Public Assembly may be best of those gathered for Frankel

ARCADIA, Calif. – Public Assembly’s best performance this year was arguably a second by a neck to Mrs. Astor in the Grade 3 Red Carpet Stakes on Nov. 23 at Del Mar.

“She ran too good to lose,” trainer Phil D’Amato recalled over the weekend. “She got beat by a filly that had a phenomenal year.”

Mrs. Astor won three stakes in 2025, as well as the Red Carpet and Robert Frankel Stakes in the final months of 2024.

Public Assembly can win her second stakes in Wednesday’s Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf for fillies and mares at Santa Anita.

In April, Public Assembly won the Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita, her stakes debut. In the Red Carpet Stakes at 1 3/8 miles on turf, Public Assembly led briefly in the final furlong before being caught late.

A start at 1 1/8 miles on turf will suit Public Assembly, D’Amato insists.

“I think she’s a versatile mare,” D’Amato said. “I don’t think distance bothers her.

“She has tactical speed and can do a little bit of everything.”

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Owned by the partnership of Abbondanza Racing, McNulty Thoroughbreds, and Medallion Racing, Public Assembly starts from the inside post in a field of seven in the $100,000 Frankel Stakes.

A winner of 3 of 11 starts, the 4-year-old Public Assembly frequently races as a stalker.

“We should be ground-saving, at least,” D’Amato said.

“She’s getting better and she’s still young.”

Public Assembly is the only 2025 stakes winner expected to start in the Frankel. As Catch Can won the Old Dominion Oaks on Sept. 6 at Colonial Downs but finished ninth in Sunday’s Grade 1 American Oaks. She is expected to be withdrawn from the Frankel, trainer Jonathan Thomas said.

D’Amato also starts Sun of Hill, a Group 1 winner in Brazil in 2023 who is winless in 11 starts in the United States. Sun of Hill was fourth by two lengths in the Red Carpet Stakes. Second in the Royal Heroine Stakes in April, Sun of Hill will be retired after the Frankel Stakes and sent to Kentucky to be bred, D’Amato said.

“I think she likes this turf course more than Del Mar,” D’Amato said.

Paradise Lake will have a contending role as a stalker. Trained by Peter Eurton, Paradise Lake has won two of her last four starts and was third by 1 3/4 lengths in the Red Carpet.

Paradise Lake closed from sixth of nine to be nearest the front at the finish in the Red Carpet, a loss Eurton rated as a positive performance.

“It was a little far and she had a jump in class,” he said.

Paradise Lake has won twice at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita this year, in allowance races in May and October.

“She likes the mile and an eighth,” Eurton said. “I don’t think she’s quick enough for a mile. She’s as honest as the day is long.”

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