Impressive Maiden Winners Try Pilgrim Stakes

Several impressive 2-year-old maiden special weight winners will take the logical step up in the $200,000 Pilgrim Stakes (gr. IIIT) Oct. 1 at Belmont Park.

The most impressive of six last-out winners entered is Amerman Racing's homebred Oscar Performance, a Kitten's Joy colt who set the pace and drew off to win by 10 1/4 lengths at the Pilgrim's 1 1/16-mile distance Aug. 20 at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Brian Lynch, Oscar Performance is out of the stakes-winning Theatrical mare Devine Actress, who won the 2010 Santa Lucia Handicap at Santa Anita Park over 1 1/16 miles on the then synthetic main track.

Also stepping up after clear route grass graduations are Frostmourne (2 1/4 lengths Sept. 3 at Saratoga), J. S. Choice (3 1/4 lengths Sept. 5 at Saratoga), and Kitten's Cat (two lengths Sept. 15 at Kentucky Downs).

Bookew Bucks will stretch out after a six-furlong, maiden-breaking grass score at Belmont Sept. 11 for trainer George Weaver, while Sir Douglas will switch surfaces, owners, and trainers (from William Fires to Chad Brown) after a 4 1/2-length, five-furlong dirt win July 10 at Ellis Park.

Bird's Eye View and My Bo Chop are the only entrants with stakes experience. They finished third and fifth, respectively, in the With Anticipation Stakes (gr. IIT) Aug. 31 at Saratoga.

Maiden Oiseau de Guerre completes the field following a three-quarter length second in his debut Aug. 28 at Saratoga for Brown as the 4-5 favorite.