Onus Tops Big Field in Mrs. Revere Stakes

Partisan Politics is one of 17 fillies entered to challenge Onus in Saturday's Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs. (Photo by NYRA/Coglianese Photo)
The Grade 2, $200,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs is one of the last stakes of the year to be run on grass that is restricted to 3-year-old fillies and that is likely why 18 have entered, with a full field of 14 expected to run. Onus rides a three-race win streak including victory in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Oaks in late September and looks formidable but there are other stakes runners in the field who could have a strong say in the outcome as well.
Among those are Partisan Politics and Devine Aida, the one-two finishers in the Pebbles Stakes last month at Belmont Park. Isabella Sings finished fourth in the Pebbles following a tough defeat by a nose in the Grade 3 Boiling Springs Stakes prior to that and as she's likely to lead early and could certainly stick around for a share again. Tammy the Torpedo returned from a year on the bench to win last month in New York and as she was stakes-placed as a 3-year-old could be ready to return to competitive form at the level.
Return to Grace won the Dueling Grounds Oaks in September and has run well at Churchill Downs previously so warrants respect, as does Prado's Sweet Ride, winner of the Grade 3 Regret Stakes on this course in June. Also-eligible Weiner Valkyrie made her U.S. debut last month in the Grade 3 Athenia Stakes and rallied fast from 10th to second, beaten just a half-length so is yet another in a deep field to be considered a contender.
Onus lost the first three starts of her career, two of those dirt sprints. In her second turf start, in July, she romped home by eight lengths with a then-career-best 91 Equibase Speed Figure, improving to a 95 figure effort when victorious by 10 lengths in her next start, in August. One month later, moving to 3-year-olds only and racing in a stakes race for the first time, Onus won as she pleased by 4 ½ lengths in a field of 11 with a new career-best 104 figure. Rested since then, the filly has put in two exceptional workouts at trainer Shug McGaughey's home base in New York and with jockey Forest Boyce in the saddle for this race just like all three recent wins, beating Onus could be a tough task for the rest in this year's Mrs. Revere Stakes.
Partisan Politics finished third in her career debut back in the summer of 2014 and has run exclusively in stakes races since, with her two most recent efforts the two best of her career. Partisan Politics missed by a nose in the Riskaverse Stakes in August, earning a career-best 109 figure in the process. In the Pebbles Stakes last month, Partisan Politics inched away late by1 ½ lengths to win with another 109 figure. North American leading jockey Javier Castellano is the only rider she's ever known, and with the potential for a contested pace in front to set up her late kick, Partisan Politics has every right to win this race.
Tammy the Torpedo won her career debut in the summer of 2014 going long on the turf at Saratoga, no easy task. In her next race, last fall, she faced the undefeated Lady Eli and finished third. Lady Eli went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf one month later, although Tammy the Torpedo only managed a seventh-place finish in that race. Rested for nearly an entire year, Tammy the Torpedo once again won off the bench in a turf route, easily dispatching a field of nine last month at Belmont with a career-best 103 figure. Likely to improve nicely in her second race off a long layoff and with her last effort already competitive with the one Onus put in to win a similar stakes, Tammy the Torpedo must be given a lot of respect as a win contender.
Also, based on recent competitive form in stakes races on turf, Devine Aida (103 speed figure when second in the Pebbles Stakes), Isabella Sings (109 figure when second in the Boiling Springs Stakes) and Wiener Valkyrie (95 figure in the Athenia Stakes) should be considered for exotic bets such as the exacta.
The rest of the field, with their best representative Equibase Speed Figures, is America Mon Amie (101), Bobbi Grace (99), Cara Marie (102), Celestine (99), Darling Sky (100), Kathballu (102), Prado's Sweet Ride (97), Rainha Da Bateria (98), Return to Grace (100), Robillard (103), Season Ticket (91) and Urtheoneeyelove (100). 
My selections:OnusPartisan PoliticsTammy the Torpedo
$200,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes
Saturday, Churchill Downs, Race 10, 5:15 p.m. ET
1 1/16 miles, turf, 3-year-old fillies 

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Owner

Odds

1

Robillard

Junior Alvarado

Kiaran McLaughlin

Godolphin Racing, Lessee

8-1

2

Return to Grace

Joseph Rocco, Jr.

Mark Casse

Calumet Farm

10-1

3

Bobbi Grace

Drayden Van Dyke

Thomas Proctor

Heider Family Stables

30-1

4

Prado's Sweet Ride

Miguel Mena

Chris M. Block

Darrell and Sadie Brommer

12-1

5

Tammy the Torpedo

Florent Geroux

Chad Brown

Long Lake Stable and Beacon Hill Farm

6-1

6

Devine Aida

Joe Bravo

Christophe Clement

Stronach Stable

10-1

7

Onus

Forest Boyce

Shug McGaughey

Stuart Janney III

6-1

8

Kathballu

Julien R. Leparoux

Kenny McPeek

Five D Thoroughbreds

20-1

9

Darling Sky

Maria Remedio

Robert E. Reid, Jr.

Swilcan Stable and The Harp Racing Stable

50-1

10

Isabella Sings

Paco Lopez

Todd Pletcher

Siena Farm

8-1

11

Partisan Politics

Javier Castellano

Chad Brown

Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence

4-1

12

Season Ticket

Corey J. Lanerie

Mark Casse

Woodford Racing

15-1

13

Rainha Da Bateria

Robby Albarado

Graham Motion

Three Chimneys Farm

15-1

14

Celestine

Shaun Bridgmohan

William Mott

Phaedrus Flights

6-1

AE-15

Cara Marie

Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Kellyn Gorder

Three Chimneys Farm

20-1

AE-16

America Mon Amie

Albin Jimenez

Anthony J. Granitz

David Menard, Captain Jack Racing Stable and Anthony J. Granitz

30-1

AE-17

Urtheoneeyelove

Pablo Morales

Eric Reed

Elm Racing

30-1

AE-18

Wiener Valkyrie

Florent Geroux

Ed Walker

Car Colston Hall Stud

10-1

*AE (also eligible) horses will only run if scratches occur.