Miss Temple City Returns in Distaff Turf Mile

The $300,000 GII Distaff Turf Mile S. sees The Club Racing, Needle in a Haystack and Sagamore Farm's MGISW Miss Temple City (Temple City) return to the races with an eye to prepping for her third Royal Ascot bid (click here) after rolling a pair of fours in the G1 Coronation S. in 2015 and in the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. last year. Tabbed the 9-5 morning line chalk, the 5-year-old landed the GI Makers 46 Mile S. in April of 2016 and the GI Shadwell Turf Mile versus males–both at Keeneland–in October. Only fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile in Arcadia after taking the overland route into the lane in November, the Graham Motion charge got the jump over GIII Athenia S. heroine Roca Rojo (Ire) (Strategic Prince {GB}) and secured a nose victory in the GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar when last seen Dec. 4.

That Irish import hails from the Chad Brown barn for Sheep Pond Partners, Newport Stables LLC and Bradley Thoroughbreds. Typically well off the frontrunners, the 5-year-old is the second choice Saturday at 3-1 at this stage and retains the services of pilot Florent Geroux.

Golden Eagle Farm's Hillhouse High (Exchange Rate) defeated several of these Apr. 8 when hitting the highpoint of her career to date in the GII Royal Heroine S. going this trip over the Santa Anita sod. She parlayed stalking tactics into a half-length score, while Larkin Armstrong's GI Del Mar Oaks victress Harmonize (Scat Daddy) completed the superfecta after lacking cover throughout and covering 23 feet more than the winner according to Trakus.

For Klein Racing homebred Believe in Bertie (Langfuhr), the stakes have never been higher, but the Brad Cox charge is riding a four-race winning streak at the Fair Grounds in this return to graded stakes company. A proven frontrunner, Believe in Bertie exits three black-type wins, including the Daisy Devine S. over a sixteenth more real estate Feb. 25 and in the Louisiana-bred one-mile Red Camela S. Mar. 11.

Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC's Nov. 25 GII Mrs. Revere S. winner Linda (Scat Daddy) will attempt to add to her graded stakes haul after a third-place run to Celestine (Scat Daddy) and Mississippi Delta (Giant's Causeway) in the one mile GII Honey Fox S. at Gulfstream Apr. 1.