Cafe Americano Favored in Pucker Up

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Cafe Americano Favored in Pucker Up
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Photo: Coady Photography
Cafe Americano schools in the paddock at Arlington International Racecourse

Trainer Chad Brown, holding powerful hands in all three of the day's grade 1 races at Arlington International Racecourse, also sends out the favorite for the Aug. 10 finale, the Pucker Up Stakes (G3T) for 3-year-old fillies at nine furlongs on the turf.

Cafe Americano, the morning-line favorite at odds of 3-1 will go up against 11 rivals. The Medaglia d'Oro  filly, racing for Peter Brant, comes off a sixth-place finish in the July 6 Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1T), won by Concrete Rose. Cafe Americano was carried out in that event by Newspaperofrecord.

Cafe Americano drew gate 11 for the Pucker Up and Irad Ortiz Jr., who was aboard when she won her first two starts, has the mount.

The Pucker Up competition does not include the likes of Concrete Rose, but the field is well-balanced, including the top three finishers from the local prep, the July 13 Hatoof Stakes—Indigo Gin, Princesa Carolina, and Winning Envelope. Indigo Gin and Winning Envelope are locally based. Trainer Kenny McPeek sends Princesa Carolina back up Interstate 65 from her Churchill Downs base.

Winter Sunset, a Tapit  filly last seen finishing second in the June 15 Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs, and Aunt Hattie, second in the July 18 TaWee Stakes at Indiana Grand, also journey north from Louisville, Ky.

A Wayne Catalano trainee, Winter Sunset earlier finished third in both the Edgewood Stakes Presented by Forcht Bank (G3T) at Churchill Downs and the Florida Oaks (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs—both races won by Concrete Rose. Aunt Hattie, an Irish-bred daughter of Camelot, has toiled at five different tracks with two wins to show for eight starts.

Art of Almost, a Dansili filly, ships in from Woodbine where she scored both of her career victories on the Tapeta track. She exits a third-place finish in the Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T), trailing older rivals Holy Helena and Starship Jubilee.


Entries: Pucker Up S. (G3T)

Arlington International Racecourse, Saturday, August 10, 2019, Race 12

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $100,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 6:55 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Sky Freak (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Julio E. Felix 118 Ingrid Mason 30/1
2 2Aunt Hattie (IRE) Jose Valdivia, Jr. 118 Merrill R. Scherer 20/1
3 3Lightscameraaction (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose E. Lopez 118 Chris M. Block 20/1
4 4Indigo Gin (KY) Florent Geroux 120 Eoin G. Harty 6/1
5 5Winning Envelope (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Silvestre de Sousa 118 Chris M. Block 12/1
6 6Gamblin Train (KY) Adam Beschizza 118 William B. Bradley 15/1
7 7Comic Kitten (KY) John R. Velazquez 118 Michael J. Maker 15/1
8 8Princesa Carolina (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Kenneth G. McPeek 8/1
9 9Winter Sunset (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Channing Hill 120 Wayne M. Catalano 7/2
10 10Art of Almost (KY) Alan Garcia 118 Roger L. Attfield 5/1
11 11Cafe Americano (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Chad C. Brown 3/1
12 12Mercilla (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Javier Castellano 118 H. Graham Motion 15/1