Brill Returns to Santa Anita Turf in Megahertz Stakes
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Brill takes the Lady of Shamrock Stakes at Santa Anita Park
OXO Equine's $1 million purchase Brill, who won her turf debut in the one-mile Lady of Shamrock Stakes at Santa Anita Park, is set for a return over the same course and distance Jan. 20 in the $100,000 Megahertz Stakes (G3T).
Jockey Mike Smith, who rode Brill for the first time in the Dec. 28 Lady of Shamrock, will be back aboard Monday.
"I've always thought a lot of her," Smith said. "The Lady of Shamrock was a breakout race for her, I thought, so we're hoping grass is what did it. She was well within herself, and if she runs like she did last time, she'll be tough."
The Lady of Shamrock was also Brill's first time racing for trainer Don Chatlos. The 4-year-old Medaglia d'Oro filly was grade 1-placed at 2 and earned a grade 3 placing as a sophomore. In 2017, Larry Best's OXO Equine plucked her from the Bluewater Sales consignment to The July Sale, Fasig-Tipton's yearling sale in Lexington.
In the Lady of Shamrock, restricted to 3-year-old fillies, Brill went to the lead and held off Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Keeper Ofthe Stars, who is also entered in the Megahertz, to win by 1 3/4 lengths. She completed the mile in 1:35.75 on a course rated good.
Brill is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line, following Little Red Feather Racing, Richard Baltas, Jeremy Peskoff, Jose Cruz Ramos, and Raymond Salvatore's Super Patriot at 5-2. Super Patriot, a 5-year-old California-bred daughter of Unusual Heat, was claimed for $35,000 in June and was a nose away from winning the Nov. 8 Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar.
Keeper Ofthe Stars, who won the Autumn Miss Stakes (G3T), is the 7-2 third choice.
Also entered is Team Valor International's group 2 winner La Sardane, who is looking for her first victory since the 2018 Perfect Sting Stakes.
Mercedes Stables, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy and David Ingordo, and Steve Mooney's Carressa is scheduled to make her stakes and turf debut in the Megahertz. The lightly raced 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly was an 8 1/4-length winner on Del Mar's main track Nov. 22 at the allowance level.
"There wasn't a race for her otherwise, so we thought this was an opportunity to try her on grass," trainer John Shirreffs said. "I think Uncle Mo (offspring) can run on anything; they like the off going, the dirt, the turf. They just like the track."
Take These Chains, Tonahutu, and Streak of Luck complete the field.
Santa Anita Park, Monday, January 20, 2020, Race 7Entries: Megahertz S. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Carressa (KY)
Victor Espinoza
120
John A. Shirreffs
5/1
2
2Take These Chains (IRE)
UMBERTO RISPOLI
120
Ben Colebrook
8/1
3
3Keeper Ofthe Stars (KY)
Abel Cedillo
124
Jonathan Wong
7/2
4
4Tonahutu (IRE)
Andrea Atzeni
120
Dan Blacker
15/1
5
5Streak of Luck (CA)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
120
Matthew Chew
15/1
6
6Brill (KY)
Mike E. Smith
122
Don Chatlos
3/1
7
7La Sardane (FR)
Flavien Prat
120
Neil D. Drysdale
6/1
8
8Super Patriot (CA)
Joel Rosario
120
Richard Baltas
5/2
