Ocean Club Eyes Smooth Sailing in Noble Damsel

Glen Hill Farm's Ocean Club  has encountered rough seas in four of her six starts this year, and with smooth sailing, the Curlin   filly could anchor down her first graded victory in the Sept. 21 $175,000 Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T) at the Belmont at the Big A fall meeting.

The Jack Sisterson trainee has either been too keen on the front, played bumper cars down the lane, or found herself too far back after a troubled start in each of those four outings. A two-time stakes winner at Gulfstream Park, Ocean Club, typically a forwardly placed runner, was pinched at the start of the Aug. 31 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T), resulting in her trailing the field through the first quarter-mile. Rallying boldly up the long Kentucky Downs stretch, she managed to get up for third behind Ag Bullet , who lowered the track mark for 6 1/2 furlongs to 1:14.19.

Ocean Club will be ridden by international riding star Frankie Dettori in the one-mile Noble Damsel.

Eight other older fillies and mares will look to spoil Ocean Club's graded coming-out party with a celebration of their own. Heading the challengers are Argentine import Edict  and the Chad Brown-trained trio of Alluring Angel , Saffron Moon , and Midnight Mile .

Edict, named the champion 3-year-old filly in Argentina last year after scoring in two group 1s, makes her stateside debut for trainer David Donk.

“She has acclimated well. She is a very smart, intelligent filly,” said Donk. “It has been a good learning curve for her. She has breezed quite well. Johnny (Velazquez) breezed her once at Saratoga from the gate and was quite happy with her.”