well in stakes races taken off the turf this spring and should get an opportunity to make their debuts on grass in Wednesday’s $50,000 Christiana Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Delaware Park.

The one-mile overnight stakes goes as race 6 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern and drew a field of 10, including Battlefield Angel, an easy winner of her turf debut in the Midwest, and Black Elegance, who makes her first start in the U.S. after going 2 for 2 in Italy as a 2-year-old.

Our Epiphany was one of only three fillies left in the field after the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico was taken off the turf, and she scored a wire-to-wire victory in that 1 1/16-mile race on the Preakness undercard. She stretches back out to a mile following a fourth-place finish as the 7-5 favorite in a third-level allowance at Charles Town.

Based on pedigree, Our Epiphany should handle turf as a daughter of the young sire Great Notion and the mare Racing Bridgett, whose dam is Not For Love. Starfish Bay is a three-time stakes winner on turf, and she is by Great Notion’s sire, Elusive Quality, out of a daughter of Not For Love.

Legal Laura, a three-time winner in six starts on dirt, tried two turns for the first time when she finished a close second in the off-the-turf Little Silver going a mile at her home track, Monmouth Park. She is from the hot sire Wildcat Heir, whose 3-year-old daughter Daring Kathy is a two-time stakes winner on turf this season.

Battlefield Angel ships in from Kentucky for trainer Kellyn Gorder after romping by four lengths in a first-level $75,000 optional claimer June 5 at Arlington. Last fall, she was third in the Grade 1 Alcibiades on Keeneland’s Polytrack.

Blue Elegance has been training at Fair Hill with Rick Mettee for her first start in a year. Mettee is just 1 for 12 with route runners returning from a break of 180 days or more, according to DRF ’s Formulator.

Graham Motion, who won Saturday’s Delaware Oaks with Fortune Pearl, has an uncoupled entry in Queenie’s Song and Jane Peterson. Jane Peterson returns to turf for the first time since winning her maiden at Keeneland in April. Queenie’s Song, winner of a starter allowance at Tampa Bay in February, will be making her first start since March.