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The last Grade I race of the Keeneland fall meet is the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for three year-old fillies going nine furlongs on the turf course. It is the centerpiece of a terrific day of racing on Saturday at Keeneland and 11 of the 12 fillies invited are in the field. Let’s take a look at each contender and try to uncover what might be the right piece of information to help you make money.
#1 ARIEGE- A two-time winner on Polytrack, this daughter of Doneraile Court finally broke through for a turf win in America in the Madame Jumel at Saratoga in early August. She came back in the Garden City (G1) at Belmont and finished a strong third but hung a bit in the last furlong. Her dam was the brilliant turf mare Kostroma and she was capable of winning at any distance, but this gal seems a bit distance-challenged. In terms of race dynamics she may have an edge on the late runners in here, but I get the feeling she may be wanting in the last furlong.
#2 SEFROUA- This well-bred daughter of Kingmambo came over to America and made her debut stateside in the Noble Damsel (G3) at Belmont, where she faced older horses. She hit her stride late and closed nicely to finish third that day over a soft turf course. She’s now in the care of trainer Graham Motion and will be treated with lasix for the first time. European imports often benefit significantly from the addition of lasix, so let’s expect a very strong effort from this gal today.
#3 STORM MESA- A win in the San Clemente at old Del Mar proved this gal was not just a passing fad and while she didn’t come back to win the Del Mar Oaks, she further showed she’s capable of running with the best of her generation. A brief layoff has her quite fresh for this effort and her trainer scores at a high rate with runners coming off the bench. Her versatility pace-wise makes her very dangerous in here as jockey Eddie Martin, Jr. can easily opt to take up the frontrunning duties.
#4 ALWAJEEHA- The winner of the Appalachian (G3) over this turf course has fallen on hard times since that score in April. She has lost three in a row but ran a respectable race in the Lake George (G2) at Saratoga. She didn’t really run her race in the Garden City (G1) as she was too close to the early pace, so expect her to relax a bit more in here. The inability to compete with strong Grade II or Grade I company raises many doubts for this filly and probably makes her an outside this afternoon.
#5 CLOSEOUT- An eye-catching move in her maiden victory at Fair Grounds put this gal on everyone’s short list of horses to watch. She has won three times since that March score and she finally put it all together in a graded stakes race last time out in the Pucker Up (G3) at Arlington. Was her defeat in the aforementioned Madame Jumel at Saratoga to Ariege a result of the way the pace shook out? Potentially, and there’s no doubt that today’s distance fits her like a glove. Safe to say they’ll need their running shoes on to hold off this gal in deep stretch.
#6 MAGICAL FANTASY- After finishing a close second in the Senorita (G3) in her American debut, this gal was considered a major contender for the serious summer stakes races on the west coast. She flopped in the Honeymoon (G2) in what looked like a Euro-bounce then never fired in the American Oaks (G1). All failures were forgotten with the Del Mar Oaks score but she greatly benefited from a pace meltdown that day when they all came back to her. That is unlikely to happen today on a turf course that has been unkind to Californians over the years.
#7 ROSA GRACE- Some would argue that she was best in the Lake Placid (G2) at Saratoga where she encountered traffic trouble on numerous occasions after a poor start. She is now in the care of trainer Christophe Clement and like Sefroua she is a euro making her 2nd start in America but her first with lasix. You have to like the way she’s coming into this race and her last start was too strong to ignore her this afternoon.
#8 BACKSEAT RHYTHM- She’s finally found her niche with three wins on turf this year, all in her home state of New York. She was up in time through a prolonged drive in the Garden City (G1) and that was her 2nd consecutive taxing race. She has actually made only two starts on firm turf in her career and the first was a victory. The second was the American Oaks, run over a course where her handlers said she never settled down. She’s the “in form” horse in here and you must admit that her last two races were both awfully sharp. Expect her to be a strong factor in the lane.
#9 LICKETY LEMON- The likely longest shot on the board is fresh off a win at 12 furlongs north of the border and she’s only two races removed from a solid 3rd place finish at the Spa against a couple of competitors in this heat. She is 0 for 2 over this course, which is troubling, and she has been a bit slower than the best in here.
#10 MY BABY BABY- She was considered a wiseguy horse in the American Oaks after a HUGE win in a N1X allowance event under the Twin Spires in early June. A tough post gave way to a very poor effort from her that afternoon but she bounced back nicely with a win in the Pleasant Temper at Kentucky Downs against older horses. She now goes 2nd off the layoff for a trainer-jockey combo that have been rather formidable at this racetrack.
#11 MY PRINCESS JESS- The far outside post will not make things easy for her and she is fresh off a fourth-place finish in the Garden City (G1) where she enjoyed a very nice trip. Consecutive wins in graded stakes races led many to believe that this gal was one of the best 3YO female grassers in the country. However, I’d say her last outing was a good indicator of exactly where she is against the best of her generation.
Sefroua faced older horses, has since moved into a top barn, and now gets treated with lasix for her 2nd start in America. Let’s try to cash in on those angles, as it is very interesting that Motion’s main man Ramon Dominguez has made the trip down from Delaware.
DAY 7 RACE DU JOUR PLAY:
$30 Win/$20 Place on #2 SEFROUA
TOTAL: $50
MEET TOTALS: $+383.50
Good luck!
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#1 ARIEGE- A two-time winner on Polytrack, this daughter of Doneraile Court finally broke through for a turf win in America in the Madame Jumel at Saratoga in early August. She came back in the Garden City (G1) at Belmont and finished a strong third but hung a bit in the last furlong. Her dam was the brilliant turf mare Kostroma and she was capable of winning at any distance, but this gal seems a bit distance-challenged. In terms of race dynamics she may have an edge on the late runners in here, but I get the feeling she may be wanting in the last furlong.
#2 SEFROUA- This well-bred daughter of Kingmambo came over to America and made her debut stateside in the Noble Damsel (G3) at Belmont, where she faced older horses. She hit her stride late and closed nicely to finish third that day over a soft turf course. She’s now in the care of trainer Graham Motion and will be treated with lasix for the first time. European imports often benefit significantly from the addition of lasix, so let’s expect a very strong effort from this gal today.
#3 STORM MESA- A win in the San Clemente at old Del Mar proved this gal was not just a passing fad and while she didn’t come back to win the Del Mar Oaks, she further showed she’s capable of running with the best of her generation. A brief layoff has her quite fresh for this effort and her trainer scores at a high rate with runners coming off the bench. Her versatility pace-wise makes her very dangerous in here as jockey Eddie Martin, Jr. can easily opt to take up the frontrunning duties.
#4 ALWAJEEHA- The winner of the Appalachian (G3) over this turf course has fallen on hard times since that score in April. She has lost three in a row but ran a respectable race in the Lake George (G2) at Saratoga. She didn’t really run her race in the Garden City (G1) as she was too close to the early pace, so expect her to relax a bit more in here. The inability to compete with strong Grade II or Grade I company raises many doubts for this filly and probably makes her an outside this afternoon.
#5 CLOSEOUT- An eye-catching move in her maiden victory at Fair Grounds put this gal on everyone’s short list of horses to watch. She has won three times since that March score and she finally put it all together in a graded stakes race last time out in the Pucker Up (G3) at Arlington. Was her defeat in the aforementioned Madame Jumel at Saratoga to Ariege a result of the way the pace shook out? Potentially, and there’s no doubt that today’s distance fits her like a glove. Safe to say they’ll need their running shoes on to hold off this gal in deep stretch.
#6 MAGICAL FANTASY- After finishing a close second in the Senorita (G3) in her American debut, this gal was considered a major contender for the serious summer stakes races on the west coast. She flopped in the Honeymoon (G2) in what looked like a Euro-bounce then never fired in the American Oaks (G1). All failures were forgotten with the Del Mar Oaks score but she greatly benefited from a pace meltdown that day when they all came back to her. That is unlikely to happen today on a turf course that has been unkind to Californians over the years.
#7 ROSA GRACE- Some would argue that she was best in the Lake Placid (G2) at Saratoga where she encountered traffic trouble on numerous occasions after a poor start. She is now in the care of trainer Christophe Clement and like Sefroua she is a euro making her 2nd start in America but her first with lasix. You have to like the way she’s coming into this race and her last start was too strong to ignore her this afternoon.
#8 BACKSEAT RHYTHM- She’s finally found her niche with three wins on turf this year, all in her home state of New York. She was up in time through a prolonged drive in the Garden City (G1) and that was her 2nd consecutive taxing race. She has actually made only two starts on firm turf in her career and the first was a victory. The second was the American Oaks, run over a course where her handlers said she never settled down. She’s the “in form” horse in here and you must admit that her last two races were both awfully sharp. Expect her to be a strong factor in the lane.
#9 LICKETY LEMON- The likely longest shot on the board is fresh off a win at 12 furlongs north of the border and she’s only two races removed from a solid 3rd place finish at the Spa against a couple of competitors in this heat. She is 0 for 2 over this course, which is troubling, and she has been a bit slower than the best in here.
#10 MY BABY BABY- She was considered a wiseguy horse in the American Oaks after a HUGE win in a N1X allowance event under the Twin Spires in early June. A tough post gave way to a very poor effort from her that afternoon but she bounced back nicely with a win in the Pleasant Temper at Kentucky Downs against older horses. She now goes 2nd off the layoff for a trainer-jockey combo that have been rather formidable at this racetrack.
#11 MY PRINCESS JESS- The far outside post will not make things easy for her and she is fresh off a fourth-place finish in the Garden City (G1) where she enjoyed a very nice trip. Consecutive wins in graded stakes races led many to believe that this gal was one of the best 3YO female grassers in the country. However, I’d say her last outing was a good indicator of exactly where she is against the best of her generation.
Sefroua faced older horses, has since moved into a top barn, and now gets treated with lasix for her 2nd start in America. Let’s try to cash in on those angles, as it is very interesting that Motion’s main man Ramon Dominguez has made the trip down from Delaware.
DAY 7 RACE DU JOUR PLAY:
$30 Win/$20 Place on #2 SEFROUA
TOTAL: $50
MEET TOTALS: $+383.50
Good luck!
Discuss
Add this link to...
Tell a friend
Bury
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