Alpyland, Gimme a Nother Lead Graded Stakes at Colonial

In career-best form, D.J. Stable's Alpyland  seeks to extend his win streak to three in the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes (G2T) Aug. 1 at Colonial Downs.

After winning the Penn Mile (G3T) in late May, the Mark Casse trainee took the June 27 American Derby at Churchill Downs by 3 1/2 lengths in his most-recent start, where the Vekoma   gelding earned a career-best Equibase Speed Figure of 103. The American Derby came at the Secretariat Stakes distance of 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Alpyland is out of the Kela mare Il Brigante , and was picked up by D.J. Stable for $185,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale from the Vinery Sales Consignment.  Two years later, the talented gelding holds $724,706 in career earnings and has four wins from six starts this season. 

Other contenders for the 1 1/16 mile turf race for 3-year-olds include Turf Star , Conducted , Fuzzbuster , Supercharger , Vino Solo , Infiltrate , and Redland Rebels . Fuzzbuster and Street Beast are cross-entered in separate races at Ellis Park this weekend and could race there rather than Colonial

Gimme a Nother Aims to Sharpen Form in Beverly D.

Newtown Stables' Gimme a Nother , a multiple group 1 winner in her home country of South Africa before shipping stateside, seeks her third consecutive domestic graded stakes victory in the $500,000 Beverly D. Stakes (G2T) in the day's ninth race, right after the Secretariat.

The Graham Motion trainee impressed last time out in the Eatontown Stakes (G3T) June 13 at Monmouth Park, where she returned off a nine-month layoff to win by 3 1/2 lengths over her rivals, including graded-stakes winner Whiskey Decision  and recent Matchmaker Stakes (G3T) winner Grayosh .

Even though the Eatontown was her sole start this year, she also won the John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar last Sept. by 1 1/4 lengths against a field of multiple graded-stakes performers. 

The well-traveled 6-year-old daughter of top South African sire Gimmethegreenlight  also put up a hard-fought effort in the Canadian Stakes (G2T) last summer at Woodbine, where she lost to Ready For Shirl🔥  by a neck after leading the whole way.

Looking to get back to her flashy graded-stakes form, Three Diamonds Farm's Pin Up Betty enters the Beverly D. off an ungraded stakes win in the June 27 Anchorage Stakes at Churchill Downs, where she drew off by 2 lengths over fellow Beverly D. contender Way to Be Marie . Pin Up Betty also captured the Anchorage the previous year.

A multiple graded stakes winner and performer, Pin Up Betty stands tall in the 1 3/16-mile race with over $1.2 million in earnings from her 24 starts.

Other major players in the 12-horse lineup of fillies and mares include Somethinabouther , Achieve , and Stellify . The latter will look to fire fresh after an extended hiatus after a seventh in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) last fall at Del Mar.

Somethinabouther, meanwhile, steps up in class after a confidence-builting victory in an off-the-grass allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs June 25.

"I think she needed to win a race," trainer Brendan Walsh said. "You know, she went through the whole of last year without winning. So the last race, albeit on dirt, was a good spot for her, but she seems like she holds her own in all kinds of company."