Remember the $300,000 Limestone Stakes about a month ago at Keeneland? They’re all but running it back Saturday at Churchill Downs.
The first six across the finish line plus the eighth- and 10th-place finishers from the Limestone are entered in the Grade 3, $225,000 Mamzelle Stakes. So are a bunch of other 3-year-old filly turf sprinters, 17 in all, 14 of whom are allowed into the Churchill starting gate. A field that bulky with a relatively short run to the 5 1/2-furlong Mamzelle’s turn means luck plays a major part in the Mamzelle.
Three horses in the field’s main body were cross-entered in an Aqueduct race – Bunratty Manor and Serving Time run in the Mamzelle, while Lovely Emma goes to New York. Hey Bertie, an also-eligible, also runs at Aqueduct.
TimeformUS codes the early pace of the Limestone as very fast. Nonetheless, Shisospicy, who carved out the fractions, and Dreamaway, who chased her, finished first and second, with only a couple horses making much homestretch headway.
Shisospicy shipped from Florida for trainer Jose D’Angelo to win the Limestone and remained at Keeneland preparing for the Mamzelle. Two for two in turf sprints, she could once again prove the controlling speed, this time under Jose Ortiz, who takes over from his brother Irad, who has moved his tack back to New York. Shisospicy does look like she needs the lead, and her margin for error might not match her low odds: She was 2-1 at Keeneland and could drop below that Saturday.
Kilwin finished sixth in the Limestone but can do better. Making her first start since a solid fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Kilwin broke from post 12, a tough draw in theory and practice. Unable to drop inside, Kilwin got stuck about four paths wide, with no cover, around the turn, finishing evenly.
“Things didn’t go perfect. We were disappointed in the finish we got, not in the effort,” said Rusty Arnold, who trains Kilwin for BBN Racing.
Kilwin’s winning debut last summer at Ellis Park came in a good turf sprint: The runner-up and third-place finisher returned to win maiden special weight races; the third-place horse, Vixen, was a Grade 3 turf winner this year. In the $1 million Untapable at Kentucky Downs, Kilwin roared home from eighth at the stretch call to win by a half-length. She chased a hot pace in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf and did well to lose by just 4 1/4 lengths. Arnold plans to stretch her back out – after the Mamzelle.
“The timing was good for this, and she came back well, had a couple nice works. She drew better and hopefully gets a good run in,” Arnold said.
While Kilwin has been turf sprinting and might turn out to be a miler, Arnold’s other entrant, Bunratty Manor, has been turf-routing.
“She might only want to be a sprinter, to come from behind at one turn,” Arnold said.
That describes the Mark Casse-trained Abientot, winner of the six-furlong Matron last fall in New York, then last of 14 in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf. Abientot finished fastest in the Limestone, splitting rivals at the eighth pole to run third, beaten one length, and quickly galloping out in front. Frankie Dettori jumps aboard her after riding It Ain’t Two to a fourth-place Limestone finish: Florent Geroux picks up the mount on It Ain’t Two.
Shisospicy figures to make the lead like she did in the Limestone. A month later and 70 miles west, can she hold it again?
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