The horse to beat is clearly Monomoy Girl, who is a neck away from being undefeated in seven starts. This year alone, the daughter of Tapizar is a perfect 3-for-3, and remarkably, she’s achieved her trio of victories using three very different running styles. A one-turn mile should be no issue for Monomoy Girl, who won the Rags to Riches Stakes by 6 ½ lengths under those conditions last fall, and the Brad Cox-trained filly has posted three solid workouts since the Kentucky Oaks, including a bullet five furlongs in :59 2/5 on May 27th. It would be something of a surprise to see her lose the Acorn.
Caledonia Road ran well over this track and distance when second in the Gr.1 Frizette Stakes (gr. I) last fall and followed up that effort with a decisive 3 ¼-length score in the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), a victory that made her the champion two-year-old filly of 2017. She recently returned from a layoff to win a one-mile allowance race at Belmont. While Caledonia Road was certainly an accomplished two-year-old, there’s no guarantee that her success last year will translate to similar success against tougher company this year.
Other interesting wild card entries include Talk Veuve to Me, sharp runner-up in the Eight Belles Stakes and Spectator, second in the Gr.1 Santa Anita Oaks last time out.
1.Moonshine Memories(S. Callaghan,F. Prat), 2.Spectator(P. D'Amato,J. Castellano), 3.Monomoy Girl(B. Cox,F. Geroux), 4.Gio Game(M. Casse,J. Leparoux), 5.Caledonia Road(R. Nicks,M. Smith), 6.Starcloud(O. Gonzalez,A. Jiminez), 7.Talk Veuve To Me(R. Brisset,J. Ortiz)
1st Abel Tasman(B. Baffert,M. Smith), 2nd Salty(M. Casse,J. Rosario), 3rd Benner Island(B. Cox,J. Ortiz), 4th Sweet Loretta(T. Pletcher,J. Castellano), 5th Union Strike(M. Ruis,B. Blanc), 6th Nikki My Darling(D. Giglio,T. Gaffalione), 7th Florida Fabulous(D. Fawkes,P. Lopez)
Distance:1 mile (8 furlongs), Surface:Dirt, Track:left-handed, Qualification:Three-year-old fillies, Weight:121 lb (55 kg), Purse: $750,000 (2014)
Credit: Pallavi Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretaristworld.com