Roxelana Stakes draws some big names

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A decade or so ago, Churchill Downs began regularly carding what horsemen and fans call “little overnight stakes.” They are races not necessarily meant for the elite, with slightly lower purses than more traditional graded events.

Somebody forgot to tell all that to Steve Asmussen, who will saddle Grade 1 winner Mia Mischief on Saturday for the $120,000 Roxelana at Churchill, or to Brad Cox, who entered the record-setting 3-year-old filly Covfefe in the six-furlong race.

Cox said Thursday that Covfefe might not actually start in the Roxelana as he decides how to proceed toward her major summer goal, the Grade 1 Test Stakes on Aug. 3 at Saratoga.

“We can wait and run against 3-year-old fillies only in the Victory Ride,” a Grade 3 race on July 5 at Belmont Park, Cox said. “Or we might just train straight into the Test.”

Covfefe set the racing world abuzz on the day before the Preakness at Pimlico when she shattered a 29-year-old track record getting six furlongs in 1:07.70 in the Miss Preakness.

“She came out of it really well and has trained just like you’d want,” said Cox. “It’s just a matter of how we want to get to the Test.”

If Covfefe starts – a decision Cox said he is likely to make Saturday morning – she’ll do so from post 2 with Shaun Bridgmohan riding.

Even without Covfefe, a terrific lineup of nine older fillies and mares would remain in the Roxelana, the 10th of 11 races on a Saturday card that starts at 12:45 p.m. Eastern.

Mia Mischief (post 10, Ricardo Santana Jr.), a last-out winner of the Grade 1 Humana Distaff on Kentucky Derby Day, will be using the race as a bridge toward the major filly-mare sprints at Saratoga, most notably the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 24.

“There are two places she’s run exceptionally well – here and Saratoga,” said Asmussen. “I didn’t run her in the Bed o’ Roses [on June 7 at Belmont Park] because her only poor run last year came at Belmont in the Victory Ride. This should set us up well for Saratoga.”

Other main players in the Roxelana cast are Honey Bunny, Astrollinthepark, Upset Brewing, and Classy Act, the respective 1-2-3-5 finishers in the Grade 3 Winning Colors here four weeks ago.

This is the 10th running of the Roxelana, named for a 1997 foal who won seven of 11 career starts for the late Blackie Huffman. Post time is 5:26. It’s part of a Single 6 wager (races 6-11) that had a jackpot of nearly $181,000 when a four-day race week began Thursday evening. Three straight allowances (races 7-9) directly precede the feature.

KEY CONTENDERS

Mia Mischief, by Into Mischief
Last 3 Beyers: 99-81-89

◗ Even before validating her quality with an 11-1 upset of the Humana Distaff, this 4-year-old had shown herself as one of the fastest and most consistent fillies around, having been first or second in 11 of 13 prior starts.

Covfefe, by Into Mischief
Last 3 Beyers: 107-84-70

◗ She romped by 8 1/2 lengths in the Miss Preakness, and her return to action has been eagerly awaited by racing fans.

Honey Bunny, by Tapizar
Last 3 Beyers: 84-78-79

◗ Trained by John Ortiz, this former $16,000 claim has come to peak form and will be risking a five-race win streak that was kept alive with her rallying score in the Winning Colors.