I'm a Chatterbox the Talk of the FG Oaks

Fletcher and Carolyn Gray's homebred I'm a Chatterbox is the talk of the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) March 28 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. The Kentucky-bred, Missouri-raised chestnut filly has owned the Fair Grounds so far this year, having won the Jan. 17 Silverbulletday Stakes and Feb. 21 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (gr. III).



Off those two wins, the Larry Jones-trained daughter of Munnings  —Chit Chatter, by Lost Soldier, figures to be the heavy favorite. She'll break from post 6 in the Oaks under Florent Geroux and face seven rivals going 1 1/16 miles.



"We're happy to be in this position," Carolyn Gray said. "She's been precocious and great, and we expect her to go out and do great things. Larry says she's happy, and eating and sleeping, just like you'd want her to and getting better all the time."



Since her 2 1/2-length score over Lovely Maria in the Rachel Alexandra, I'm a Chatterbox has worked twice, firing a five-furlong bullet in :59 1/5 March 16 and a :59 3/5 move March 23.



The Greys will travel to New Orleans Wednesday from their farm in Missouri. The hard-working couple has had success from a limited amount of opportunities. Early in their Thoroughbred careers they bred (in partnership) Left Bank, champion older male of 2002. They've also bred champion Stardom Bound.



"We work really hard on the farm," Carolyn said. "We do all the work here and we have just one other person. Fletcher has built all the fencing on the farm, we've cleaned a lot of stalls, we do the feeding, and we do most of the vet care. This is quite the reward."



The Greys acquired Chit Chatter, while in foal to Any Given Saturday, for $87,000 at the 2008 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. At the time, they were partners with Kentucky-based Hunter Valley Farm. The Oaks favorite is the first foal out of Chit Chatter since they bought out their partners.



Doing their own matings—they'll have seven foals this year—the Greys chose first-year sire Munnings in 2011 based on his physical appearance and his pedigree. The grade II-winning son of Speightstown   is out of La Comete, a granddaughter of blue hen mare Lady Winborne. Chit Chatter is by Lost Soldier, a Danzig son out of Lady Winborne.



"When we saw him, we thought we thought he'd fit her well and the pedigree worked out nicely," Carolyn said. "And it's been just what we planned.



"We don't turn our mares very quickly," she said. "We try to develop them. With a younger mare, we might go to a proven stallion more often, and with a proven mare, we might try a younger stallion if it looks right."



It's looked right so far.



Looking to upend the Grays' day are a group of fillies light on stakes experience.



Charles Fipke's homebred Forever Unbridled takes another swing at I'm a Chatterbox. The daughter of Unbridled's Song was second, beaten eight lengths, in the Silverbulletday and was third, 2 3/4 lengths in arrears in the Rachel Alexandra. Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount for trainer Dallas Stewart.



Robert Slack's Don't Tell My Wife Stables' Danette, a daugher of Curlin  , tries Fair Grounds for the first time. Trained by Keith Desormeaux, Danette has made eight of nine starts on the West Coast and is still a maiden. However, she was third in the Chandelier Stakes (gr. I) and fifth, beaten just 1 1/2 lengths by champion Take Charge Brandi in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I).



Other threats include Nat Rea's Regis Racing's Shook Up, fifth in the Rachel Alexandra, and Wayne R. Sanders and Larry Hirsch's Tachiello, fourth in the March 7 Allen LaCombe Memorial Stakes on the turf.