La Troienne Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - While Clairiere (Curlin) and Nest (Curlin) are in the spotlight, attracting most of the attention in the runup to the GII Shuvee S. on Sunday, Played Hard (Into Mischief) is, well, lurking. Stonestreet Stable's Clairiere has won consecutive Grade Is to climb to the top of the older dirt filly division. Nest, last year's 3-year-old filly champ co-owned by Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, will make her first start of 2023. Meanwhile, Played Hard, trained by Phillip Bauer for Rigney Racing, has been...

Making her first start since winning last fall's GIII Falls City S. at 45 cents on the dollar, Rigney Racing's Played Hard (Into Mischief) rewarded those that remained loyal to her from a pari-mutuel perspective with a near 9-1 upset in Friday's GI La Troienne S. at Churchill Downs. For the second time in as many races, Briland Farm's Secret Oath (Arrogate)--who won the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks on this program 12 months ago--took a dirty beat in Grade I company, having been pipped on the post in the Apple...

Well-bred Pauline's Pearl, eighth in last year's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, reached the highest level Friday while running down 2020 Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil. Off as the second choice having last finished runner-up in Oaklawn's Mar. 12 GII Azeri S.--one spot ahead of Shedaresthedevil and behind 2021 champion female sprinter Ce Ce (Elusive Quality)--the grey was briefly hung wide into the first turn before working her way inward slightly in midpack as Shedaresthedevil showed the way. She mounted a three-wide challenge after six furlongs in 1:11.78, and continued to grind away...

You can't keep the Brad Cox barn down for long. One race after previously unbeaten heavy favorite Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) finished a head-scratching fifth in the GII Edgewood S., the Eclipse-winning conditioner sent out last year's GI Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil to a convincing victory as the chalk. Three-for-three under the Twin Spires already, Shedaresthedevil was hard ridden to make the lead and was able to slow it down from there to post comfortable splits of :23.99, :47.94 and 1:11.74. They stacked up behind the leader...

Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) looks to return to the scene of her career-best effort in Friday's GI La Troienne S. for two-turn fillies and mares. A debut winner here as a juvenile for prior connections, the bay took last March's GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn, but was a well-beaten third in the GIII Fantasy S. behind Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). She returned to Louisville for a six-length optional claiming romp in June, and was similarly dominant in the GIII Indiana Oaks in July. Let go at 15-1 in last year's GI Kentucky Oaks...

Peter Bradley has hand picked a number of yearlings that have gone on to become top-class runners--from GISW and now-sire Klimt (Quality Road) to Eclipse Champion Lady Eli (Divine Park). And while he can distinctly recall the days when he purchased those eventual headliners, so too can he remember the yearlings that he passed on who would go on to do big things. Bradley first saw She's a Julie (Elusive Quality) at the 2016 Keeneland September Sale, and while impressed with her physical, a simple vet issue kept him from...

After missing the entire 2019 season due to injury and colic, 2018's champion sophomore filly Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) returned to Grade I glory with an easy score in Friday's GI La Troienne S. at Churchill Downs. Away in good order from the outside stall in this eight-horse affair, the 2-5 chalk was four-wide rounding the first turn in a joint third as Lady Kate (Bernardini) hustled up to the front with Risky Mandate (Strong Mandate) shadowing her through a :23.4 opening quarter-mile. Racing off the fence in third, Monomoy Girl...