Conquest Stables' My Conquestadory, an impressive winner of Woodbine's TVG Summer Stakes (Can-IIT) in her career debut, heads a full flight of 2-year-old fillies for the $400,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland Race Course. The Oct. 4 Alcibiades—usually a wide open affair—headlines the meet opener at the Lexington track and is one of nine graded stakes on the weekend.
My Conquestadory, a dark bay or brown filly by Artie Schiller covered the mile of the Summer in a quick 1:34.81 at Woodbine while coming from just off the pace under Eurico Da Silva. The switch to Polytrack should suit her turf form. Sold as a 2-year-old by Eisaman Equine for $240,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. select sale, the Kentucky-bred is trained by Mark Casse. Conquest Stables is operated by Ernie Semersky and Dory Newell.
The Summer winner was bred by Paul Tackett.
Her stiffest challenge may come from the first three finishers of Arlington Park's Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes run Sept. 7. The one-turn mile also run on Polytrack was won by Holmark Stables II's She's Offlee Good, who was followed by Sweetsoutherndame and Maria Maria.
She's Offlee Good came from fifth in the Lassie to draw clear by two lengths under Eddie Castro in 1:37.98. Keeneland favorite Julien Leparoux gets the call in the Alcibiades for trainer Richard Scherer. She broke her maiden in her debut Aug. 1 at the Chicago track.
Her sire, Offlee Wild , is the sire of She's So Wild, winner of the 2009 Alcibiades and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I). Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Jacqueline Smith, She's Offlee Good is out of the Dixie Union mare La Belle.
WinStar Farm and Blazing Meadows Farm's Sweetsoutherndame rallied for second in the Lassie following a runner-up effort in the Ontario Debutante Stakes over Woodbine's Polytrack. The bay filly is from the first crop of WinStar stallion Colonel John, who is currently second on the freshman sire list. Curtis Green's Maria Maria broke her maiden in her third attempt prior to running third in the Lassie. A daughter of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin , Maria Maria is out of four-time stakes winner Hollow Miss (by With Approval). Hollow Miss is also the dam of 2005 Sapling Stakes (gr. III) winner He's Got Grit (by Songandaprayer).
Another grade II stakes winner seeks to add to her resume in the Alcibiades. Valene Farms' Designer Legs, a Louisiana-bred daughter of Graeme Hall, earned her victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 11 following the disqualification of Who's In Town. Designer Legs can travel, having broken her maiden at Canterbury Park in Minnesota and winning the 5 1/2-furlong Prairie Gold Lassie Stakes at Prairie Meadows in Iowa prior to shipping to upstate New York. She has a pair of works at Churchill Downs under her belt after a fifth-place finish in Saratoga's Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) Sept. 1.
Who's In Town also makes her way into the field of the Alcibiades. The daughter of leading sire Speightstown , owned by Richard Golden and trained by Michael Matz, broke her maiden by four lengths at Delaware Park in mid July prior to her effort at the Spa.
Wesley Ward and Richard Raven's Richies Party Girl breaks from post 2 in the Alcibiades. By Any Given Saturday , the juvenile is out of grade III winner Very Special Lite and is half sister to Strategic Partner, who won or placed in eight graded stakes on the turf. Richies Party Girl ran fourth when shipped to England for the Royal Ascot meeting in June and returned to action Sept. 7 at Churchill Downs where she won a one-mile allowance on turf in 1:38.44.
The Alcibiades is a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" event.
Darley Alcibiades (Race 9, 5:21 p.m. EDT), $400,000, 2YO fillies, 1 1/16 miles, Polytrack
PP. Horse, Jockey, Trainer
1. Designer Legs (LA), S. Bridgmohan, D. Stewart
2. Richies Party Girl (KY), J. Velazquez, W. Ward
3. Sweetsoutherndame (KY), P. Morales, T. Hamm
4. Maria Maria (KY), F. Torres, J. DiVito
5. Personal Diary (KY), C. Lanerie, V. Oliver
6. Battlefield Angel (KY), C. Hill, W. Catalano
7. My Conquestadory (KY), E. Da Silva, M. Casse
8. Lil Honey Badger (KY), R. Albarado, D. Romans
9. Harlan's Special (KY), J. Johnson, G. Hartlage
10. She's Offlee Good (KY), J. Leparoux, R. Scherer
11. Who's in Town (MD), L. Saez, M. Matz
12. Rosalind (KY), V. Lebron, K. McPeek
13. Russian Night (KY), V. Schulepov, G. Dorochenko
