Trainer Diablo Diablo has a winning champion in this bay filly who since making the switch to the grass has gone undefeated. Last year she walked away with the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf title, and she is one for one this season.

• Appalachian ( Gr.II )- Purse $200.000
• Keenland Park- For Three year old fillies
• One Mile in distance- Turf Track
• Sunday April 5th, 2020

Last years winner Easier Said ( Mb Stables ) came to this event off a victory in the Herecomesthebride Stakes down at Gulfstream Park, and now Pirate Petranella is looking to take that same path this season. She won four of her seven starts last year while taking home the Sharp Susan, the Miss Grillo and the two previously mentioned events. Has definitely found a love for the turf and she will have to face a couple of competitors here from last years BC event. Trainer took home this title in 2015 with the likes of Wire Z Wire out of sire Z Car, and this sophomore has that bloodline on her dams side, so he may be successful once again on Sunday. She will break from post four.

Mb Stables will be sending out the pair of Unmistakable who finished four back in eighth for the BC event, while her stablemate Reminisce was slightly better with a third place finish, just a length shy. Since that event, Unmistakable was a couple lengths shy in her attempt at the Herecomesthebride race behind Pirate Petracella, while Reminisce is coming off a victory in the Gr. III FL Oaks going a slightly longer mile and a sixteenth. Of the two, I would definitely prefer Reminisce here, but the mile may not give her enough track distance to get the job done. Trainer is looking to become only the second to win this event twice behind 30west, and be the first to win back to back titles. Entries have posts two and three today.

From the rail position will be Estero Farms Forty Chai who has brought back to back victories to this event with an Alw42 to close out last season, and a win in first asking this season against OpClm40. Has three wins and a show placing in five starts on the turf, but has been unable to muster up a victory in any stakes events to-date. Her last two wins have come from the inside post, so it definitely agrees with her, but she is going up against some top notch performers today and will need her best for a share.

From post five will be the entry of lightly raced Shes Spotted Cat ( Threshold ). Had just one lone start as a juvenile back in December at TP, and she captured her maiden win in first asking on the dirt. Opened this year stretching out to the mile long Gr.II Davona Dale race, and it was such a major move up in class that it left her finishing tenth, three lengths shy. Trainer definitely has faith in her and now makes the switch to the sod to see if that is more agreeable to her. Does have a couple of sharp turf works in her resume, so could be a nice underdog runner at a price.

From the six hole will break Sheza Cat ( Greeko Holdem ), a bay filly who may just have something to say here. Has been progressing nicely in her five career starts and in her most recent Herecomesthebride affair, she almost stole the show missing by a neck. While reviewing that race prior to this write up, she would get caught up behind a group of runners entering the backstretch, then have to sweep to the middle of the track at the top of the lane for a hole to open, then put in her late charge against a faster third quarter time. Should find this post more suitable to be placed to the outside early, then drive to the wire. Could have another purse in hand here.

Hollywood Greek ( Chili King Stables) will carry the number seven silks into battle. Finished four shy in ninth in last years BC Fillies Turf event against others in here, but definitely can show up when you least expect her too. The addition of the shadow roll and change to this surface early in her career moved her right along in the type of events she was going to challenge, and she has four victories on the grass to her credit. Two are stakes wins with one being the Gr. II Jessamine over this very track, so she does like this oval. Her most recent was a victory in an OpClm62.5 to get her started, and could be another in this race with upset potentials.

From post eight will be Audrey Hepburn ( Waldo ) who faced Hollywood Greek in last years Jessamine and the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, and finished back of that runner in both affairs. While the muddy footing in the Silverbulletday Stakes left her out early and troubled from a dreaded thirteenth gate, she did manage to make the switch back to the turf at SA a fruitful one, as she would close going a mile in the China Doll Stakes there and take home a head victory. That came as an inside runner from post two, so hopefully going back to a more outside gate wont prove fateful for her.

Dropping down into the nine post position with the scratch of Slipdamaloo ( Aer Stables) will be Martyparty’s Too Scared To Party. Has just four career starts, but her trainer moved her off the main track to the grass in her second career start and she has not looked back. Has gone three for three since the switch and her most recent was a victory in the Gr. III Sweetest Chant ahead of the likes of Hollywood Greek and Sheza Cat. Will have to contend with this outside post and the other two mentioned runners to her inside may try to keep her wide at the start, but she will be all full of run down the lane here and may just steal the show.

Duffer

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES