She Feels Pretty will summer in New York with an eye toward the QE II in the fall

Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty has returned to trainer Cherie DeVaux’s barn at Keeneland, following her dominant season-opening victory in the $100,000 Hilltop Stakes on Friday at Pimlico. After a summer stint in New York, her major late-season goal will be right back here at Keeneland.

“The big one would be the Queen Elizabeth in the fall,” DeVaux said. “A filly like this, it’s hard not to use that as the target instead of a Breeders’ Cup, so right now, that’s probably our long-term goal for this year.”

The Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, for 3-year-old fillies on the turf, is typically held on the second weekend of Keeneland’s October meet.

“I think what we’ll target right now is the series they had in New York,” DeVaux said of stepping-stones to that major divisional event.

The major races for 3-year-old turf fillies in New York are the Grade 1, $500,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 6 at Belmont at Aqueduct; the Grade 2, $400,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational on Aug. 2; and the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational on a yet-to-be-named date at Aqueduct.

She Feels Pretty won the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes last year at Woodbine before finishing third, beaten less than a length, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita. Her 5 3/4-length Hilltop victory was one of three stakes victories on Friday at Pimlico for DeVaux, along with Pyrenees in the Grade 3, $250,000 Pimlico Special and Shotgun Hottie in the $100,000 Allaire duPont Distaff.

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The accomplishment landed DeVaux the top prize of $50,000 in the Maryland Jockey Club’s bonus program offered to horsemen for participation in stakes races over Preakness weekend.

“We were just hoping the horses showed up – a horse like [Pyrenees], stepping up into stakes company and him performing, and Shotgun Hottie coming into form, and She Feels Pretty, her first start since last year,” said DeVaux, who ran horses at Pimlico for the first time on Friday. “You just hope you come in here and the horses run their race, they come out sound, they come out healthy. That’s the most important, the last part. It’s great.”

Pyrenees, who DeVaux said has “been a challenge,” was up to edge Kingsbarns by three-quarters of a length in the Pimlico Special. DeVaux is tentatively circling the Grade 1, $1 million Stephen Foster on June 29 at Churchill Downs as a target.

Shotgun Hottie is approaching millionaire status after her fourth career stakes win, comfortably rolling by 5 3/4 lengths in the duPont Distaff. One of her stakes wins came in last year’s Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park. She could attempt a repeat in the $500,000 race on July 20.

The duPont “was a step down as far as from a Grade 1, but it’s a stepping-stone to get to the Molly Pitcher,” DeVaux said. “She’s a big ol’ filly and she seems to run herself into form. So it takes a few races for her to be at her best, and that’s what we’re hoping for this summer.”

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