The Demoiselle (Grade 2) (KYO)- $300.000 Purse
AQU- For Fillies Two Years Old
One Mile an One Eighth on the Dirt
November 28, 2015
With the BC Juvenile Fillies behind us, the best female two year olds in the country can turn their attention to the KY Oaks in May at CD. There will be greater KYO point earning opportunities when the calendar flips to 2016, but as we all know, just a few points can make or break entry into the Oaks, so the points up for grabs this Saturday still loom as valuable. This will be the eleventh running of The Demoiselle, and the first time it runs for a $300.000 Purse. For the most part, it has run for $200.000 or $250.000, but last year it did go for $400.000. The list of past winners isn’t as impressive as you’d think it would be, but it is highlighted by Blow Me To The Moon, who won in 2010 and last year’s winner who is also the most prolific winner, The Reaper. When she won last year, The Reaper was fresh off a win in the Juvenile Fillies. This year’s Juvenile Fillies winner will not be in the race, but the close runner up, Notarized Kate is (and yes, there is some rain possible in the forecast). Let us meet her and the other eight who are going postward for this event.
#1- Kiss Thiss (Downwind Stables, ridden by L Contreras)- The winning trainer from last year does not have an entry the caliber of The Reaper this year, and will be pinning his hopes on this unproven End of Line Filly. She has only three races in the books thus far, and is coming off her maiden win in a five furlongs turf sprint at RP. She makes a huge jump up here, but a work time on the 9th at RP will definitely get your attention. Then, a week later, she was a second slower. It appears as though that might have been a result of an instruction test, but this is still very a tough assignment. She has talent and figures to do some good things in her career, but I’m not thinking beating Notarized Kate and a few others here today will be one of them.
#2- Disney Music (Sarah Stables, ridden by V Espinoza)- Last month, this Catch a Rising Star filly turned in a strong performance as a 22/1 longshot in the BC Juvenile Fillies. She was fourth that day, and beaten by just a length. This is an impressive filly that knows how to show up on race day, and also had a couple of third place finishes in the Grade 1 Spinaway and Grade 1 Alcibiades, proving she knows how to consistently run with the best of the game, she is simply need of a signature win against that type of company. With a little more racing luck, she has the ability to turn the tables on Notarized Kate or Aldonza, each of whom have narrowly beat her in the past.
#3- Fast Witch (Brave, ridden by R Alvarado Jr)- Not much to see with this Fast Penny filly. She only has three public works, and two of them are at three furlongs, and the other a five furlong work in May. She also has raced three times, and is coming off her maiden win at BEL last month. It was a good winning race time, but this seems like an awfully huge jump for her here. Perhaps the trainer was hoping for a softer race, or has a lot of impressively secret works on the farm that has him salivating over the possibility of having a 99/1 winner.
#4-Seether (Waldo, ridden by C S Nakatani)– The trainer purchased this filly in mid-October for $50.000 and this will be their first race together. Like Fast Witch, Seether only has three races to her credit, with her win being two back at a FE maiden. In her races so far, she has shown a clear desire to come from well off the pace, but she has never tried to close again this caliber of a field before. There is potential in her work times, but I would have liked to have seen a better result in her last race, which was in August, to put some faith in her as a longshot to watch.
#5- Marching Orphan (Sarah Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- The second Sarah Stables entry will go for a higher price, with just one win in her four prior starts. That came in a CA-bred maiden, but she won rather convincingly. After that performance, the trainer took a shot at the Grade 3 Jessamine at KEE last month, but in that, she was only able to beat one horse and was eight lengths out. She has some pretty good works, but I don’t see the same type of ability to bring that on race day as I do with Disney Music.
#6- Notarized Kate (Pristine Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- We will be blessed with an appearance from one of the best (if not the best) two year old fillies in the game in this race. She has won four of her seven career starts, which include the Grade 2 Adirondack and Grade 1 Frizette, plus a nice $250.000 Astoria victory. She participated in the BC Juvenile Fillies and lost in the headbob to winner Hawaiian Pirate. Prior to that race, some may have wondered if she needed to have an off track to be at her best, but she proved there that regardless of rain or shine, she is an elite filly. Notarized Kate has nothing to prove here, but the trainer wants to make sure she stays sharp, and a couple in this field will be good enough to give her a very tough assignment. She has always stepped up to the task before, and there is no reason to believe that she will not again. As of right now, the weathermen have a 30% chance of rain of race day. While others may be concerned a little about that, Pristine Stables knows that is nothing to worry about.
#7- Motor Home (Mb Stables, ridden by J Alvarado)- This two year old filly by General Motors hasn’t been at the track much yet, with just two career starts. However, in them, she has looked very sharp. It started with a maiden win modestly at LAD, but then the trainer put her directly in to the $250.000 Princess Elizabeth for ON-breds at WO, and she would be second best. That wasn’t the strongest of fields, so this will be a true test to see where she might stand within her division. She is working well, and given she was chosen by Mb Stables to be the one to head to this race is a big vote of confidence.
#8- Aldonza (Jerry Garcia Racing, ridden by K Carmouche)- There is a lot of talent within this filly, as evidenced with a bullet mile work on the 13th. That time of 1:36.44 is the fastest recorded by any two year old filly to date within the game. Now, she is going to have to bring that to race day. She’s done that to a point with two wins in her six career starts, plus a close second to Hawaiian Pirate in the Alcibiades. Last month, she ran well in the BC Juvenile Fillies, missing by just a length, though finishing sixth. Aldonza will win a big graded stake sooner then later, and this might just be the day.
#9- Laffin Diplomat (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J Bisono)- The trainer has been patient this far with his Diplomatic Immunity filly, with just two races under her belt. In them, the only think she knows how to do, is win. She took her debut race at a statebred event at FL, and then stayed in NY for the $250.000 Maid Of The Mist at BEL against pretty decent company and won that as well. In that race, she registered a 94 SRF, and that’s a figure that only Notarized Kate has been able to reach and exceed. Her breeze on the 11th right here in preparation for this event was impressive, and is the third fastest breeze at a mile in the game by a two year old filly this year. This is a big race for her, but she is up for the task, and if I was not such a fan of Notarized Kate’s ability, I would put her on top. Let’s make her second.
Prediction: 6-9-8-2
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
