Sweet Cassiopeia, Speedinthruthecity add class to Dream Supreme
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As overnight stakes races go, they don’t come much better than Friday’s $58,000 Dream Supreme at Churchill Downs. Of the nine entrants, three are multiple stakes winners – Vuitton, Sweet Cassiopeia, and Speedinthruthecity – and five others are stakes-placed.
The top money earner is Sweet Cassiopeia, a winner of 11 of 31 starts and more than $651,000. Though she is 6, Sweet Cassiopeia is showing no signs of slowing down.
She won a pair of stakes this year on dirt and most recently was third behind Free as a Bird and Ageless in the Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland going 5 1/2 furlongs on a yielding grass course Oct. 10.
“I really wish they’d taken that race off – it was pretty soft,” said trainer Bill Connelly. “And the two that beat her are legit.”
Both were entered in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint against males, although Free as a Bird was scratched Wednesday.
Robby Albarado rides Sweet Cassiopeia, the 3-1 second choice on the morning line behind Speedinthruthecity at 9-5.
Speedinthruthecity also exits a demanding race. She finished fourth in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland on Oct. 4. The top three finishers – Leigh Court, Southern Honey, and Stonetastic – are all in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Dream Supreme, race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Vuitton (Last 3 Beyers: 79-62-87)
◗ Although unplaced in her last three races, she had excuses for not running to her potential – with two of those races coming on turf and another in a route. She performs best sprinting on dirt at the six-furlong distance of the Dream Supreme. She has 4 wins, 4 seconds, and 2 thirds in 11 races at six furlongs.
Anahauc (Last 3 Beyers: 86-79-44)
◗ Twice won allowances with Beyer Speed Figures above 100 in the spring; hasn’t run as quickly since but is a move-up candidate, cutting back from two routes to a sprint.
Sweet Cassiopeia (Last 3 Beyers: 86-86-87)
◗ Although a closer, she is excellent at putting herself in position by reaching contention by the eighth pole. This makes her less dependent on pace than a typical late runner.
Speedinthruthecity (Last 3 Beyers: 89-89-94)
◗ With a 3-for-4 record at Churchill Downs, she is typically tough when racing outside of graded stakes company; won the Roxelana Stakes going away at Churchill in the spring the last time she raced in an overnight stakes.