Mrs. Revere Draws Overflow Field of 18

Churchill Downs certainly cannot complain about a lack of turf fillies on the grounds or a lack of interest in the $200,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes (gr. IIT) Nov. 15.

When entries were drawn, 18 fillies showed up for the 1 1/16-mile test, including several heavy hitters in the division, such as graded stakes winners Testa Rossi, Sparkling Review, Personal Diary, and Speed Seeker. Also entered were the first four finishers of the listed Pebbles Stakes—Lady Lara, Distorted Beauty, Walk Close, and Sandiva. The last named is a group III winner in England this year.

Fourteen are to run in the Mrs. Revere, with four other fillies on the also-eligible list. The race is the ninth on the Churchill Saturday card with a probable post time of 4:36 p.m. EST.

Drawing the rail under Jose Lezcano is Testa Rossi, winner of the Florida Oaks (gr. IIIT) and last year's Miss Grillo Stakes (gr. IIIT), and runner-up in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) for trainer Chad Brown. The daughter of Dr Fong hasn't started since finishing fourth of 13 in the grade I Ashland Stakes on Polytrack at Keeneland in the spring, but has turned in several strong works on the grass and appears to be in good form despite the layoff.

Sparkling Review, trained by Ben Colebrook, is undefeated in her three starts on the grass, and is coming off an explosive victory in the Valley View Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland under Julien Leparoux, who is back aboard the daughter of Lemon Drop Kid  . She will break from post 4.

Another top contender is Personal Diary, who has only won two of her 11 career starts but has been in the money nine times. She is in the best form of her life, winning the Del Mark Oaks (gr. IT) and then finishing third in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) over soft going at Keeneland. Trained by Victoria Oliver and ridden by Jon Court from post 5, the daughter of City Zip   carries top weight of 123 pounds by virtue of her grade I score.

Shipping down from New York are the first four finishers of the Oct. 13 Pebbles at Belmont Park, headed by the victorious Lady Lara, an Irish-bred daughter of Excellent Art who rallied from ninth to win by a half length in her U.S. debut after 13 starts in Europe. The Bill Mott-trained filly gets Lasix for the first time and will once again have the services of Junior Alvarado.

Pebbles runner-up Distorted Beauty has good early speed, but can also stalk. Trained by Bruce Levine, the New York-bred daughter of Invasor   has been a gem of consistency, finishing first or second in her last six starts. The Pebbles was her stakes debut. Joe Rocco Jr. rides for the first time.

Third in the Pebbles was the Christophe Clement-trained Walk Close, who also has been consistent, never having been worse than fourth in her six career starts. One of those fourths came in the grade II Sands Point Stakes at Belmont Park. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount and will have to break from the 13-post.

Don't overlook the Pebbles fourth-place finisher Sandiva, who raced evenly throughout for trainer Todd Pletcher. Previously trained in England by Mike McCarthy, her best effort came in the group III Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket this past April.

Others who have a shot here are the multiple stakes winners Kiss Moon and Miss Frost, Ontario Colleen Stakes (gr. IIIT) winner Speed Seeker, and Lake George Stakes (gr. IIT) runner-up A Little Bit Sassy, who is stuck in the 14 hole.