Coronation Cup ($150.000 Purse)
SAR- For Fillies Three Years Old
Five and a Half Furlongs on the Turf
July 14, 2023

This Friday at Saratoga, we will have the twelfth running of the Coronation Cup, which is a turf sprint for three-year-old fillies. It has always been a smaller ungraded stake here at the Spa, beginning with a $100.000 purse in 2012 before getting slight increases in 2021 and 2022 to its current level of $150.000. Last year, Hollywood Babe got the win while running for Maxmillion Farm, and she would go on to run in the BC Turf Sprint later in the fall. The filly is still active but has not won a race yet this season. We’ll have a field of eight heading to post for this year’s race, here’s a look at those taking part!

#1- Miss Fury (Mb Stables, ridden by F Prat)- Started off the year well, winning an optional claimer and then the $100.000 Melody Of Colors at GP in late March. That would lead to being placed into a couple of bigger results, and Miss Fury was not able to be as effective. Six weeks ago, in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly at BEL, she was not able to beat any of her rivals, so the trainer hopes for better here. Miss Fury is 3-for-3 at GP, and winless anywhere else.

#2- Sapphire Falls (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by J Lezcano)- At the beginning of the year, Sapphire Falls made her turf debut at TAM, and picked up the victory. It’s proven to be a great move for her, because in the five grass starts, she has a pair of wins and a pair of seconds. All of those results came in overnights, and the one stake that she attempted was the race that she did not run as well. Her win in late May was her first turf sprint and now she’ll get another chance at such a race.

#3- Lwaxana (Alydar Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- This horse doesn’t usually run badly, but she has only been able to manage two wins out of her eleven career starts. She’s been fourth a total of five times, and often within a length or two of the winner. Back in April, she picked up one of her two wins, coming in the $250.000 Limestone Turf Sprint, which is also at five and a half furlongs, but afterwards, was only fourth in the Soaring Softly.

#4- Silver Cobra Woman (Arindel, ridden by D Davis)- A strong two-year-old season saw her win the Grade 3 Surfer Girl Stakes which sent her to the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf. She struggled there and has not been able to get going at that level as a three-year-old. Yes, she has won twice, but those allowances are not what you hope to win after showing promise the year prior. Has a couple of sluggish graded outings coming into this so the trainer will change things up by running her in a sprint, but it may take a lot more than that.

#5- Deaf Luna (Asgar, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Deaf Luna also had a strong two-year-old season, winning the $150.000 WO Cares Stakes and then placing third in the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint a month later. Unlike Silver Cobra Woman, she has continued to run well as a three-year-old, capturing a $60.000 ungraded stake early on and now winning both the $225.000 Mamzelle and the $100.000 Alywow over her last three starts. Between them is a runner up at the Grade 3 Soaring Softly that a few of these also come out of. If she runs her race, she’ll be in the winner’s circle at the end.

#6- Pedestal (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Claimed by the trainer off her last start for $23.500, which was a maiden claiming race for ON-Breds, and the D J C Racing Stables clearly likes what he sees to be taking this jump forward after six weeks. Pedestal has only made three starts, running second twice before winning that race. A very strong work at BEL on the 9th of this month likely went a long way in persuading the trainer to take this shot.

#7- Believe Me Natalie (Aarons Hosses, ridden by E Cancel)- The Commanding filly has a pair of wins and four places over her nine starts, most of which have been in overnights. At times, she has gotten the chance to run against top quality horses, such as last fall when she was in the $500.000 KD Juvenile Turf Sprint and finished in the middle of the field. Otherwise, we have mainly seen her run competitively in N1X allowances before winning one in her last start, which was at LS.

#8- She Can Look (Sheffler Stables, ridden by M Franco)- A lightly raced horse with just four career starts and only one of them has not been on an off track. Which, by the way, rain is in the forecast for Friday. She’s won two of those races, highlighted by the $50.000 Seattle Stakes, where she only needed to be defeat two others. Still seems like this one has something to prove, but she did work well at DEL before coming here, and if it does rain, she’s used to it.

Prediction: 5-3-1-6

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded