By Joe Bianca
Champion and win machine Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) looms large as she looks to defend her title in an expected seven-horse renewal of Saturday's GI Beverly D. S., the first of three Grade Is at Arlington.
A winner of three of four to start her career in France, the bay earned a trip to America with a second at 12-1 in the G1 Prix de Diane Longines two summers ago. Since then, she's a neck and a head from being undefeated in seven U.S. starts, all except one coming at the Grade I level.
Finishing a neck second in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational, her only Stateside outing as a 3-year-old, she made her 2018 debut with a convincing win in the GI Coolmore Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland. Runner-up by a head in the GII New York S. after that, she annexed the GI Diana S. Beverly D. and GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf to earn her champion turf female statuette. Unveiled for the season July 13, the Peter Brant colorbearer looked as good as ever, sweeping to a repeat conquest of the Diana.
Sistercharlie's main competition appears to be Coolmore's 3-year-old filly Fleeting (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), making her North American debut while facing elders for the first time. Upsetting the G2 William Hill May Hill S. at 12-1 in her juvenile finale last September at Doncaster, the bay was last of 15 in the G1 QIPCO 1,000 Guineas off the bench May 5 at Newmarket, but has been in top form since. Third at 25-1 in the G1 Epsom Oaks May 31, she proved that was no fluke when second behind the promising Star Catcher (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in Royal Ascot's G2 Ribblesdale S. June 20 and came up just a half-length short of that rival once more in the G1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks July 20 at The Curragh.
Chad Brown, trainer of Sistercharlie, has backup in Klaravich Stables' Competitionofideas (Speightstown), victress of last winter's GI American Oaks, and Thais (Fr) (Rio de La Plata), third at 47-1 in last year's Beverly D.
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