Beyond Blame Headlines Pucker Up Stakes
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Photo: Ryan Thompson
Beyond Blame winning the Regret Stakes
Pop-A-Top's Beyond Blame will look to make it back-to-back graded stakes victories when she challenges a dozen other sophomore fillies in the $100,000 Pucker Up Stakes (G3T) at Arlington International Racecourse Aug. 11. The 1 1/8-miles turf event for 3-year-old fillies is one of five stakes carded for the International Festival of Racing.
Trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of Blame was a last-out winner of the Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs in June over the same distance as the Pucker Up. Beyond Blame found the winner's circle on two other occasions—when breaking her maiden by nine lengths over the turf at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in February and two starts later when defeating winners by four lengths. She earned a second place finish in the Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial Overnight Stakes in March two starts prior to her first graded stakes test in the Edgewood Stakes presented by Forcht Bank (G3T) at Churchill Downs May 4 where she finished a troubled sixth. Florent Geroux was aboard for her win in the Regret and receives the call again to pilot Beyond Blame from stall 13.
Trying the grass for the first time in the Pucker Up is Cosmic Burst. Although the daughter of Violence has not raced over the turf, she boasts the highest bankroll in the field with $326,780 in career earnings. In addition, she has finished on the board in all but one of her eight career starts include stakes wins in the Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park last December as well as the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park March 10, where she defeated eventual two-time graded stakes winner Red Ruby.
Following her graded stakes victory for trainer Donnie Von Hemel, Cosmic Burst faced the likes of Sassy Sienna and Wonder Gadot in the Fantasy Stakes (G3) where she finished fourth and was most recently second in the Iowa Oaks (G3).
Going for her fourth consecutive victory is Goodwood Racing VIII's Dark Artist. The daughter of Paynter enters the Pucker Up off of stakes wins in the Boiling Springs Stakes and Open Mind Stakes at her home track of Monmouth Park. In the June 23 Open Mind, the Jane Cibelli trainee laid second behind pacesetter Too Charming before successfully confronting her in the final strides to win by a neck. Dark Artist was a bit further off the pace when she captured the May 26 Boiling Springs, going to the lead in the final eighth of a mile and holding off a late surge from Reversethedecision. Prior to her pair of stakes wins, she was victorious at Gulfstream Park when defeating a first-level allowance field in wire-to-wire fashion.
Arlington International Racecourse, Saturday, August 11, 2018, Race 12Entries: Pucker Up S. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Dark Artist (KY)
Trevor McCarthy
122
Jane Cibelli
9/2
2
2Princess Warrior (KY)
Joel Rosario
118
Kenneth G. McPeek
30/1
3
3Pamina (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
120
Michael W. Dickinson
8/1
4
4Cosmic Burst (PA)
Richard E. Eramia
124
Donnie K. Von Hemel
4/1
5
5Diamondcoat (KY)
Sophie Doyle
118
Kellyn Gorder
30/1
6
6A. A. Azula's Arch (KY)
Mitchell Murrill
118
Kevin Attard
6/1
7
7Madame Milan (KY)
Daniel Centeno
118
Arnaud Delacour
20/1
8
8Deadline (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
118
Kenneth G. McPeek
20/1
9
9In the Mood (KY)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
118
Stephen S. Sandy
30/1
10
10Secret Message (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
H. Graham Motion
12/1
11
11Kabella (KY)
John R. Velazquez
120
Daniel C. Peitz
20/1
12
12Smart Shot (KY)
Adam Beschizza
120
George R. Arnold, II
15/1
13
13Beyond Blame (KY)
Florent Geroux
122
Brad H. Cox
3/1
