Personal Diary Looks to Rebound in Mint Julep

G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and St. George Farm Racing's grade I winner Personal Diary, Courtlandt Farms' Cardinal Handicap (gr. IIIT) champ Strike Charmer, and trainer Wayne Catalano's multiple graded stakes-winning duo of Hit The Board Stables' I'm Already Sexy and James F. Miller and Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings' Aurelia's Belle head a competitive field of 12 fillies and mares entered for the $100,000 Old Forester Mint Julep Handicap (gr. IIIT) June 6 at Churchill Downs.

Scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course, the Mint Julep is the featured final live event on a 10-race program at Churchill that shares the spotlight with American Pharoah's bid to win the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park.

Post time for the Mint Julep is scheduled for 6:17 p.m. EDT, while the Belmont Stakes will be available for viewing on Churchill Downs' Big Board following the day's final live race. The Belmont Stakes has a scheduled post time of 6:50 p.m.

Personal Diary, a 4-year-old homebred daughter of City Zip   trained by Victoria Oliver, won last summer's Del Mar Oaks (gr. IT) and is the only grade I winner in the field. She is coming off a disappointing run in the Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile (gr. IIT) May 2, in which she ran seventh of 13 behind the victorious Tepin, and is one of six fillies and mares who competed in that race who will run back in the Mint Julep.

The Distaff Turf Mile setback was the fourth consecutive loss for Personal Diary, who is winless over the Churchill Downs grass despite strong performances in a late-charging, fourth-place run behind Sparkling Review in last fall's Mrs. Revere (gr. IIT) and a runner-up finish in the Regret (gr. IIIT). Personal Diary, who has a career record of 2-4-3 from 14 starts and earnings of $344,456, is the co-starting high weight at 118 pounds and will be ridden from the outside by Jon Court.

Strike Charmer has failed to win in three 2015 races for trainer David Carroll after she ended her 2014 campaign with a victory in Churchill's Cardinal Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on grass. It was the first stakes win for the 5-year-old daughter of Smart Strike  , who finished sixth in the Distaff Turf Mile. Strike Charmer has a career record of 3-3-2 and a bankroll of $218,950, and will carry 117 pounds from post 6. Chris Landeros, who was aboard Strike Charmer in the Cardinal, will be in the saddle.

Either member of Catalano's formidable duo of Aurelia's Belle and I'm Already Sexy should be a major contender in the Mint Julep with her best effort. Each was assigned of 118 pounds and shares high weight with Personal Diary.

Aurelia's Belle makes her 2015 debut after a 3-year-old season, during which the daughter of Lemon Drop Kid   won the Regret via disqualification and earned stakes victories on Polytrack in the Arlington Park Oaks (gr. III) and in the Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III) at Turfway Park. She has a career record of 4-1-2 from nine races and has earned $343,567. Aurelia's Belle will break from the inside under Channing Hill.

The 5-year-old I'm Already Sexy has won eight of 21 races and earned $554,900, and is coming off an eighth-place finish in the Distaff Turf Mile. Her three 2015 starts include a victory in the Cooper City Handicap at Gulfstream Park. She was runner-up to Honey Hues in last year's Mint Julep and counts a turf allowance at Churchill and Arlington Park's Pucker Up (gr. IIIT) among her eight wins. Brian Hernandez Jr. will ride I'm Already Sexy from post 3.

Other Distaff Turf Mile runners who will make their return to competition in the Mint Julep include Maid On a Mission, who ran fifth for owner and trainer Tommy Mills and will break from post 8 under Marcelino Pedroza Jr.; Joseph Sutton and Stone Farm's Kitty Wine, who finished ninth in the Distaff Turf Mile and will start from the 9 hole under jockey Rafael Hernandez; and Carl F. Pollard's Kiss Moon, who ran 11th of 13 on Derby Day but finished a good third in last fall's Mrs. Revere.