Stopchargingmaria has much going for her in CCA Oaks
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The defections of Kentucky Oaks one-two finishers Untapable and My Miss Sophia have left Sunday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga a bit thin.
Of the six 3-year-old fillies entered, only Stopchargingmaria is a graded-stakes winner. Other than a likely short price, there is a lot to like about Stopchargingmaria.
A daughter of Tale of the Cat, Stopchargingmaria won her debut here last summer on opening day of the Saratoga meet. She has won three graded stakes, including two Grade 2’s – the Demoiselle at Aqueduct and the Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico – at 1 1/8 miles, the distance of the Coaching Club.[bc_video_id:330551:]
Stopchargingmaria is trained by Todd Pletcher, who has won the CCA Oaks five times, including two of the four runnings since the race was moved from Belmont to Saratoga in 2010. He won it last year with Princess of Sylmar.
Perhaps the biggest negative surrounding Stopchargingmaria is she’s never run that fast. She has a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 86, which hardly towers over this field.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Stopchargingmaria. Her victory in the Black-Eyed Susan last out was flattered, as two that ran behind her won their next start and three more finished in the money.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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There is not much pace in the field, and though Stopchargingmaria rallied behind a slow pace to win the Black-Eyed Susan by a neck, she showed speed in two stakes wins at age 2. She breaks from the rail under Javier Castellano.
“I think she’s versatile enough to where if it’s a slow pace she’ll be prominent,” Pletcher said.
One alternative to the favorite is the up-and-coming Taketheodds, trained by Ian Wilkes. Taketheodds, a daughter of Street Sense, is 2 for 4 in her career. She he has won her last two starts, both at Churchill.
Taketheodds is making her first start around two turns, but as a daughter of Kentucky Derby, Jim Dandy, and Travers winner Street Sense, the distance shouldn’t be an issue.
Wilkes believes Taketheodds could be a pace factor if need be as well. Brian Hernandez rides Taketheodds from post 6.
“She can be wherever she wants to be, that’s the one good thing about her,” Wilkes said. “She’s not one dimensional, she can do a lot of things.”
Morning-line second choice Unbridled Forever, America, Miss Besilu, and Courageous Julie complete the field.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 America. Trainer Bill Mott is 5 for 17 with a $4.62 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes dirt routes with horses making their third start following a layoff.Click for more details. – Dan Illman
The Coaching Club will be broadcast live on FOX Sports One as part of the “Jockey Club Tour on FOX” along with the Grade 1 Eddie Read from Del Mar in a two-hour broadcast that begins at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.
Top contenders
Stopchargingmaria (Last 3 Beyers: 85-81-59)
◗ Pletcher said Stopchargingmaria didn’t do well this winter in South Florida, but has made a turnaround since returning to New York.
“Maybe it was having the two races, maybe it was the change in climate, I don’t know, but she seemed to really blossom once she got up here and got back to her old self,” Pletcher said. “Her Black-Eyed Susan was more of what we were hoping for.”
◗ Stopchargingmaria is the only member of the field with a win over the track.
Unbridled Forever (Last 3 Beyers: 83-90-89)
◗ Aside from Stopchargingmaria, Unbridled Forever is the only other stakes winner in the field, having won the Silverbulletday at Fair Grounds. Since then, she was third to Untapable in the Fair Grounds Oaks and Kentucky Oaks and, third in the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont.
◗ In the Acorn, Unbridled Forever was 12th of 13 early before making a decent run, finishing 4 1/2 lengths behind winner Sweet Reason.
“They ran away from her early and [jockey Joel] Rosario said when the dirt hit her she backed up,” said Dallas Stewart, trainer of Unbridled Forever.
◗ According to DRF Formulator, Stewart is only 2 for 66 in graded stakes over the past five years. He is 1 for 13 in graded races at Saratoga over that time, the win coming via disqualification with Designer Legs in last year’s Adirondack.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Unbridled Forever. Trainer Dallas Stewart is 0 for 26 in the past five years at Saratoga in route races.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Taketheodds (Last 3 Beyers: 82-81-76)
◗ Over the last five years at Saratoga, trainer Ian Wilkes is 2 for 14 in graded stakes at Saratoga, but has six seconds.
◗ Taketheodds is out of Belterra, who won a graded stakes around two turns as a 2-year-old. Belterra is a half-sister to Royal Haven, who went 4 for 7 at Saratoga and won the Grade 2 A Phenomenon Stakes.