Fletcher and Carolyn's Gray's I'm a Chatterbox (Munnings) breezed a best-of-28 five furlongs in :59 flat at Keeneland Tuesday morning in what was her final work prior to a start in the Lexington oval's GI Juddmonte Spinter S. Sunday.
With regular pilot Florent Geroux in the irons, the dual Grade I winner was clocked in splits of :11.80, :22.60, :34.20 and :59 with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:13. (Click here for video).
“She breezed really well,” trainer Larry Jones said. “She's one of those–and I don't know how long she can do it–but every race has improved this year. She's already way past her 3-year-old year, numbers-wise. Her last race was her best, and we're hoping the Spinster will be better than her last.”
Facing the likes of MGISWs Cavorting (Bernardini), Forever Unbridled (Unbridled's Song) and Curalina (Curlin) last time in Saratoga's GI Personal Ensign S. Aug. 27, I'm a Chatterbox set the pace most of the way and overtaken late to finish a close fourth.
“You take those four horses, run them in 10 races on 10 different tracks, every horse will win a race because those four are so good,” Jones said. “No horse is going to dominate.”
Off the board in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland last term, the chestnut checked in second in her seasonal bow in Lexington in the GIII Doubledogdare S. Apr. 22 before winning both the Obeah H. and GI Delaware H. this summer.
“I'm so dang hardheaded,” Jones said about I'm a Chatterbox's Keeneland return. “She was beat here twice. I've gotta be able to pull this off.”
Though I'm a Chatterbox lost in her last two appearances at Keeneland, she did break her maiden on debut there in 2014 while under the care of previous trainer Ken McPeek.
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