Dominant Maiden Winner Critique Heads to Frizette

A talented field of 10 juvenile fillies will each look to earn their first graded stakes victory and berth to the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in the $400,000 Frizette (G1) Oct. 8 at Belmont Park.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle Paul Pompa Jr.'s Critique, who broke her maiden in her second start with a 16-length victory Sept. 4 going seven furlongs on the dirt at Saratoga Race Course.

Sired by Midnight Lute , Critique ran second in her debut at the same distance at Saratoga. Both races were washed off the turf.

"She's a filly where we always felt like she'd appreciate more distance, so that's why we entered her in the turf at Saratoga," said Pletcher, a three-time winner of the Frizette, most recently in 2012 with Dreaming of Julia. "Both times the races came off (the turf) and we thought she performed well. We're looking forward to getting her stretched out a little bit more, so I think the mile distance should be a step in the right direction."

Looking to rebound off a third-place finish in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) Sept. 2 at Saratoga is Klaravich Stable's Separationofpowers for trainer Chad Brown. Purchased for $190,000 as a weanling at the Keeneland November mixed sale, the daughter of Candy Ride  made an eye-popping debut July 30 at the Spa, where he bested a field of eight by 11 3/4 lengths. Returning in the Spinaway, she broke alertly from the gate, engaged in a speed duel up front, and faded to finish third.

"She's been training particularly well here at Belmont," Brown said. "She recovered from that grueling effort in the Spinaway. She's come out of it well and she's going to appreciate going longer. I never felt that she was a sprinter. She trains very kind in the morning."

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez will enter a pair of fillies in Wall of Compassion and Strategic Dreams.

After a debut win by a nose July 7 going six furlongs on the dirt at Belmont Park, Wall of Compassion made her second start in the Adirondack Stakes (G2) Aug. 12 at Saratoga and finished third. Sired by Archarcharch , Strategic Dreams won her only start by 14 1/4 lengths in a maiden claiming race Aug. 24 at Saratoga going six furlongs on the main track.

Entering off a second-place finish in the Spinaway for trainer Graham Motion and My Meadowview Farm is Maya Malibu. A homebred by Malibu Moon , she won her debut by six lengths at Delaware Park Aug. 5 before entering the Spinaway.

Entries: Frizette S. (G1)

Belmont Park, Sunday, October 08, 2017, Race 7

• Grade I
• 1m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 4:13 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Maya Malibu (KY)	Javier Castellano	120	H. Graham Motion	4/1
2	2Go (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	120	Anthony T. Quartarolo	20/1
3	3Strategic Dreams (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Rudy R. Rodriguez	12/1
4	4Separationofpowers (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Chad C. Brown	9/5
5	5Drama Run (FL)	Jose A. Bracho	120	Anthony T. Quartarolo	10/1
6	6Purrfect Miss (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	Jeremiah C. Englehart	5/1
7	7Wall of Compassion (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Rudy R. Rodriguez	12/1
8	8Teen Angel (KY)	Dylan Davis	120	Corby Caiazzo	30/1
9	9Caledonia Road (FL)	Junior Alvarado	120	Ralph E. Nicks	12/1
10	10Critique (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1