Sheep Pond Partners's Lady Eli (Divine Park) looks to continue to dazzle the racing community by extending her perfect record to six-for-six in Saturday's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. The bay's trainer, Chad Brown, won the inaugural running of this “Win and You're” in test for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf last year with Minorette (Smart Strike). A debut winner at Saratoga last August, Lady Eli followed that with a victory in Belmont's GIII Miss Grillo S. a month later and was ultra impressive when capturing the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in Arcadia Oct. 31. Kicking off this term with a win in Keeneland's GIII Appalachian S. Apr. 12, she unleashed a furious rally to take the Wonder Again S., the traditional prep for this test, last time May 31, and will navigate 1 1/4 miles for the first time in this test. Also exiting the Wonder Again is Pine Needles (Giant's Causeway) (third), Itsonlyactingdad (Giant's Causeway) (fourth) and Miss Chatelaine (Pulpit) (sixth). “There's always some pressure when you have an undefeated horse; you'd like to keep it going,” said Brown. “She's given us every indication in the morning that she's going to continue to run her 'A' race, but as she goes on the races are always going to get harder. I'd anticipate this being the most difficult race she's been in, but she seems like she's up for it. She continues to improve.”
Brown will also saddle two other runners in Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Strict Compliance (Into Mischief) and Brous Stable LLC, Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable's Consumer Credit (More Than Ready). A neck second on debut over this course Oct. 19, Strict Compliance earned her diploma on the sod Gulfstream Mar. 11 and won a grassy allowance at Keeneland Apr. 19. Successful in the Penn Oaks last time, the bay will have to overcome the outside post in this 14-horse affair. Graduating at third asking over the local lawn Oct. 25, Consumer Credit captured Gulfstream Park West's Wait a While S. Nov. 29 and the GIII Sweetest Chant S. in Hallandale Jan. 24. Second in Tampa's GIII Florida Oaks Mar. 7, the dark bay won Aqueduct's Memories of Silver S. Apr. 23 and was third to Spanish Queen (Tribal Rule) last time in Santa Anita's GI American Oaks May 30.
Jack Nakkashian's Spanish Queen demolished a field of overmatched fellow Cal-breds to earn her diploma first time out on the Arcadia lawn Mar. 5 and was a neck second next out there in the GIII Providencia S. a month later. Victorious in Arcadia's GII Honeymoon S. May 3, the Richard Baltas pupil successfully took things to the next level with a win in the American Oaks.
Martin Schwartz's Olorda (Ger) (Lord of England {Ger}) is one of two European invaders looking to steal the show. The Michael Figge pupil graduated at third asking on the sod at Munich Apr. 19, followed suit with a win in Longchamp's G3 Prix Vanteaux S. May 3 and was third in that venue's G1 Prix Saint-Alary last time May 24. “Olorda is doing really good, she's relaxed,” said the filly's exercise rider, Gerlinde Muhlbichler. “We were kind of worried since she's traveling alone for the first time and she's only ran five times, so she's still a baby, but she likes the track.”
The other foreigner is Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Outstanding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who represents powerhouse trainer Aidan O'Brien. Off the board in two attempts as juvenile in Ireland last fall, the bay showed she just needed some more time to mature when returning from a seven-month layoff to break her maiden on the lawn at Naas May 13. Scoring again next out in the 1 1/4-mile Naas Oaks Trial June 24, she receives Lasix for the first time here.
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