Daddys Lil Darling Set for Hillsborough Season Debut

Daddys Lil Darling was supposed to be simmering along toward a Keeneland season debut.

Instead, the strong-galloping filly all but put herself in the entry box for the $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) with the way she trained in Florida the past few months for Ken McPeek, who will send her out to her first start as a 4-year-old March 10 in the 1 1/8-mile race at Tampa Bay Downs. 

"She had almost a month off and just has done very well," McPeek said. "She just is a really aggressive, strong-galloping filly. We got a couple works in her over there at Payson Park, and I was originally going to wait until Keeneland, but she's doing so well that it was like, 'OK, we're going to go (in the Hillsborough).'"

Both of those works were four-furlong bullets—Feb. 23 in :48 4/5 and March 2 in :48 flat—signaling readiness to run from the daughter of Scat Daddy, a Normandy Farm homebred whose versatile 3-year-old campaign resulted in early runner-up efforts in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) before a shift to turf finally resulted in a top-level victory Dec. 30 in the American Oaks (G1T) at Santa Anita Park.

Daddys Lil Darling will meet a familiar rival Saturday in John Oxley's 4-year-old La Coronel, who edged her by a half-length in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes presented by Lane's End (G1T) in October at Keeneland. The Colonel John filly went to the sideline following that race and made her first start of 2018 for trainer Mark Casse Feb. 10, when she finished a closing second by four lengths to Dona Bruja in the 1 1/16-mile Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes (G3T).

A third grade 1 winner joins those two as part of a two-pronged attack for Chad Brown. Off Limits is in for her 6-year-old debut after closing 2017 on a high note with a length score in the one-mile Matriarch Stakes (G1T) Nov. 26 at Del Mar. That race marked the fourth straight win and third consecutive stakes score for Martin Schwartz's daughter of Mastercraftsman who also took home the Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T) and Athenia Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park. 

Brown is gearing up 6-year-old Fourstar Crook as well, a grade 3-winning, New York-bred daughter of Freud  who has not raced since a third in the Oct. 15 E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine.   

Where Daddy's Lil Darling is concerned, a strong run in the Hillsborough would set her up for the $350,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) April 14 going 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland. The $150,000 Bewitch Stakes (G3T) over 12 furlongs at the same track April 27 could be a softer spot to regroup if Saturday's run turns out unsatisfactory.

"The mile and a sixteenth is a real tricky distance for her," McPeek said. "The mile and an eighth, I like better. Certainly the longer, the better. A mile and a sixteenth has been frustrating because she has to overcome traffic, and she doesn't have quite so much speed. So when you put her up front, she doesn't quite have that finishing kick. But if she runs well in this race, she'll probably come back in the Jenny Wiley. If she doesn't, she could go to the Bewitched."

While Daddys Lil Darling took an eventful trip last year to the Investec Oaks (G1) at Epsom—she was a late scratch after spooking on the way to the gate—McPeek said it is highly likely this season that the bay filly will pursue a stateside campaign.

"I would love to take her to Europe, but I don't think the program over there really suits her this year," he said. "Looking at options at Ascot, Epsom, and even Goodwood, there isn't really anything that suits her distance-wise as a filly. I'd have to run against colts, and I don't want to do that. If there was a race in Europe I thought really nailed it, I'd go. I love to go. But the racing offered in New York or Chicago—something like the Beverly D. (G1T)—suits her better." 

Entries: Hillsborough S. (G2T)

Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, March 10, 2018, Race 9

• Grade IIT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $225,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:20 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tricky Escape (KY)	Christopher P. DeCarlo	118	Lynn A. Ashby	20/1
2	2Off Limits (IRE)	Joel Rosario	122	Chad C. Brown	3/1
3	3Fourstar Crook (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Chad C. Brown	6/1
4	4Bonita (FL)	Daniel Centeno	116	Chad J. Stewart	30/1
5	5Daddys Lil Darling (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Kenneth G. McPeek	4/1
6	6Lovely Bernadette (KY)	Florent Geroux	120	James P. DiVito	5/1
7	7Dynatail (KY)	Antonio A. Gallardo	118	Michael Dini	30/1
8	8Lovely Loyree (IL)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	116	Michele Boyce	30/1
9	9La Coronel (KY)	Jose Lezcano	120	Mark E. Casse	5/2
10	10Proctor's Ledge (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Brendan P. Walsh	8/1