Eye on the Oaks: I'm a Chatterbox

I'm a Chatterbox is a dominant winner of the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday. (Photo by Hodges Photography)
The sister race to the Kentucky Derby, the $1-million, 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks is held annually at Churchill Downs on the Friday before the Derby and restricted to 3-year-old fillies (young female horses). Eye on the Oaks, which will run through the 2015 edition of the race, takes a closer look at fillies who have won important races and could make an impact as we move toward the first Friday in May.
This week we look at I'm a Chatterbox, winner of Saturday's $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course.

I’m a Chatterbox thrust herself onto the Kentucky Oaks trail on Saturday with an impressive eight-length score in the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds, earning 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks to bring her total to 11. The longshot victress from Munnings’ first crop had one win and one third-place finish in three previous starts.
Racing Résumé
A mid-October debut saw I’m a Chatterbox win a seven furlong maiden special weight race at Keeneland by a head, earning a 79 Equibase speed figure in the process.  Her next start was a third-place effort in an allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs in which she set the pace but tired to lose by 3 ½ lengths.
I’m a Chatterbox ran in Churchill’s Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes in late November in her first stakes try, finishing fourth behind West Coast Belle after being taken off the pace for the first time in her career in the 1 1/16-mile race.

Previous Editions ofEye on the Oaks 
Seduire
Take Charge Brandi

She was transferred to the barn of Larry Jones in December where she trained forwardly in preparation for the Silverbulletday, firing two bullets (fastest work at a given distance) before the race. She made her first start for her new trainer a winning one on Saturday after being sent off at 8.60-to-1 in a field that included Golden Rod winner West Coast Belle and multiple Grade 1-placed Top Decile.
The chestnut filly galloped straight to the lead and never looked back under Florent Geroux, covering the first quarter-mile in :23.43 and the half in :47.93 while stalked by stablemate Divine Dawn. When Divine Dawn and Money’soncharlotte began to advance on the far turn, Geroux said ‘go’ and I’m a Chatterbox drew off easily. She was in front by five lengths in mid-stretch and eight lengths at the wire while geared down, stopping the clock in 1:43.21 for the mile and 70 yards. Her 100 speed figure bested her previous career-high by 17 points.
I'M A CHATTERBOX EASILY WINS THE SILVERBULLETDAY STAKES

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Running Style
I’m a Chatterbox is a front-runner who likes to sit on or near the pace of the race. She was never worse than second in the opening stages of each of her three best races and her only off-the-pace effort resulted in a fourth-place finish, eight lengths behind the winner. While that finish was respectable in a 12-horse graded stakes field, she seems to prefer making the pace. That could cause some problems if she has traffic trouble or proves to be unrateable as she continues to stretch out in distance.
Pedigree
A homebred for owners Fletcher and Carolyn Gray, I’m a Chatterbox was offered at auction at the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling Sale but failed to meet her reserve with a final bid of $30,000. The filly is out of the winning Lost Soldier mare Chit Chatter and is a member of multiple graded stakes-winning sprinter Munnings’ first crop.
Munnings is off to a promising start at stud with just one crop racing, with 54 percent winners from starters. On the track Munnings excelled at the seven-furlong distance, and so far his progeny have excelled at shorter distances also with an average winning distance of 6.32 furlongs. However, this is from an average distance raced of 6.21 furlongs and as his first crop just turned 3, one might expect both those averages to increase as his offspring continue to try longer distances.
From 54 starters, as of January 19, four of his foals are black type (stakes) winners, or 7.4 percent, including I’m a Chatterbox as well as No Problem, a Grade 3 winner at seven furlongs, and multiple stakes winners Lake Sebago and Catalina Red, who is also a seven-furlong track record-setter.
MUNNINGS' NO PROBLEM WINS THE GRADE 3 BOB HOPE

Photo by Benoit Photo
I’m a Chatterbox’s dam Chit Chatter was stakes-placed at the one-mile distance herself and has five winners from six foals to race, most of whom found success at shorter distances. Chit Chatter’s dam, Bedroom Chatter, has 10 winners from 12 foals to race including a full-sister to Chit Chatter, Chatter Chatter, who was a multiple stakes winner and who herself has four winners from four to race, including stakes winners Obruchev and That’s How I Roll. Chatter Chatter was a stakes winner at 1 1/16 miles but her foals have done most of their best running at sprint distances.
Bedroom Chatter is also a full-sister to Bedroom Blues, a multiple stakes winner of $586,569 who excelled at the 1 1/16 mile distance and on turf. In all, 10 stakes horses including Past the Point, Commander and Saturday’s Charm appear under I’m a Chatterbox’s third dam Bedroom Window.
I’m a Chatterbox is a promising filly who looks to be a star of her sire’s first crop. Time will tell if she is able to stretch her speed to the longer distances needed to excel further down the road to the Kentucky Oaks, though she certainly looked sharp at the Silverbulletday’s mile and 70 yard distance.