Brown Wields Strong Hand in First Lady Stakes

Oct. 3 is officially revered in social media circles as "Mean Girls Day," an ode to the 2004 film that maintains a cult-like following.

If the trio of Chad Brown trainees run to their class in the Oct. 6 edition of the $400,000 First Lady Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland, the celebration of popular girls who torment their classmates could extend well into the weekend.

Grade 1 winners A Raving Beauty and Off Limits, along with high-dollar stablemate Quidura, will attempt to pull a Regina George, headlining a field of 10 entered Saturday for the one-mile test at Keeneland.

The turf distaffers out of the Brown barn are a notoriously ruthless bunch, deep in their quality and numbers and unwilling to yield much of the spotlight. With stablemate Sistercharlie training up to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) and Fourstar Crook and Onthemoonagain expected to carry the barn banner in the Oct. 7 Flower Bowl Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park, A Raving Beauty and Co. will aim to strengthen the divisional vice grip their two-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner holds.

Though Quidura has fallen short in three grade 1 races, the daughter of Dubawi is carrying the most momentum of the trio. Previously trained by Graham Motion—who saddled her to wins in the 2016 Pin Oak Valley View Stakes (G3T) and 2017 Canadian Stakes (G2T)—Quidura was purchased by owner Peter Brant's White Birch Farm for $3.6 million out of Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale last year and has made a strong impression in her two starts since joining Brown's barn.

The 5-year-old mare was second by a neck to stablemate Fifty Five in a one-mile allowance test over yielding ground at Belmont Park July 15 and earned a gate-to-wire victory in the Aug. 25 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa Stakes (G2T), where she defeated A Raving Beauty and Off Limits, among others.

"Obviously, her first start for us was on that soft ground there at Belmont, and I thought she ran a good race there, and she came back to Saratoga and just continued to improve," said Whit Beckman, assistant to Brown. "The way she's training and everything, we expect her to run a good race."

Quidura earned her win in the Pin Oak Valley View over soft going at Keeneland that day, a point in her favor should the precipitation in the forecast hold true over the next few days.

After being purchased out of the 2017 Arqana December Sale, A Raving Beauty began her tenure with Brown in sparkling fashion, scoring wins in the Beaugay Stakes (G3T) and Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. The 5-year-old mare endured a troubled trip while finishing third to Sistercharlie in the July 21 Diana Stakes (G1T) but lacked any real kick during her fourth-place effort in the Ballston Spa.

"I think a lot of it, like the Diana, it was the trip with her," Beckman said. "She kind of had some spots close down on her, but I think she's just as talented as a lot of them. She just needs to get a little luckier with her trips. The mile (distance) is definitely something she excels at. Stretching her out in the Diana, I thought she could have done it, but the trip just didn't really allow her to make that concerted run."

A Raving Beauty and Quidura will break from posts 2 and 3, respectively, with Off Limits leaving from the outside post 10.

Off Limits ended her 2017 campaign with four straight victories, including a last-to-first rally in the Nov. 26 Matriarch Stakes (G1T) at Del Mar. The daughter of Mastercraftsman has struggled to find her form this year, however, dropping each of her four starts, including a fifth-place run in the Ballston Spa.

Her best effort this season came over the Keeneland turf when she was third to Sistercharlie and Fourstar Crook in the April 14 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T).

"She's a hearty, tough filly and she shows up every time, but she needs a nice setup," Beckman said of Off Limits. "We expect all three of them to bring their best game this weekend."

The First Lady will also feature the presence of two European group winners: Godolphin's Crown Walk and Mr. P.K. Siu's Indian Blessing.

Trained by Henri-Alex Pantall, Crown Walk finished second in the July 29 Prix Rothschild (G1) at Deauville in her most recent start. Indian Blessing was third to Quidura in the Ballston Spa in her stateside debut.