I'm a Chatterbox Looking for Cotillion Luck

I'm a Chatterbox will be eyeing another shot Sept. 19 to graduate from graded stakes winner to grade I winner in the $1 million Cotillion Stakes Sept. 19 at Parx Racing.

Fletcher and Carolyn Gray will be hoping their homebred can shed the bad racing luck that caused her to be disqualified to second in the Coaching Club American Oaks Stakes (gr. I) after she interfered with winner Curalina, or the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) in which she got squeezed at the break and then lugged in down the stretch to cost her some momentum. In the Alabama she was 1 1/4 lengths in second behind Embellish the Lace.

Trained by Larry Jones, I'm a Chatterbox will face plenty of challengers looking to extend their own records in graded company, including Alex and Joann Lieblong's Embellish the Lace. The one-two finishers in the Alabama are both coming into the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion off strong works. Embellish the Lace worked five furlongs in 1:00 Sept. 15 at Fair Hill Training Center, while I'm a Chatterbox worked the same distance in 1:00 3/5 at Jones' home base at Delaware Park.

Besides being relatively deep in graded stakes-quality runners—there are six graded stakes winners in the field of 12—the race is also rich in speed.

Embellish the Lace, trained by Tony Dutrow, has won two of her last three starts in wire-to-wire fashion. Also vying for the lead will be front-runners Keen Pauline, gate-to-wire winner of the Black Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II); Take Charge Brandi, 2014 champion juvenile female and winner of this year's Martha Washington Stakes; and Calamity Kate, winner of the Delaware Oaks (gr. III).

Both Take Charge Brandi and Calamity Kate won those stakes in the same gate-to-wire fashion. Keen Pauline is a homebred racing for Stonestreet Stables and is trained by Dale Romans.

Willis Horton's Take Charge Brandi has won four of her last five starts, with that streak beginning with the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I). Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, she finished 10th in the grade I Test Stakes after leading for the first four furlongs. Lukas took the blame for not having her tight enough for the race.

Stonestreet has another intriguing entry in the field, homebred Tara's Tango. The filly by Unbridled's Song is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and will be ridden by Mike Smith. She broke her maiden at first asking in July 2014, then didn't start again until April of this year. She has finished second in three consecutive stakes, including finishing a nose behind Stellar Wind in the Summertime Oaks (gr. II) at Santa Anita Park.