The $200,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf caps an excellent day of stakes racing on the grass Saturday, September 13 as an overflow field of sixteen fillies and mares are set to contest the one mile race on the undulating European-style course in Franklin, KY.
Grade 3 Modesty winner, I’m Already Sexy is the 3/1 morning line favorite for trainer Wayne Catalano after a sixth place finish in the G1 Beverly D. Equipped with the ability to set the early pace or track from just off the lead, I’m Already Sexy has demonstrated versatility in her recent starts that could come in handy in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf. I’m Already Sexy has one win in three lifetime starts at a mile and five wins in twelve lifetime starts on the turf.
Strike Charmer (6/1 ML) was unlucky in his last start – an allowance race at Saratoga where she lost her footing and raced wide throughout. She will be making the third start off a layoff which is a reliable handicapping angle for predicting any runner’s best effort. The David Carroll trainee is lightly raced and looks to be improving rapidly.
Hatoof winner Kiss Moon (8/1 ML) is the only three year-old in the main body of the field and must be taken seriously based on her turf form. The David Vance trainee made her turf debut in the G3 Regret Stakes at Churchill June 14 and experienced a rough trip while managing to finish fourth beaten just over a length. She improved on that effort in the August 16 Hatoof at Arlington winning by a length. A repeat of that performance would make her a player.
The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $300,000 United Nations Stakes. Scheduled to be run at a mile and three-eighths on the turf, the Grade 1 event has drawn a field of ten colts and geldings.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, a key prep race for the Haskell Invitational (G1). The Grade 3 event will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven three-year-olds.
With five grade 1 races and a grade 2, the undercard for the June 11 Belmont stakes could be the best single day of racing on the calendar outside of the Breeders’ Cup.
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