Woodbine: Anne's Beauty cuts back for Duchess

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Anne’s Beauty will turn back to her favorite distance of seven furlongs Saturday at Woodbine in the Duchess Stakes, a wide-open $150,000 event for 3-year-old fillies.

The highlight of Anne’s Beauty’s 2-year-old campaign was a fast score over Nina Fever in the seven-furlong Glorious Song Stakes, for which she got an Beyer Speed Figure of 83.

Anne’s Beauty started three times during the spring for trainer Paul Attard. She launched her season by running third against older rivals in an optional claimer, and then finished second to future Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate winner Inglorious in the 1 1/16-mile La Lorgnette Stakes.

“The La Lorgnette was a big race for us,” Attard recalled. “We had it penciled in early in the season. I think we ran well against Inglorious, who’s a nice horse.”

There are limited opportunities for a Kentucky-bred like Anne’s Beauty at Woodbine, and Attard ran her against older opposition again in her first grass start June 11. She wound up fifth in the 1 1/16-mile optional claimer.

“She had a terrible trip last time, but didn’t run all that bad,” said Attard. “She was stuck on the rail the whole way, and didn’t get beat that far in a tough race. Then we gave her two weeks off at the farm to freshen her up. We brought her back in, and she’s had three good works since. We’re going into this race in good shape. I think seven-eighths on the Poly is her best surface and distance.”

Delightful Mary, last year’s champion 2-year-old filly in Canada, has been idle since a lackluster seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland April 9. She got most of the winter off after ending up third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill, and notched her first stakes in a restricted event at the Ocala Training Center in March.

Elusive Pearl earned the highest Beyer Figure in the field, a 93, when she romped in a June 24 allowance sprint at Presque Isle Downs.

Honey Chile registered a 92 Beyer when capturing an allowance at Keeneland in October, but has failed to crack 80 on the Beyer scale this year, while going winless in three stakes.

My Perfect Ten has improved by leaps and bounds with each subsequent outing, and is exiting a victory in an allowance route on the turf.

Bibi’s Doll ran fourth in the La Lorgnette, and was a prominent third against older foes most recently in an optional claimer.