By Joe Bianca
A dozen well-matched 3-year-old turf fillies, comprising a who's who of their division, will line up in Thursday's GIII Appalachian S. Presented by Japan Racing Association at Keeneland.
Singling out a headliner in the loaded field is a tall task, but many eyes will be on e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' New Money Honey (Medaglia d'Oro), who makes her sophomore debut and first start since capturing the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. Prior to that, the $450,000 Keeneland September buy was a powerful victress of the GIII Miss Grillo S. at Belmont.
Second in the Breeders' Cup and third in the Miss Grillo was Treadway Racing Stable's Coasted (Tizway). Breaking her maiden in dominant fashion last August at Saratoga to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors, the $210,000 KEESEP grad annexed the P. G. Johnson S. there Sept. 1 and returned from a four-month winter break with a neck second after a tough trip in the GIII Herecomesthebride S. Mar. 4 at Gulfstream.
Edging out Coasted that day was John C. Oxley's Dream Dancing (Tapit). The homebred filly, who graduated on the Saratoga lawn Aug. 28, finished off the board in three graded stakes tries on dirt last fall and flourished in a pair of victories when returned to grass this winter.
Oxley will also be represented by $375,000 OBS April purchase La Coronel (Colonel John), who looked to be the queen of the juvenile turf fillies last year after dusting New Money Honey in a maiden win Sept. 5 at Saratoga and doubling up with an authoritative victory in Keeneland's GIII JPMorgan Chase Jessamine S. Oct. 12. Marooned in the 13-hole in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, the dark bay finished sixth and was most recently a neck second at odds-on in the GIII Florida Oaks Mar. 11 at Tampa.
Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's Lull (War Front) starts for the first time since finishing fourth after setting the pace in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Prior to that, the homebred captured the Exacta Systems Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies S. Sept. 3 at Kentucky Downs, just 17 days after falling in a scary incident in the Bolton Landing S. at Saratoga. Lull will be treated with Lasix for the first time in the Appalachian.
Purely a Dream (Pure Prize) looks for her second consecutive graded stakes score after upsetting the GIII Bourbonette Oaks Mar. 25 at Turfway. The chestnut broke through the maiden ranks in her only previous turf start. Patricia Moseley's 'TDN Rising Star' Proctor's Ledge (Ghostzapper) gets the acid test after an impressive and easy allowance/optional claiming tally Feb. 18 at Gulfstream. That followed up a 49-1 upset graduation on the Pegasus undercard Jan. 28. The bay filly and her owner/breeder were profiled in the TDN here.
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