Will a Star Be Born in The Sweetest Chant?

The Sweetest Chant (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
February 3, 2024

The starting gate is full for the 16th running of the Sweetest Chant, which is for three-year-old fillies. It does not offer the largest purse out there, but the $150.000 is an improvement from where it stood all the way up until last year. Of course, last year, it did run for a tad more at $175.000. That did not keep Perfect Class from competing in the race in 2022, which is where she began what proved to be a historic year. Last year’s winner was Blazing Ally, for First Flight Stable, who won as a 17/1 longshot. The rest of the year for her would not go as well as 2022 did for Perfect Class. Today’s winner would love to duplicate that one but will settle for something in between. Here’s the field!

1- Repartee (Lazy Eye, ridden by J Alvarado)- Enters the Sweetest Chant on a four-race winning streak, which is highlighted by the $100.000 Blue Norther Stakes at SA in late December. That was her stake debut, and this is a logical spot for her to go off of that to see if she can keep answering the increased challenges that her trainer gives her. She is also undefeated on the turf.

2- Wonderful World (Smokey Stover, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Three months ago, this filly took part in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf and found herself with a midpack finish after starting near the back. To get there, she won two of her previous three races, with the big score being the Grade 1 Natalma at WO, which may be the toughest race to win in order to get into that BC race. We can always forgive a disappointing performance in the BC itself, but it will be important for Wonderful World to show that she is still a growing horse into her three-year-old season.

3- Bella Latte (Fractious, ridden by Jo Dominguez)- After two races, Bella Latte is going to make her stake debut here. And why not after that completely dominant performance that she had here while breaking her maiden by seven lengths on firm turf. That’s just something in our virtual racing world that we do not see at high tracks that are not off tracks. Perhaps she needed a better rival that day, but I love that effort and feel she made an emphatic statement. These rivals aren’t going to intimidate her. I really sense a star in the making here.

4- Humidity Factor (Fractious, ridden by A J Juarez Jr)- Fractious will have another rooting interest here as well, and Humidity Factor, for now, has accomplished more. Overall, she has won four of seven with the $75.000 Pike Place Dancer at GG being the biggest win. I am put off a bit by her effort in the Durante Stakes, but that could very well be a throw out. Humidity Factor can indeed be a factor, but she’s not my favorite Fractious horse here.

5- Smokin Shimmer (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- This filly knows how to win a race, doing so five times in her seven starts. That includes her last two, which were the $200.000 CA Cup Oaks for CA-Breds, a wire-to-wire win, and the $100.000 Wait A While here at GP. Even the two races that she did not win were strong efforts where she was not beaten by more than a length. Only one graded run to this point, which only surprises me because of her overall form. Capable of making a strong impression now,

6- Action Girl (Diablo Diablo, ridden by P Husbands)- Another horse that was able to run in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, placing fifth in the race. A three-race winning streak over the summer is what got her into the race, a stretch that included a win in the $150.000 Johnson and a second in the Grade 2 Jessamine. Off of the BC, we did see her run in the Grade 3 Durante Stakes and finish fourth there but was beaten by two lengths. I think this is a spot where she really needs to step up and run very well. Doesn’t have to win but she needs a strong performance.

7- Iffy (Mb Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- After breaking her maiden in her fourth start, she was sent to the Grade 2 Jessamine in an effort to get to the BC. Those maiden runs still saw her run well before she ultimately won but she struggled in the Jessamine. Following that, won an optional claimer at DMR before losing the head bob to Repartee in the Blue Norther Stakes. So, she has bounced back from the Jessamine just fine.

8- Extreme Metal (Blazin D, ridden by El Gonzalez)- Gets her chances to see what she can do at the graded level after winning her third race in a row. That came in the $125.000 Ginger Brew, where the soft turf was no problem in securing the win. This is a great spot to see if she can handle this company, and based on a work at PRX on January 17th, I am full confident that she can. Not bad for a filly that was sold in the auction a couple times, once for $3.970 and another for $29.270.

9- Schrodinger Con (Big Guns Stables, ridden by L Saez)- Took part in the BC Juvenile Fillies turf last fall, and after running near the lead early, she faded to an eighth-place finish. It was a win in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at BEL that got her to the race, which is her only career win. That’s right, that’s where she ended up breaking her maiden! Had a solid effort in an allowance at FG last month. Not going to pick her, but she is certainly more than capable.

10- Bottomless Mimosas (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- After breaking her maiden in September, Bottomless Mimosas went to the Miss Grillo, but could only finish in the middle of the field. Following that, she ran in a couple of ungraded stakes where you would her results to be decent but not necessarily awe-inspiring. Took part last month in an allowance at FG, where she actually had a Miss Grillo rematch with Schrodinger Con. Bottomless Mimosas took home the victory.

11- Playlist (Red Fox Farms, ridden by R L Moore)- Just the second time that this trainer has entered a stake, and first at the graded level so we know there is plenty of excitement going on in this barn for this race. Now, it’s up to Playlist to take care of business! She’s a filly making her third career start and is fresh off of breaking her maiden last month at FG with a powerful stretch performance. No recent public mile works to take a look at it, but she does work nicely at six. I’ll have to see a race out of her first.

12- Acqua (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by Ar Bocachica)- On the outside, Acqua looks to keep her winning ways going, as she has captured two of three over her career. After breaking her maiden at AQU on soft turf, she made her way here to Florida and ran in a TAM allowance and got the win in a come from behind effort. She does not have many works to look at it, and none at a mile, so like Playlist, I want to see how she fares against this company before I could pick her.

Prediction: 3 (yes, I just really like how this one looks despite her inexperience)-5-1-4

— NS



Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES