Midnight Bisou Sets Sights on Spinster Stakes

When Midnight Bisou's connections considered a vital step on her path to the Nov. 6-7 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland, the comfort of a circumstance wrought by necessity came to mind.

With trainer Steve Asmussen's usual barn at Churchill Downs unavailable earlier this season due to a COVID-19-related delay in the stable area opening, the 5-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute  was sent to Keeneland upon her return from a runner-up finish in the Feb. 29 Saudi Cup. She demonstrated an affinity for the Lexington track and trained well there before a blowout victory in the June 27 Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) back at Churchill, and now a start at the Kentucky track's fall meet is in the cards.

Before she runs in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, Midnight Bisou will put her powerful turn of foot on display there in the Oct. 4 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1), co-owner Jeff Bloom confirmed Aug. 19.

"Right now if I was a betting guy, I would say you can count on our running in the Spinster at Keeneland," said Bloom, whose Bloom Racing Stable campaigns Midnight Bisou in partnership with Madaket Stables and Allen Racing. "We had originally talked about running in the Beldame (G2), but they scheduled it like a week later than made sense for us. It just makes way more sense for us to head over to Kentucky with her, and then we'll be all settled in and hopefully get the job done before she runs in the Breeders' Cup."

Off a runner-up finish to Vexatious in the Aug. 1 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, Midnight Bisou returned to the work tab Aug. 16 with a four-furlong move in :50.84 on the Oklahoma training track. News of her targeting the Spinster was first reported by David Grening of Daily Racing Form.

"She breezed phenomenal," Bloom said. "Steve and (assistant trainer) Scott (Blasi) sent me videos right away of how good she looked. She came out of the race great and she breezed extra special on her first work back. We sound like broken records, but she's just remarkable. She goes in and comes out of these races better each time. 

"Interestingly enough, in defeat the other day she ran a career-best sheet number, a -1 Thoro-Graph. Her sheet numbers are ridiculously consistent."  

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith hopes to be reunited with Midnight Bisou for the Spinster but said he is awaiting news of Keeneland's fall meet protocols to determine whether he can. Having ridden the mare in 17 of her past 20 starts, he was unable to travel from California to ride her in the Personal Ensign due to COVID-19 protocols put in place by Saratoga and Del Mar. Smith is scheduled to ride Honor A. P. in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

"I'm just not sure yet; I'm waiting to see what all of the protocols are," said Smith, who has been in touch with Keeneland officials in anticipation of hopefully riding at the fall meet. "Nothing's normal right now, so it's hard to plan. Hopefully I can get back on her and we can catch up right where we left off."

Midnight Bisou was named the champion older dirt female of 2019 on the merits of an eight-race campaign that included seven consecutive wins in graded company, three of them at the grade 1 level, topped by a runner-up finish to upset winner Blue Prize in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). She was third in the Distaff in 2018. Each year she used a different race to prep for the main event, winning both; first the 2018 Cotillion Stakes (G1) going 1 1/16 miles, then the 2019 Beldame Stakes over 1 1/8 miles, the same distance as the Spinster.

Her connections have yet to commit to the Breeders' Cup Distaff or Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) for her third trip to the World Championships.

While Bloom is uncertain whether Midnight Bisou will ship directly from Saratoga to Keeneland or spend some time at Churchill Downs, with logistics to be determined closer to the end of the Saratoga meet due to potential changes related to COVID-19, thanks to prior experience he has one less thing to worry about.

"Typically when Steve would have ones running in Breeders' Cup, they'd be at wherever that respective track is for a little while," Bloom said. "The good news for us is that when she went straight to Keeneland after clearing quarantine in Chicago, she trained over there for quite a long time and she really liked it.

"Scott will wrap up with whatever last horses they plan on running at Saratoga, and then she'll be part of that last haul down. She's very comfortable at Saratoga, so she'll stay up there through the rest of the summer and then settle into Kentucky."