Aunt Pearl Set for Seasonal Bow in Edgewood

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Aunt Pearl Set for Seasonal Bow in Edgewood
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Aunt Pearl wins the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland

Aunt Pearl  will place her unbeaten record on the line April 30 when she faces six other 3-year-old fillies in the $300,000 Edgewood Stakes Presented by Newport Racing & Gaming (G2T) on the Churchill Downs turf.

The Lope de Vega  daughter was a debut winner over the course racing a mile last September and will stretch out an extra sixteenth of a mile Saturday. She has a win at 8 1/2 furlongs from the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland last fall, and followed that up with another mile victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T). She has led throughout in her three starts.

Brad Cox trains Aunt Pearl for Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Michael Kisber, Peter Deutsch, and The Elkstone Group. Florent Geroux, aboard for her three races last year, retains the mount from post 6. The bay filly will carry 122 pounds, four more than her rivals.

"Aunt Pearl's doing great, she had a fantastic breeze last week," Cox said April 24 at Churchill Downs, referring to the filly's five furlongs on the local turf course in 1:01 1/5 April 18. "She followed up with a work this morning on the dirt (four furlongs in :49 1/5), and I'm super happy with where she is right now."

Trying turf for the first time will be Shadwell Stable's Zaajel . The Street Sense   filly won her debut on the main track at Gulfstream Park in December before adding the Forward Gal Stakes (G3) to her win column in January. In her third start, the March 20 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, she broke a step slow, became rank in the first turn, and ultimately finished sixth. Luis Saez will ride for trainer Todd Pletcher and break from the outside.

Amerman Racing Stables' Gift List  will make her second stateside start after a runner-up effort from off the pace in the April 3 Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) at Keeneland. The Bated Breath  filly was also stakes-placed in her native Great Britain. Now trained by Brian Lynch, she'll be ridden from post 2 by Javier Castellano. 

Besides Aunt Pearl, the only other filly coming off a win is Belladonna Racing's Postnup , who will step up to stakes company after a maiden and an allowance-level win racing about 1 1/16 miles on the Fair Grounds turf. Cherie DeVaux trains the Declaration of War  filly, who will depart from the rail under Irad Ortiz Jr.

Completing the field are Florida Oaks (G3T) fifth-place finisher Queen of the Green , making her first start with trainer Jason Barkley; Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial Stakes sixth-place runner Barista ; and Line Dancing , who rallied to be fourth beaten 1 1/2 lengths in the Sanibel Island Stakes Presented by US Foods.


Entries: Edgewood S. presented by Newport Racing & Gaming (G2T)

Churchill Downs, Friday, April 30, 2021, Race 7

  • Grade IIT
  • 1 1/16m
  • Turf
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 2:09 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Postnup (MD) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Cherie DeVaux 6/1
2 2Gift List (GB) Javier Castellano 118 Brian A. Lynch 7/2
3 3Queen of the Green (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate James Graham 118 Jason Barkley 10/1
4 4Barista (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joel Rosario 118 James E. Baker 15/1
5 5Line Dancing (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 118 Michael R. Matz 20/1
6 6Aunt Pearl (IRE) Florent Geroux 122 Brad H. Cox 4/5
7 7Zaajel (KY) Luis Saez 118 Todd A. Pletcher 5/1