‘Torpedo’ Locked on Mrs. Revere Title

There is no denying that ‘TDN Rising Star’ Tammy the Torpedo (More Than Ready) is a talented individual, but the most lightly raced sophomore filly in Churchill’s oversubscribed GII Mrs. Revere S. faces an uphill climb. Named a ‘Rising Star’ after a 3 1/4-length romp going this distance over the Saratoga grass course in August of 2014, the Chad Brown trainee–one of two in the lineup along with Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s tepid 4-1 morning line favorite Partisan Politics (More Than Ready)–was third in the GIII Miss Grillo S. at Big Sandy a month later behind barnmate and budding superstar Lady Eli (Divine Park). She didn’t find any luck against several of these when seventh in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf behind that luminary on Halloween 2014. Given plenty of time off thereafter, the Long Lake Stable and Beacon Hill Thoroughbreds representative made her 2015 bow a winning one, when effective over this distance in a Belmont allowance Oct. 18.

Partisan Politics, fourth in the Miss Grillo and one better than Tammy the Torpedo in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with GSW Rainha Da Bateria (Broken Vow) ninth and Isabella Sings (Eskendereya) 12th, dropped a nose decision in the Wild Applause S. to the upwardly mobile Celestine (Scat Daddy) over firm turf at Belmont June 14 and was left with too much ground to make up when fourth in the GII Lake George S. upstate July 24, one behind also eligible Cara Marie (Unbridled’s Song) with Robillard (Distorted Humor) eighth. She lost the Riskaverse S. by a nostril at the Spa Aug. 27, but enters the Mrs. Revere on the back of a win in Belmont’s Oct. 12 Pebbles S. with Devine Aida (Unbridled’s Song) the bridesmaid and Isabella Sings fourth. “Both fillies have been training excellent,” said trainer Chad Brown. “This looks like it’s the last race on the calendar year for straight 3-year-old fillies on the grass so the timing works out well for them both. She [Tammy the Torpedo] wasn’t injured; we just felt that she could have used some time off.”

The aforementioned Celestine, who hails from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, is in the midst of a four-race winning streak including back-to-back Belmont contests in the Wait a While S. May 16 and the Wild Applause S. June 14. The Phaedrus Flights LLC colorbearer will have to overcome the almostfive-month layoff and breezed a half-mile beneath the Twin Spires in :48 flat (5/29) Nov. 9.

Prado’s Sweet Ride (Fort Prado), one of the few signed on with a graded-stakes victory with Return to Grace (English Channel) third in the GIII Regret S. going 1 1/8 miles over the Matt Winn Turf Course June 13, returned with a third with that foe one better in the GIII Pucker Up S. at Arlington Park Aug. 15. Fourth in the off-turf GIII Valley View S. over the Keeneland main Oct. 24, the Chris Block charge could face ground that is less than ideal Saturday. “It was deep ground last time out at Keeneland, but to me it doesn’t matter what else is in the race,” said Block. “She’s right where she is supposed to be and she’s never thrown a bad race. One concern that I have is the potential softness of the turf. I’m not sure that she’s run on a real soft turf, but I think that with a good trip in Saturday’s race, she should make me proud.”

Stuart Janney’s GIII Commonwealth Oaks heroine Onus (Blame) has won her last three starts by a combined 23 lengths, annexing a Laurel grass maiden special weight July 11, before adding an allowance Aug. 14 and the Oaks last out Sept. 26 for Shug McGaughey.