Lady Lara Looks Best in Mrs. Revere
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Description:
Lady Lara wins the Pebbles Stakes at Belmont Park. (Photo by NYRA/Joe Labozetta)
With winter approaching, the Grade 2, $200,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes is one of the last stakes of the year to be run on grass that is restricted to 3-year-old fillies. As such, 18 horses have signed up to run, with 14 likely to contest the 1 1/16-mile trip over the Churchill Downs turf.
Leading the field is Lady Lara, coming off a win in the Pebbles Stakes last month in her U.S. debut. Pebbles runner-up Distorted Beauty as well as the third-, fourth- and eighth-place finishers from that race return in the Mrs. Revere.
Sparkling Review won the Grade 3 Valley View Stakes last month at Keeneland at the distance of the Mrs. Revere and she, as well as runner-up Spring Included, will attempt to move up a notch in the stakes ranks.
Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks winner Personal Diary may not have cared for a soggy turf course when third last month in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes and could return to top form, while Speed Seeker will also hope to return to the stakes winning form shown when victorious in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes in August before a seventh-place effort last month in the Queen Elizabeth. Testa Rossi returns from seven months off and must be mentioned in the same words as the other main contenders because 13 months ago she won the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes in her U.S. debut and one month later finished second among 14 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
TESTA ROSSI
Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Lady Lara was most impressive in her U.S. debut last month at Belmont Park, rallying from ninth of 11 early to win by a half-length at the end. Earning a field-high 110 Equibase Speed Figure and running the last quarter mile in a strong 22.2 seconds, Lady Lara should improve in her second stateside start and that makes her the top contender to win the Mrs. Revere Stakes.
Personal Diary ran the best race of her career one before her last when victorious in the Del Mar Oaks by nearly three lengths and earning a career best 106 Equibase figure in the process. She returned two months later in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup and may not have cared for the soggy turf, finishing third. Personal Diary is one of the few horses in this field with familiarity with the Churchill Downs turf as she finished fast for third in the Regret Stakes this past spring. With her strong late kick, Personal Diary has potential to be passing most, if not all, of these in the stretch run and could post the upset.
Sparkling Review goes for her fourth straight win in the Mrs. Revere. Moving straight through the maiden and allowance ranks, Sparkling Review won the Valley View Stakes last month in her first stakes try with a 102 figure, rather impressively in a field of 12. With jockey Julien Leparoux riding her for the first time in victory last month and in the saddle again, this fast improving filly has every right to continue to improve enough to win this race.
SPARKLING REVIEW
Keeneland Photo
Distorted Beauty led from the start in the Pebbles Stakes last month before giving way to Lady Lara in the final yards and holding second by three lengths. She has improved her speed figure in each of her last four races, from 88 in July to a career best 109 last month. With a good inside post and tactical speed that will allow her to sit off the pace or take the lead depending on the pace, Distorted Beauty rounds out a quartet of runners that must be respected as contenders to win the Mrs. Revere Stakes.
The rest of the field, with their best representative Equibase Speed Figures, is A Little Bit Sassy (102), Black Elegance (90), Courageous Julie (90), Kiss Moon (105), Miss Frost (105), Munirah (91), ) Photo Call (104), Sandiva (104), Secret Someone (100), Speed Seeker(98), Spring Included (98), Testa Rossi (106), V V Goodnight (96) and Walk Close (104).
My Selections:
Lady Lara
Personal Diary
Sparkling Review
Distorted Beauty
$200,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes
Saturday, Churchill Downs, Race 9, 4:36 p.m. ET
1 1/16 miles, turf, 3-year-old fillies
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
Testa Rossi
Jose Lezcano
118
Chad Brown
4/1
2
Munirah
Miguel Mena
118
Graham Motion
30/1
3
Distorted Beauty
Joe Rocco, Jr.
118
Bruce Levine
8/1
4
Sparkling Review
Julien Leparoux
118
Ben Colebrook
10/1
5
Personal Diary
Jon Court
123
Victoria Oliver
9/2
6
Speed Seeker
Francisco Torres
118
Joan Scott
8/1
7
Kiss Moon
Corey Lanerie
118
David Vance
20/1
8
Miss Frost
Robby Albarado
118
Neil Howard
12/1
9
Spring Included
Jesus Castanon
118
Steve Hobby
30/1
10
Courageous Julie
Joe Johnson
118
D. Wayne Lukas
50/1
11
Lady Lara
Shaun Bridgmohan
118
Bill Mott
9/2
12
Sandiva
Florent Geroux
118
Todd Pletcher
10/1
13
Walk Close
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Christophe Clement
12/1
14
A Little Bit Sassy
Luis Saez
118
Michael Matz
10/1
15
V V Goodnight
Channing Hill
118
Tom Proctor
30/1
16
Secret Someone
Brian Hernandez, Jr.
118
Bill Mott
30/1
17
Photo Call
Miguel Mena
118
Graham Motion
15/1
18
Black Elegance
Julien Leparoux
118
Wayne Catalano
30/1