Sweet Reason may try two turns in Cotillion
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Having captured her second Grade 1 win of the year in Saturday’s Test Stakes at Saratoga, Sweet Reason may look to contend for a divisional title against Untapable in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing on Sept. 20.
Trainer Leah Gyarmati said Sunday morning that even before the Test, the Cotillion, a 1 1/16-mile race around two turns, was a race she and owner Jeff Treadway had considered for Sweet Reason, a daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense.
If she were to run there, Sweet Reason would face Untapable, who is 4 for- 4 against 3-year-old fillies this year, including Grade 1 victories in the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose. Untapable most recently finished fifth against males in the Haskell Invitational.
Though four of Sweet Reason’s five career victories have come in one-turn races, Gyarmati said she wouldn’t be afraid of trying the filly around two turns again. Gyarmatai said she thought her filly ran a big race when fourth, beaten two lengths, in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
After winning a two-turn one mile allowance race over weak company at Aqueduct, Sweet Reason finished a well-beaten third behind My Miss Sophia in the Grade 2 Gazelle at Aqueduct in April. Following a freshening, she has captured consecutive Grade 1 victories in the Acorn, a one-turn mile race at Belmont, and the Test.
“Now looking back, she wasn’t doing that well during those races. All her numbers went down,” Gyarmati said. “It could have been because of the two-turn thing, but I’m thinking maybe the races came a little closer together than I think she wanted them and maybe she wasn’t on the upward swing. So it would be worth trying again. I’m not confident in the two-turn thing but I don’t think I can rule it out yet.”
By winning the Test, Sweet Reason became the first filly since Numbered Account (1971-72) to win the Spinaway at 2 and come back to win the Test at 3. Both those races are at seven furlongs as is the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina, which comes back in three weeks on Aug. 23. Four fillies - Blitey (1979), Lady’s Secret (1985), Pearly City (1997), and Dream Supreme (2000) - won the Test and Ballerina in the same season.
Another possibility for Sweet Reason would be the Grade 1 Ballerina against older horses here on Aug. 23. But Gyarmati is leery of running back in three weeks.
“I think that might be too quick,” Gyarmati said. “Obviously, we’ll see how she comes out of it.”
Sweet Reason earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure for her Test victory.
Miss Behaviour, the runner-up in the Test, came out of the race with cuts on her and hair missing on her left hind leg. Trainer Phil Schoenthal said he believes it’s just a superficial issue and hopes to be able to bring Miss Behaviour back for the Grade 2, $300,000 Prioress Stakes at six furlongs here on Aug. 30.
“As long as she gets over this we’ll come back for the Prioress,” said Schoenthal as he and his filly were headed back to their Laurel Park base. “We experienced a great day. We didn’t win, but it felt like a win for us.”