Coffee Clique Looks to Defend Title

Amerman Racing Stables's Coffee Clique (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to successfully defend her title in the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Saturday. A perfect three-for-three last season, the Brian Lynch trainee kicked off that term with a one-mile optional claimer victory on the Gulfstream lawn last March. Following suit with a win in last year's renewal of this race, the bay rallied five wide to capture a narrow victory in Belmont's GI Just a Game S. June 7, and was put away for the year. Favored to keep her streak alive in her return from that nine-month layoff Mar. 28, Coffee Clique made a belated bid to finish third behind Lady Lara (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}) and Sandiva (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) in Gulfstream's one-mile GII Honey Fox S. last time. 

A two-time winner in Europe, Swettenham Stud's Lady Lara won her American debut for Hall of Famer Bill Mott in Belmont's Pebbles S. Oct. 13 and finished second to the impressive Sparkling Review (Lemon Drop Kid) in this venue's GII Mrs. Revere S. a month later. The bay was making her seasonal debut when winning the Honey Fox. 

Al Shaqab Racing's Sandiva, a dual Group 3 winner in Europe, was fourth in the Pebbles and fifth in the Mrs. Revere in her first two outings for trainer Todd Pletcher. Earning her first American success in Gulfstream's Tropical Park Oaks Dec. 20, the chestnut followed suit with a win in that venue's 1 1/8-mile GII Suwannee River S. Feb. 7 and missed by just a neck in the Honey Fox. 

Chad Brown can never be overlooked when it comes to turf races, and he saddles W S Farish's Water Hole (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in this American debut. Previously trained by John Gosden, the bay captured three of her eight European starts, and was most recently 11th in the Gleur De Lys S. on the synthetic at Lingfield Oct. 30. G Watts Humphrey Jr. and St George Farm's GI Del Mar Oaks winner Personal Diary (City Zip) also looks to get back on track here after finishing fourth last time in Keeneland's GI Jenny Wiley S. Apr. 11.