By Joe Bianca
'TDN Rising Star' and Breeders' Cup heroine Sharing (Speightstown), who represented America valiantly when sent to Royal Ascot last out, will make her return to the States as a likely prohibitive favorite in Friday's GII Edgewood S. at Churchill Downs.
Closing fast to be a narrow third debuting at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Saratoga turf last July, she earned her 'Rising Star' badge when proving her versatility with a 6 1/4-length off-the-turf graduation next out. Capturing the Selima S. at Laurel, she scored at 13-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and made a successful sophomore bow when annexing the Tepin S. over this course May 23. Sent across the pond by trainer Graham Motion, she was no match for the impressive Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) in the G1 Coronation S., but finished a strong second, beating Group 1 winner Quadrilateral (Frankel {GB}) in the process.
Walk In Marrakesh (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) will look to break through in America for the first time after several narrow stakes defeats. Winning three of five as a juvenile in Europe, she was denied by a nose in the GI Natalma S. and a head when making her 3-year-old bow in the GIII Florida Oaks. Off the board with trouble both times in the Sanibel Island S. and the Tepin, she was nailed in the last jump last out in the GII Appalachian S. July 11 at Keeneland.
Bel Mar Equine's In Good Spirits (Ghostzapper) takes another crack at Sharing after finishing a pacesetting fourth, beaten just 1 1/4 lengths, in the Tepin. A winner of two straight before that, the $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy was most recently third in the GIII Regret S. here June 27.
Stonestreet Stables' improving Hendy Woods (Uncle Mo) is not without a hope. Two-for-two to open her account, she was seventh when closing from well back in the Regret and nipped re-opposing Pranked (Into Mischief) for her first stakes tally in the Indiana Grand S. Aug. 12.
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