Amerman homebred Coffee Clique (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to defend her title in the 22nd running of the GI Longines Just a Game S., but will face an extremely competitive field of nine rivals. The Brian Lynch trainee was sidelined for nine moths following her win here last year and she's made just two efforts so far this season, completing the trifecta behind Lady Lara (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}) and Sandiva (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) in the GII Honey Fox S. in Hallendale Mar. 28 and second behind Tepin (Bernstein) in the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile May 2. “She won it last year and we're really hoping she can come back and do that again,” said, Lynch. “It's a big weekend for us and her race is a Grade I on a very big day. It's always nice to ring the bell on the big day.”
The 3-1 morning-line favorite Ball Dancing (Exchange Rate) began her career in France, where she tallied a stakes win and finished second in the G3 Prix de Royaumont under the care of trainer Pia Brandt. Since relocating to the U.S. and transferring to the Chad Brown barn, Ball Dancing hasn't finished out of the top two in four graded starts and was most recently second in Tampa Bay's 1 1/8 mile GIII Hillsborough S. Mar. 7 before taking the GI Jenny Wiley S. over a yielding Keeneland course Apr. 11. “She hasn't run since the Jenny Wiley, but she's training very well,” Brown offered. “I don't think the cut back to a mile will bother her, we cut her back successfully to 1 1/16 miles in the Jenny Wiley, and she should be able to cut back a touch farther.”
The consistent Discreet Marq (Discreet Cat), who wrapped up last season with a win in the Ticonderoga S. here in October and a third-place effort in Del Mar's Matriarch S. in November, is fresh off a pillar-to-post win the GIII Beaugay S. May 9. “[Discreet Marq] won't like it too soft, so we'll have to keep an eye on the weather, but it's exciting,” said trainer Christophe Clement, who got to keep Discreet Marq after she was sold by Patricia Generazio to Moyglare Stud for $2.4 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale. “She came out of the [Beaugay] in good shape, and is doing well at the moment.”
Another runner of note is the Mark Casse-trained Tepin, who will look for her third-consecutive win, adding to her optional claiming score at Gulfstream Mar. 21 and the Distaff Turf Mile May 2.
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