Royal Charlotte trying to improve to 4 for 4 in Victory Ride

ELMONT, N.Y. – There may be only five horses in Friday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride Stakes, but there is neither a standout nor a throw-out among the 3-year-old fillies scheduled to run 6 1/2 furlongs over Belmont’s main track.

Royal Charlotte, trained by Chad Brown, brings a 3-for-3 record into the Victory Ride. She won a maiden race at Gulfstream, an allowance at Keeneland, and was visually impressive in making a quick move to the lead around the turn at Monmouth en route to a 2 1/2-length victory in the Hystericalady Stakes on May 27.

“We’ve really given her a chance to develop, running in a listed [stakes] down at Monmouth last time and not throwing her into the deep end of the pool right away,” said Brown, who trains Royal Charlotte for First Row Partners. “I think she’s a horse that continues to improve. I’m proud of her development. She’s a hard-trying horse and a bit of an overachiever.”

Cookie Dough cuts back to a true sprint for the first time since she won the Susan’s Girl Stakes at Gulfstream Park last fall. She finished third in both the Gulfstream Oaks and Black-Eyed Susan when trained by Stanley Gold. In her first start for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, Cookie Dough pressed a wicked early pace under Javier Castellano and faded to eighth in the Grade 1 Acorn.

“Unlucky to go so fast early. Didn’t quite expect that; I don’t think Javier wanted to do that,” McLaughlin said. “She came out of it in good shape. In the morning, she’s not a run-off or difficult, but in the afternoon, she’s fast.”

With Castellano riding Royal Charlotte from the rail, Rajiv Maragh will be aboard Cookie Dough from post 2.

Brill is another cutting back to a sprint after a third in the Grade 3 Fantasy and a fourth in the Black-Eyed Susan. She will be the first starter for Don Chatlos Jr., who has taken over the training of owner Larry Best’s horses that formerly were in the care of Jerry Hollendorfer.

Chatlos noted that Brill won her debut last July at Del Mar going five furlongs and ran a solid second to Lyrical Lady in an allowance at Oaklawn going six furlongs in March.

“I think 6 1/2 [furlongs] is in her wheelhouse,” Chatlos said.

Peruvian Appeal, trained by Brad Cox, finished fourth in that March allowance race at Oaklawn in which Brill was second. Peruvian Appeal has since come back to win two straight allowance races.

Sue’s Fortune comes off a closing second to the heavily favored and still-undefeated Break Even in the Jersey Girl Stakes here June 9. She is 2 for 2 at 6 1/2 furlongs, having won the Grade 2 Adirondack last summer at Saratoga and an allowance over New York-breds in her 3-year-old debut last month at Belmont.