Lola Beaux Steps up to Graded Company; Red Sashay Looks to Increase Value; Virginia-Breds in Spotlight
Lola Beaux Steps up to Graded Company; Red Sashay Looks to Increase Value; Virginia-Breds in Spotlight
LAUREL, MD - Gregory Bentley's Lola Beaux, a daughter of Equiano who began her career in Ireland, steps into graded-stakes company Saturday when she faces 11 other 3-year-old fillies in the $150,000 Commonwealth Oaks (G3) at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/8 mile Oaks, presented by the Virginia Equine Alliance, highlights an 11-race card at Laurel. First race post is 1:10 p.m.
Lola Beaux, who broke her maiden and finished second twice as a juvenile in Ireland, arrived at trainer Edward Graham's barn in early spring and has not been off the board in three U.S. starts. After winning an entry-level allowance at Penn National in July and finishing second in an optional claimer at Laurel Aug. 7, Lola Beaux finished third Aug. 27 at Saratoga in the Riskaverse, beaten a neck after relinquishing the lead down the stretch to Stormy Regatta, who is also entered in the Oaks.
With two wins, three seconds and a third in six career starts, Graham believes Lola Beaux is "still learning."
"She was a little green when she ran at Laurel [in August]," Graham said. "To me, she's getting better every race. We liked her when we brought her. She fits our kind of racing."
Lola Beaux has raced close to the pace in some of her races and closed from off the pace in others. No matter where she's raced, she's been a factor in all six of her starts.
"She can do either. It will depend on how the race sets up," Graham said. "She'll do whatever we ask. She's very classy, very pleasant. She gets turned out in the morning before she trains on the farm and sometimes we go to Fair Hill to gallop. She's very happy."
Red Sashay Looks to Increase Value
Red Sashay, a winner of three of 10 career starts including the Honey Ryder at Gulfstream in May, enters the Oaks off a fifth-place finish in the Boiling Springs (G3) at Monmouth Sept. 5 behind Strict Compliance. The Boiling Springs came a month after Red Sashay finished a closing second at Laurel against older mares at a mile on the turf.
The Oaks, said trainer Jane Cibelli, is a step up, "but to continue with overnight stakes races doesn't make much sense because she doesn't have anything else to prove."
"Really, what we're trying to do is increase her value," Cibelli added. "If she can hit the board in a graded stakes race then her value increases considerably and we have to make a decision. Do we sell her, she's in the November sale, or race her as a 4-year-old? That's always the problem with these 3-year-olds. It's a big jump, especially with turf horses from three to four.
"The question that needs to be answered is whether she's good enough to go on and run against older horses next year or do we sell? She's on a turf course this weekend she likes, it does play to closers, so we'll see what she does."
Virginia-Breds in Spotlight
The Oaks will highlight an 11-race program that will also offer five stakes races for horses bred in Virginia or sired by Virginia stallions.
The $60,000 Bert Allen at 1 1/16 miles on the turf drew a field of nine including Special Envoy, second last time out in the Cliff Hanger (G3) at Monmouth and third earlier this year in the Henry Clark at Pimlico, and Rose Brier, fourth earlier this year in the Red Bank (G3) and Tampa Bay (G3) and second last time out in the Speaker's Cup Stakes at Mountaineer.
The $60,000 Jamestown at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf for 2-year-old fillies, drew a field of 13 including Queen Caroline, a daughter of Blame who finished off the board on the dirt at Saratoga, and Gem, fifth in her career debut at Saratoga on the turf.
