Stallion Heiress faces tougher company in Edgewood Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Stallion Heiress is undefeated and virtually unchallenged after launching her career with three wire-to-wire victories, including a pair of stakes wins to kick off her 3-year-old campaign.

But even her trainer, Michael Stidham, won’t know for sure if she can rate, should the need arise, or fits against more-seasoned graded-stakes competition until late Friday afternoon at Churchill Downs when Stallion Heiress takes on a strong and well-matched field of 3-year-old filly turf specialists in the $150,000 Edgewood Stakes.

The Grade 3 Edgewood is scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf, although the status of the course is in doubt with rain, heavy at times, in the forecast for both Thursday and Friday in the Louisville area.

Stallion Heiress has won her three starts by a combined 15 lengths. She has led at every call in those races while winning at distances ranging from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. Stidham opted to give Stallion Heiress eight weeks off following her impressive 3 1/2-length tally in the Lacombe Memorial on March 11 at Fair Grounds.

“We’ve taken our time with her to allow her to mature and settle a little since her last start, and I’m excited about getting to try her in a bigger and better spot,” said Stidham, who has Stallion Heiress stabled at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.

“I’m really going to find out if she can rate and if she fits with this caliber of horses the same time everyone else does. If somebody else wants the lead, I think she’ll settle off horses. But she’s quick away from the gate, and I’d be surprised if she’s not in front again. We’re not going to take away one of her biggest assets. And she can carry it as well. Her gallop-out has been the most impressive part of her earlier races.”

A field of 13 fillies was entered for the Edgewood, although it is expected that trainer Mark Casse will opt to run Dream Dancing and await the Grade 2 American Turf here Saturday with La Coronel. A less-than-firm course, or even worse should the race be moved to the main track due to weather, almost certainly would reduce the size of the field even further.

Proctor’s Ledge is coming off a troubled third-place finish behind La Coronel in the Grade 3 Appalachian, the first loss following back-to-back wins for the improving daughter of Ghostzapper, trained by Brendan Walsh.

“She got shuffled back in the first turn and was further back than we would have liked, and there was not a ton of pace, so they weren’t coming back to her, although she ran down some real good fillies in the stretch,” said Walsh.

Dream Dancing also lost for the first time in three starts when she rallied belatedly to finish fourth following a very wide trip in the Appalachian.

India Mantuana figures to force the early running and might have the upper hand should the Edgewood come off the grass as the only member of the field with a win on dirt.