By Joe Bianca
On a weekend that featured a 65-1 winner of the GI Kentucky Derby, the most shocking result may have in fact come in a Friday undercard race at Churchill Downs, when the seemingly invincible Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) was beaten on the square in the GIII Edgewood S. It was the first defeat for the Klaravich Stables colorbearer after annexing her first three races by a combined 19 1/2 lengths, and she will try to get back on track as a huge favorite again in Thursday's GIII Wonder Again S., the first of a whopping 19 stakes to be run on GI Belmont S. weekend.
Bought for 200,000gns as a Tattersalls October yearling, Newspaperofrecord debuted with a 6 3/4-length romp Aug. 19 at Saratoga and followed up with a devastating 6 1/2-length conquest of the GII Miss Grillo S. Sept. 30 at Belmont. She then made her star turn on Breeders' Cup weekend with a comprehensive 6 3/4-length score in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, a performance that set off speculation the bay could be trainer Chad Brown's long-awaited first Royal Ascot starter.
That was, until the Edgewood. Newspaperofrecord took up her usual spot at the head of affairs as a 1-5 favorite and had everything her own way, but lacked the usual door-slamming stretch kick and was run down rather easily, finished 3 3/4 lengths behind Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy). Ascot's loss is Belmont's gain, however, as the filly adds early star power to an already action-packed weekend of racing. The 'TDN Rising Star' shows three interim breezes, capped by a four-furlong spin in :48 flat (5/12) on the local inner turf June 1 (video).
As in the Edgewood, Newspaperofrecord will have an uncoupled stablemate in OXO Equine's Cambier Parc (Medaglia d'Oro). Turning heads when selling for $1.25 million at Keeneland September, the daughter of 2008 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf runner-up Sealy Hill (Point Given) graduated second out and first time on turf Jan. 2 before repeating in the GIII Herecomesthebride S. there two months later. She suffered her initial defeat on grass when fourth in the Edgewood.
The other stakes winner in the five-horse field is Debby Oxley's Chocolate Kisses (Candy Ride {Arg}). Victress of the GIII Honeybee S. Mar. 9 at Oaklawn, the $410,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy was off the board when sixth in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. and seventh in the GI Kentucky Oaks. The Mark Casse trainee broke her maiden on grass last summer at Saratoga and returns to the lawn for the first time since taking a Fair Grounds optional claimer Jan. 18.
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