Stakes for Fillies and Mares Highlight Saturday Cards

A trio of $100,000 stakes for females highlight the national racing scene on the last Saturday in May.

At Churchill Downs, the Winning Colors (G3) for sprinters and the Old Forester Mint Julep (G3T) for turf routers are the first and last legs of a late pick five with a guaranteed pool of $500,000. The guarantee is moot judging from last Saturday's late pick five at Churchill that handled $1.3 million.

Sandwiched in between the stakes are a maiden special-weight and a pair of optional claimers with second-level allowance conditions, all of which drew fields of at least 11. Among the contenders in the penultimate leg is Plus Que Parfait, winner of the 2019 UAE Derby Sponsored by Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (G2).

Sophomore turf routers are spotlighted at Santa Anita Park in a competitive renewal of the Honeymoon (G3T).

Winning Colors (CD, race 7, 4:08 ET): Expected to vie for favoritism are Break Even (2), a wire-to-wire winner of the 2019 Eight Belles Presented by Derby City Gaming (G2), and Mia Mischief, a front-end winner of the 2018 Eight Belles Presented by Kentucky Trailer (G2).

Both appear vulnerable despite their solid overall records.

Break Even's two fastest Equibase Speed Figures have been delivered with the benefit of clear early leads at Oaklawn Park, capped by by an optional claimer six weeks ago when she got a breather on the turn and was unchallenged late. Before that, however, she failed to make the lead first time back from a layoff in the Spring Fever Stakes and faded to finish last by a dozen lengths. She is drawn between Sneaking Out and Take Charge Angel, who both have speed as well, and could be softened up through the opening stages.

Mia Mischief has a well-established history of regressing in starts immediately following a peak-figure effort, having done so three times last year. She is back five weeks after winning the Carousel Stakes with a lifetime-best 113 ESF. The classy 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief  can bounce and still win, as was the case last year when she beat eventual dual Eclipse Award winner Covfefe in the Roxelana right after taking the Humana Distaff (G1).

Two possible scenarios: Break Even is hard-pressed, as in the Spring Fever, and is left vulnerable late, thereby setting the table for Mia Mischief. Or, Break Even wins the break, gets clear early, and Mia Mischief chases and comes up flat.

The other entrants are all double-digit odds on the morning line except for Spiced Perfection (7), who was purchased and turned over to trainer Mark Casse after giving way late in the Inside Information Presented by Runhappy Matchmaker Series (G2) in late January. She will benefit from the cutback to six furlongs (3 for 3), has won four graded stakes including a pair of grade 1s and has 14 exacta finishes from 19 dirt starts overall, which adds up to pretty solid credentials for a mare who will be third choice.

A - 7

B - 2, 8

Old Forester Mint Julep (CD, race 11, 6:16 ET): A full gate of 14 accomplished distaffers entered, eight of which are graded stakes winners including five that are either grade 1-placed or grade 2 winners. The quintet fitting that description all make their seasonal debuts: Juliet Foxtrot (1) and Beau Recall (2) for Brad Cox; Secret Message (7) and Varenka (9) for Graham Motion; and Nay Lady Nay (6) for Chad Brown, who also sends out Altea.

Juliet Foxtrot has been idle since finishing third in the Matriarch (G1T), and Beau Recall has been away since running second in the Rodeo Drive (G1T). While Cox has been only average with layoffs of six months or longer over the past year-and-a-half or so, we are living in a different world now and his recent winners at Churchill include Monomoy Girl, who hadn't run for 560 days since wrapping up the 2018 Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly with a win in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), and Owendale, who captured last Saturday's loaded Blame Stakes off a 176-day break.

In terms of having runners ready off the bench, Chad Brown needs no introduction, and over the Memorial Day weekend he sent out Dunbar Road to win the Shawnee off a 203-day layoff and Raging Bull to overwhelm his foes in the Shoemaker Mile (G1T) first time out in 254 days.

Meanwhile, Graham Motion's first three winners at the meet were Cat's Pajamas (off for 252 days), Malakeh (off 287 days) and Tepin Stakes heroine Sharing, who had been gone for 204 days since her score in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf  (G1T). This would seem to bode well for the readiness of Secret Message and Varenka, who look to have trained in tandem at Fair Hill recently.

A - 6, 7, 9

B - 1, 2

Honeymoon (SA, race 7, 6:37 ET): Five of the nine entrants exit the one-mile China Doll Stakes in early March, headed by Stela Star (9), an Irish-bred daughter of Epaulette who was a fast-closing second, just over a length in front of Red Lark (7), another Irish-bred Epaulette filly who wound up a close fifth at odds of better than 50-1. Right behind them in sixth, seventh and ninth were Guitty (1), Croughavouke (4) and Little Bird (6).

Guitty, Little Bird and Red Lark had some traffic issues in the stretch, and it's worth noting the latter was coming back just four weeks after graduating from the maiden ranks at the Honeymoon's distance of nine furlongs

Not only is Red Lark the only member of the field to have won at the trip, she is the only one who has been beyond one mile on turf, so that could be her ace in the hole here.

The burning question revolves around the pace as it concerns second choice Laura's Light (5) and third choice Parkour (8), and whether they beat each other up in a battle for the early lead. In that regard, the advantage belongs to Laura's Light based on her win in the Sweet Life (G3T), which displayed her ability to sit just off the pace and rally. Parkour has won twice when able to get clear early, but is winless from three starts otherwise.

A - 5, 7

B - 1, 4, 9