Catch a Glimpse Needs to be Mighty in Oaks

Canada's Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse will face her toughest field since winning last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. I) in the $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational (gr. IT) July 9 at Belmont Park.

Gary Barber, Michael James Ambler, and Windways Farm's Catch a Glimpse will put her streak of six straight graded stakes wins and seven victories overall on the line when she faces some top international 3-year-old fillies including classic-placed group I winner Ballydoyle in an expected field of 13 going 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf.

After closing last season with victories in the Natalma Stakes (Can-IIT) at Woodbine and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland to lock up Horse of the Year, champion 2-year-old filly, and champion grass female honors in Canada, trainer Mark Casse has watched the daughter of City Zip   reel off four grade III wins on four different courses to open 2016.

In her most recent start, Catch a Glimpse easily defeated males in the $500,000 Penn Mile Stakes (gr. IIIT) June 4 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. Since scoring that 2 1/4-length win over stablemate Airoforce, Catch a Glimpse has worked three times on the dirt at Keeneland—earning the bullet going four furlongs in :48 June 18 and at five furlongs in :59 on June 25—as she prepares for her first start beyond 1 1/16 miles.

"We think she's a really talented filly; she's really gutsy," said Norm Casse, the son and assistant to Mark. "This will be a real test for her as far as distance, but if they let her get comfortable early, she'll be really hard to run down."

Catch a Glimpse led gate-to-wire in the Penn Mile and has won seven of her eight starts in large part by sticking close to the pace before taking the lead at the stretch.

"I think anytime you have a horse that likes to go out early and sit along through moderate fractions, you're at a competitive advantage," Casse said. "Because you stay out of traffic, you're really kind of dictating what's going out in front, how fast the race is setting up really. So anytime you can have a horse do that, it's a huge advantage. The question is just how far she wants to go, that'll be the question mark on Saturday."

The Belmont Invitational Oaks is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race to the Filly and Mare Turf (gr. IT). The race, along with the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) and the Suburban Handicap (gr. II) will be featured on NBC in a 90-minute Breeders' Cup Challenge Win and You're In Series broadcast presented by Lane's End Farm and America's Best Racing.

Trainer Aidan O' Brien has entered a pair of group-winning daughters of Galileo campaigned by owners associated with John Magnier's Coolmore operation in Ballydoyle and Coolmore.

To date Ballydoyle is the more accomplished of the two fillies with a victory in last year's Total Prix Marcel Boussac Criterium des Pouliches (Fr-I) at Longchamp and a runner-up finish in this season's QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) May 1 at Newmarket.

While her breeding would suggest an ability to stretch out, Ballydoyle's longest win to date is seven furlongs and she enters off an off-the-board finish in her first try beyond a mile, finishing sixth in the about 1 5/16-mile Longines Prix de Diane (French Oaks) (Fr-I) June 16 at Chantilly.

Coolmore, who captured a group III win at the Curragh last season, also enters out of the Prix de Diane where she finished fifth, three lengths behind winner La Cressonniere.

Trainer Chad Brown has captured the past four editions of the Belmont Oaks, sending out Lady Eli last year and Minorette in 2014, as well as 2013 and 2012 when the race was known as the Garden City Stakes and contested in September, with Alterite and Samitar, respectively.

In an effort to extend that streak to five straight years Brown has entered three fillies for this year in grade III winner Pricedtoperfection, group III-placed Last Waltz, and grade III-placed Noble Beauty.

"I don't hold as strong a hand as in previous years, but all three horses are all doing well and we're taking a different role in not being one of the favorites," Brown said. "It's a big field, and it might come down to trip. If I didn't think it was possible they could get a piece of this million-dollar purse, I wouldn't run. My philosophy is if they can earn their way into the big races, we like to participate."

Trainer James Toner, who captured the 2011 Garden City with Winter Memories, will send out Time and Motion, who extended her win streak to three straight when taking the $200,000 Wonder Again Stakes June 5 on the Belmont inner turf. The second- and third-place runners from that race also are entered Saturday in Harmonize and Last Waltz.

"She's doing terrific," Toner said. "I'm excited about racing here Saturday."

The deep field also includes Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) runner-up Land Over Sea, a grade II winner on dirt who is set for just the second turf start of her career. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Reddam Racing's Land Over Sea, by Bellamy Road  , will return to the grass for the first since rallying from fourth to win a one-mile maiden race in July 2015 at Del Mar.