Handicapper's Corner: 2025 Diana Stakes (G1)

 

 Diana Stakes Preview: 

Is She Feels Pretty Unbeatable?

By: MaryJo Moncheski, ThoroFan Handicapper

The $500,000 Diana Stakes is a highlight of Saratoga’s opening weekend on Saturday. Older fillies and mares will travel 1 1/8 miles over the inner turf.

Post time for the Diana Stakes is 6:14 PM EST. The turf should be firm. 

We have a very short field today. Out of 6 horses, 2 are trained by Chad Brown. It’s hard to avoid using at least one of his horses in the superfecta. It’s also hard to beat Trainer Cherie DeVaux’s She Feels Pretty. I will give it my best shot though!

My picks today are: 2-1-6-5

Top Pair: 2. Choisya and 1. She Feels Pretty

If any horse has a chance to beat She Feels Pretty, it is Choisya (8-1) with one of my favorite jockeys, Luis Saez. This filly came off a layoff from Meydan and won the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in April. When many horses struggle to win off any race, let alone a win, in Meydan, Choisya continues to show she’s different. One could throw out her last race due to the yielding turf at Saratoga and justify that she could give She Feels Pretty a run for her money.

At even-money, She Feels Pretty has had two starts at this distance and surface, and won both starts. Choisya has had 2 starts as well and won once. It all depends if Johnny V is going to get She Feels Pretty to the front or hold her where she likes in the third or fourth position, not exactly a closer and not exactly a presser either. Both will be vying to sit off the pace. The question will be: Who will be first?

Bottom Pair: 6. Be Your Best and 5. Dynamic Pricing

I would be shocked if Be Your Best (6-1) doesn’t go to the front with Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. She likes to be at the front. She also fits my “rested criteria” that I have mentioned in previous write-ups. However, I would like to see a couple of bullet workouts in order to put her in my top pair. I think she will set the pace and be overtaken by the many closers in this race.

This leads me to Dynamic Pricing (9-2). I think she has the speed to conquer She Feels Pretty and Choisya, however, not enough to win. I could be surprised, as Jockey Dylan Davis has been on fire on the turf. Her last race out was on yielding turf, where she won. Dynamic Power seems to like yielding turf as she has won twice with some of her best Beyer speeds on yielding turf.

Handigambling:

$10 to win on 2. Choisya

$2 exacta box: 2-1 ($4)

.50 cent trifecta box: 2-1-6 ($3)

.10 cent superfecta box: 2-1-6-5 ($2.40)

TOTAL Bet: $19.40

 

 

Handicapper's Corner: 2021 Beverly D. Stakes (G1)

 Mean Mary Heads Field of Seven in Beverly D. Stakes

By: Nicolle Neulist, Blinkers-Off

The Beverly D. Stakes (G1), one of the premier filly and mare turf races of the summer, is named after Beverly Duchossois, the late wife of Arlington Park chairman emeritus Richard Duchossois.

 

 First run in 1987, the race’s winners have been a litany of top-class mares including Hall of Fame inductee Flawlessly (1991), as well as Champions Possibly Perfect (1995), Stacelita (2011), Dank (2013), and Sistercharlie (2018, 2019). Even Mr. D has won the race named after his wife: in 2010, Eclair de Lune came roaring home to win it in the blue and gold silks of the chairman.

The 2021 Beverly D. offers a purse of $400,000, and is carded as the day’s 7th race of 10, to go off at 4:49pm CDT. It drew a field of seven to compete. There is one horse cross-entered; rail-drawn Bramble Queen is also entered in the Mike Spellman Memorial Handicap against her fellow Illinois-breds.

 

Mean Mary has been one of the top American turf horses since last year. She has the stamina to handle the mile and three sixteenths trip well. And, she has early speed — something that should serve her well.  Mean Mary should get an excellent trip on the front end under strong speed rider (and her regular pilot) Luis Saez; it looks unlikely for anyone to truly go with her.

Though outside-drawn Oh So Terrible has shown speed at some points in her career, she hasn’t shown as much pace early and may not be able to go with Mean Mary even if she tried.

Naval Laughter, with Sophie Doyle in the irons, will probably rate again.

Aside from pace, it is also a positive that Mean Mary just won the New York Stakes last out over yielding turf. After all the rains this week, the course probably will not be firm come Saturday, and it is good to see she won over yielding going last time. And the horse she beat was none other than Thundering Nights, a Joseph O’Brien horse who has already come back to win the Pretty Polly.

In that Pretty Polly, Thundering Nights defeated none other than Santa Barbara, who ships in to contest the Beverly D. for Aidan O’Brien. That was Santa Barbara’s first start against older and only her fourth race ever, a nice form reversal from her flat fifth as the chalk in the Oaks (G1) at Epsom.

Santa Barbara then returned to win the Belmont Oaks, overcoming trouble in the lane to  get through and get up to win by half a length over Con Lima. Speaking of races that have been franked, the Belmont Oaks form was flattered when Con Lima came back to win the Saratoga Oaks (G1). In short? Santa Barbara’s off-pace style may be a bit of a liability without a lot of speed entered in this race, but if anyone does come one to make a race of it with Mean Mary late, it’s Santa Barbara.

If someone told me the morning of June 3, 2021 that Naval Laughter would be entered in the Beverly D, much less one of the mid-priced horses in the race? They’d have heard just that: laughter. But, oh how her fortunes have changed! She raced once at two, was sold back to her breeders for just $17,000 last year, and didn’t race at all last year. But trainer Chris Davis had her ready to roll in that maiden race June 3, and she rolled clear to win by 19 3/4 lengths in a hand ride.

Though she finished just second behind Fate Factor in an allowance, she stretched out and went first-time turf in the Modesty. That day jockey Sophie Doyle settled her off the pace, got her running late, and got her up to win by half a length over Joy Epifora. It was a good first start against good horses. The waters get deeper here, of course, especially with the top of the field. But jockey Sophie Doyle should be able to give her another good tactical ride, she can stay the trip, and she should find the frame again.

She’ll likely be a more appealing price than Lemista, who ships out for Chad Brown. Lemista still has yet to prove she has found her stride in America. She still has some upside in only her third American start, but has yet to prove she wants longer than a mile and an eighth and hasn’t done enough on the track to get excited about the inevitable too-short price caused by those who throw money at Chad Brown horses.

 

Selections

#2 Mean Mary (9/5)

#4 Santa Barbara (2/1)

#5 Naval Laughter (9/2)

 

Longshot:  In such a stratified field of six, there are not a lot of serious win candidates in the field. However, #3 Joy Epifora (8/1) has excellent claims to hit the board. She hasn’t been much of a winner in general; she has not won since racing in Argentina in 2019. However, she showed in the Modesty that she has held her strong form. She sat a little closer to the pace than usual in that last race, something that tends to bring her better efforts out of her.

Jockey Declan Cannon, who rode Joy Epifora that day, returns and can give her that sort of a ride not too far behind Mean Mary again. Plus, she is trained by Ignacio Correas, IV — a trainer who has proven, with the likes of Kasaqui and Dona Bruja, that he can show up on big days at Arlington park.

 

 

Handicapper's Corner: E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1)

Turf routers in E.P. Taylor Stakes spotlight

By Laurie Ross, ThoroCap

The E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1), named for a prominent racehorse owner, generally attracts a competitive group of fillies and mares.

The 1 1/4-mile event is contested over Woodbine’s lush turf course. Last year’s winner was Canada’s three-time Champion Grass Mare and last year’s Sovereign Award Horse of the Year  Starship Jubilee.

Seven fillies and mares line up for this year’s E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1).

 

What’s a Grade 1 turf race without a Chad Brown trainee?  #3 ETOILE (FR) (9-5) chased Theodora B. throughout the Dance Smartly (G2) but just couldn’t get by. Will we see déjà vu all over again? This French Group Stakes winner is hoping to turn the tables this time around.

 

#4 THEODORA B. (2-1) clearly loves distance and the Woodbine turf. She led them on a merry chase in the Dance Smartly (G2) and scampered under the wire 3/4-length in front. She’s lost only once this year, in an ill-advised experiment over the Polytrack.

 

#1 RIDEFORTHECAUSE (4-1) is a horse for course, with four wins from five starts over the Woodbine lawn. She surprised the Canadian Stakes (G2) field with a decisive 4-length victory at 23-1 and is carrying a two-race win streak into the E.P. Taylor. The drawback is – her Brisnet speed figures have improved in each start, and she ran a lifetime best figure last out. Will she jump up with another massive effort or regress?

 

#6 SECRET MESSAGE (6-1) shied at the start of last year’s E. P. Taylor Stakes and chased the field the entire way. This 5-year-old is off form. She won the Mint Julep Stakes (G3) in May but hasn’t come close to the winner’s circle since. Shorter distances between a mile to 1 1/16-miles suit her better.

 

#2 PRETTY POINT (8-1) hopes a change in scenery, and the brisk Canadian air, with blow new life into her racing career. She’s 2 for 15 lifetime, those victories coming in a maiden and optional claimer. She tries hard and can get the distance, but class is the issue.  

 

#7 ELIZABETH WAY (IRE) (10-1) has hit the board in all three starts at 1 1/4-miles, and in two of three starts at Woodbine. So why is she 10-1 morning line? She does her best work setting or pressing the pace but doesn’t always get her preferred trip. She finished in third place behind Theodora B. and Etoile in the Dance Smartly (G2) after being blocked at the top of the stretch, which delayed her run. She could surprise with a good trip.

 

#5 COURT RETURN (20-1) has hit the board in 6 of 9 starts at Woodbine. Her form is hit or miss….mostly miss, although she did take third money in the Canadian Stakes (G2) behind Rideforthecause. Court Return won two starts back with Daisuke Fukumoto aboard, and he takes the reins again here. She’s not at the level of the top runners but could grab a lower exotic placing at a considerable price.

 

Analysis

THEODORA B. is lone speed. She may be pressed by ELIZABETH WAY, and ETOILE could be up close too. It’s obviously a jock’s race in a seven-horse field at this distance. If Justin Stein can lull them on the front end, he and  THEODORA B. will be tough to pass.

#4 THEODORA B. (2-1)

#3 ETOILE (9-5)

#1 RIDEFORTHECAUSE (4-1)

#7 ELIZABETH WAY (IRE) (10-1)