My Gal Betty Headlines Natalma, Casse Has Summer Trio

My Gal Betty, who has crossed the wire first in all three of her starts, will look to raise her game another notch when she steps into grade 1 company for the $250,000 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine Sept. 16.

The one-mile Natalma is a "Win And You're In" race, with the with the winner earning a fees-paid berth in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Churchill Downs. A field of 15 was entered but only 14 can start.

Named for the wife of owner Bill Werner, the Kentucky-bred My Gal Betty was an easy winner at first asking when she took a 4 1/2 furlong test over the Woodbine Tapeta May 20. The daughter of Point of Entry  then prevailed by a head in a hard-fought My Dear Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on the same surface, only to be disqualified for interference and placed third.

The bay filly left no doubt in her most recent start, when she won the Catch A Glimpse Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths over yielding going Aug. 25.

"When I first got her down in Florida, I thought she was going to be pretty special," said trainer Roger Attfield, who purchased the filly for $120,000 at the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale. "I had thought she'd be turf, going long. I'm surprised the Point of Entrys have shown as much speed as they have."

My Gal Betty tuned up for the Natalma with a six-furlong workout in 1:14 3/5 over a "good" turf training track Sept. 8.

"It was a very nice breeze," Attfield said. "She's training very well."

Last year's renewal saw Capla Temptress invade from Europe to capture the Natalma and fellow Irish-bred La Pelosa will try and follow in those footsteps for Godolphin. Trained by Charlie Appleby, La Pelosa was successful when she debuted on the synthetic surface at Kempton in May and just missed as the runner-up in the Albany Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot June 22.

Her most recent effort was a second-place finish in the German-Thoroughbred.com Sweet Solera Stakes (G3), a straightaway seven-furlong turf race Aug. 11.

"She brings a good level of form to the race, and I feel the step up to one mile is going to suit her," Appleby said.

Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has won the Natalma seven times and is taking a swing this year with Gary Barber's Eyeinthesky. The Sky Mesa  filly broke her maiden at Churchill May 25 but has dropped her last three starts, including a fourth-place finish in the Catch A Glimpse Stakes.

"She didn't run great last time, but the turf was really soft that day," Casse said. "We're going to throw her race out."

Casse will have a three-pronged attack for Sunday's other grade 1 test at Woodbine, the $250,000 Summer Stakes, also over eight furlongs.

Nicknamed "WoW" by his caretakers, War of Will is one Casse has pinned some lofty hopes on. The son of War Front  finished third in his debut at Woodbine Aug. 24, but his conditioner said that outing was better than it looked, because the colt was short of fitness coming in.

"He's a horse we're pretty high on," Casse said. "We ran him one time and he got a little tired. He was third in his only start, but I kind of rushed him, because I wanted to get a race into him over the turf at Woodbine. I think it's so important. I think War of Will, when the dust clears, is going to be a really good horse."

Casse will also saddle maiden Tricky Magician in the Summer Stakes— adding that one needs to "still has to pick up his game" —as well as stakes winner Muskoka Wonder.

Trainer Josie Carroll will send Avie's Flatter and Nashtrick, who each won at first asking, into the mix. Avie's Flatter won his five-furlong first start Aug. 12 at Woodbine, while the Kentucky-bred Nashtrick, owned by Augustin Stable, was victorious in his Aug. 24 debut over seven furlongs on the turf, where he defeated War of Will.

Peter Brant's Fog of War will ship in after he took his first 5-1/2-furlong foray over "good" turf conditions at Saratoga Race Course. The War Front colt trained by Chad Brown was a $400,000 purchase at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Entries: Natalma S. (G1T)

Woodbine, Sunday, September 16, 2018, Race 7

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $250,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 4:26 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Not Orbinary (KY)	Gary Boulanger	121	Gail Cox	20/1
2	2Comic Kitten (KY)	Flavien Prat	121	Michael J. Maker	20/1
3	3Chicas Amigas (IRE)	Oisin Murphy	121	Mrs. John Harrington	12/1
4	4Eyeinthesky (FL)	Jerome Lermyte	121	Mark E. Casse	15/1
5	5Chasing the Kitty (KY)	Nathan Vickers	121	Kevin Rice	30/1
6	6Bohemian Queen (KY)	Luis Contreras	121	Sid C. Attard	20/1
7	7Artilena (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	121	Catherine Day Phillips	8/1
8	8My Gal Betty (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	121	Roger L. Attfield	4/1
9	9Bold Script (ON)	Patrick Husbands	121	Stuart C. Simon	15/1
10	10Mintd (IRE)	Javier Castellano	121	Chad C. Brown	8/1
11	11Pivottina (FR)	Joel Rosario	121	Ludovic Gadbin	10/1
12	12Stillwater Cove (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	Wesley A. Ward	6/1
13	13La Pelosa (IRE)	Jamie P. Spencer	121	Charles Appleby	3/1
14	14Above All Names (KY)	Skye Chernetz	121	Bonnie Eshelman	50/1
15	15Souciologist (ON)	Jesse M. Campbell	121	Kevin Attard	20/1

Entries: Summer S. (G1T)

Woodbine, Sunday, September 16, 2018, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $250,000
• 2 yo
• 5:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Cerrado (FL)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	122	Daniel J. Vella	30/1
2	2Avie's Flatter (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	122	Josie Carroll	4/1
3	3Fog of War (KY)	Javier Castellano	122	Chad C. Brown	5/2
4	4Muskoka Wonder (ON)	Patrick Husbands	122	Mark E. Casse	12/1
5	5Moon Swings (ON)	Jesse M. Campbell	122	Michael P. De Paulo	30/1
6	6Wallace (KY)	Emma-Jayne Wilson	122	Kelsey Danner	10/1
7	7Skychief (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Michael J. Maker	15/1
8	8War of Will (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Mark E. Casse	10/1
9	9Nashtrick (KY)	Luis Contreras	122	Josie Carroll	8/1
10	10Dob Dob (KY)	Mario G. Pino	122	Michael W. Dickinson	30/1
11	11Tricky Magician (ON)	John R. Velazquez	122	Mark E. Casse	6/1
12	12Jungle Warrior (KY)	Gary Boulanger	122	Sid C. Attard	15/1
13	13Federal Law (ON)	Oisin Murphy	122	Archie Watson	12/1