Mother Mother Back at Site of Success in Eight Belles
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coady Photography
Mother Mother winning the Rags to Riches Stakes Oct. 28 at Churchill Downs
The $250,000 Eight Belles Stakes presented by Derby City Gaming (G2) is the first stakes race on the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) undercard May 3 at Churchill Downs. Nine 3-year-old fillies are entered in the seven-furlong feature, with Bob Baffert-trained Mother Mother searching for her first victory since last visiting Louisville, Ky., in the fall.
Mark Mathiesen, George Bolton, Barry Hall, Barry Lipman, and Andrew Molasky's Mother Mother won the Oct. 28 Rags to Riches Stakes at a mile before hitting the Oaks trail in Southern California. The Pioneerof the Nile filly notched on-the-board finishes in the Dec. 8 Starlet Stakes (G1) and Jan. 6 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) before running fourth in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G2), her third loss to Kentucky Oaks favorite Bellafina.
Mother Mother put in a gutsy performance in the Beaumont Stakes presented by Keeneland Select (G3) April 7. She was second by a head to undefeated Fancy Dress Party after running up the rail in the slop.
Others receiving relief from the Oaks trail include Lothenbach Stables' Bell's The One and Reddam Racing's Bizwhacks.
Bell's the One won her first four starts with trainer Neil Pessin before eased to finish seventh in the April 6 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. She is a stakes winner on both dirt and turf at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, winning the Letellier Memorial Stakes Dec. 22 and returning March 9 to capture the Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial Stakes on the grass. Bizwhacks broke her maiden eighth time out before running third in the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park and fourth in the Ashland.
Brad Cox sends out an improving runner in Klein Racing's Break Even. The homebred daughter of Country Day is 3-for-3 in her race career, winning her debut by five lengths followed by an allowance optional claiming event and more recently the Purple Martin Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths. The Eight Belles will be her longest race to date.
Two other lightly raced fillies in here—Queen of Beas and Lyrical Lady—will try stakes for the first time off allowance optional claiming wins. Kingsport Farm's Queen of Beas broke her maiden second time out going seven furlongs before rallying to win at a mile Jan. 31. This will be her first race outside Gulfstream Park. Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Lyrical Lady was a debut winner at Saratoga Race Course and finished fifth in the Adirondack Stakes (G2). She made her 2019 debut March 22 at Oaklawn Park with a front-running victory at six furlongs.
Lyrical Lady's trainer Steve Asmussen won the Eight Belles last year with Mia Mischief and is looking for his fourth win in the race.
Completing the field are Take Charge Angel, a five-length debut winner during Churchill's September meet and second by a head to Covfefe in allowance optional claiming at Keeneland April 6; Proud Emma an allowance optional claiming winner who was fourth in the two-turn Gazelle Stakes (G2) April 6; and Del Mar May, runner-up to Bellafina in the Sorrento Stakes (G2) at 2 and a four-length maiden winner going seven furlongs at Keeneland April 5.
Churchill Downs, Friday, May 03, 2019, Race 5Entries: Eight Belles S. presented by Derby City Gaming (G2)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Take Charge Angel (KY)
John R. Velazquez
118
Ben Colebrook
5/1
2
2Proud Emma (KY)
Mike E. Smith
118
Peter Miller
10/1
3
3Queen of Beas (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
118
Jorge R. Abreu
4/1
4
4Break Even (KY)
Shaun Bridgmohan
118
Brad H. Cox
4/1
5
5Bell's the One (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
118
Neil L. Pessin
15/1
6
6Del Mar May (KY)
Joel Rosario
118
Richard Baltas
5/1
7
7Lyrical Lady (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
118
Steven M. Asmussen
8/1
8
8Bizwhacks (KY)
Flavien Prat
118
Doug F. O'Neill
20/1
9
9Mother Mother (KY)
Florent Geroux
118
Bob Baffert
3/1
