Shedaresthedevil Seeks Oaks Day Double in La Troienne
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Brad Cox with Shedaresthedevil at Churchill Downs
As disappointed as Brad Cox may have been when Monomoy Girl lost by a nose to Letruska in the April 17 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1), there was a silver lining for the Eclipse Award-winning trainer.
The outcome in that star-studded $1 million race surely flattered the "other" Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1)-winning filly in his stable, that being Shedaresthedevil , who defeated Letruska by a head when the two distaff stars tangled March 13 in the Azeri Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park.
"She's moved forward from 3 to 4 and she showed that in her first race of the year (the Azeri)," Cox said about the daughter of Daredevil who had not raced since a third in the Oct. 4 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, "and if she can make another jump or two, she'll be a filly who will be one of the tops in the division."
As well as Shedaresthedevil has fared at Oaklawn, where the Azeri was her fourth graded stakes win, her second start at 4 will reunite her with the surface she loves best as she faces six rivals April 30 in the $500,000 La Troienne Stakes Presented by Twinspires.com (G1) over the same Churchill Downs surface where she's 3-for-3, including her victory in last year's Oaks.
"She likes Oaklawn but she's a different horse when you bring her to Churchill," said Cox, whose filly can achieve a unique double of grade 1 wins on Oaks days in April and September. "She loves Churchill. Her works there since the Azeri have been phenomenal."
Those recent works at Churchill have advanced the fitness process that started in the Azeri.
"We didn't feel we had her quite tight for the Azeri and she ran a huge race," Cox said. "She broke extremely well and found herself on the lead and then she handled it from there with a big effort. The timing since that race is great and we're expecting a big effort."
Owned by Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing, and Big Aut Farms, the half sister to grade 3-placed Mojovation was bred by WinStar Farm out of the Congrats mare Starship Warpspeed and bought by Flurry for $280,000 from the Hunter Valley Farm consignment at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. A winner of 6 of 12 starts with two seconds and three thirds, she has earned $1,503,518.
She will be facing a classy array of rivals in the 1 1/16-mile test, including WinStar Stablemates Racing's Paris Lights , a grade 1-winning homebred daughter of Curlin . Victorious a year ago in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), she won the Distaff Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack in her lone 2021 start for a fourth straight win for trainer Bill Mott.
Peter Brant's Dunbar Road will begin her 2021 campaign for trainer Chad Brown after closing 2020 with a third in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). A daughter of Quality Road , the 2019 Alabama Stakes (G1) winner captured last year's Shawnee Stakes in her lone Churchill Downs start.
The field also includes Envoutante , who was fourth in the Azeri, and Finite , who was third behind Monomoy Girl in the Bayakoa Stakes (G3).
Churchill Downs, Friday, April 30, 2021, Race 8Entries: La Troienne S. presented by Twinspires.com (G1)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Envoutante (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
118
Kenneth G. McPeek
6/1
2
2Shedaresthedevil (KY)
Florent Geroux
123
Brad H. Cox
8/5
3
3Dunbar Road (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Chad C. Brown
5/2
4
4Bajan Girl (KY)
Luis Saez
118
Rohan Crichton
10/1
5
5Paris Lights (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
118
William I. Mott
8/1
6
6Sanenus (CHI)
Javier Castellano
120
Michael W. McCarthy
10/1
7
7Finite (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
118
Steven M. Asmussen
5/1
