Three graded stakes-placed fillies will be looking to claim the title of graded stakes winner Nov. 3 in the $250,000 Tempted Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The one-mile dirt race for 2-year-old fillies attracted six challengers including multiple grade I-placed Stopchargingmaria, who is the 9-5 morning line favorite. Repole Stable's daughter of Tale of the Cat —Exotic Bloom, by Montbrook, finished second to Sweet Reason in the Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) on a sloppy Saratoga Race Course main track before running third in the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) Oct. 5 behind Artemis Agrotera and Sweet Reason.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Stopchargingmaria is in good form, having posted a bullet four-furlong work in :48 on the Belmont Park training track Oct. 21. She followed up with another four-furlong tune-up Oct. 28 in :49 4/5, again at Belmont. She will be ridden in the Tempted by Javier Castellano.
In her only other start, Stopchargingmaria broke her maiden July 19 by 5 1/2 lengths July 19 at Saratoga. She was bred by Harvey Clarke and Brookdale Farm.
Second choice in the field is Stoneway Farm's Stonetastic, a daughter of Mizzen Mast —Special Me, who finished second by half a length Sept. 7 to Untapable in the grade II Pocahantas Stakes at Churchill Downs. The filly is trained by Kelly Breen and will be ridden by Joe Bravo, who was onboard when she broke her maiden Aug. 10 by 12 lengths. Stonetastic was bred by Carrie and Craig Brogden's Machmer Hall.
The other graded-placed filly in the race is Gracer, a daughter of Exchange Rate—Tina's Goal, who broke her maiden Aug. 25 at Saratoga by 6 1/4 lengths, then went on to finish third in the Matron Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont. Gracer is trained by Tony Dutrow and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. She is owned by Team D and was bred in Pennsylvania by Russell B. Jones Jr.
$250,000 Tempted Stakes (gr. III, Race 5, approximate post time 2:16 p.m. EST), 2YO fillies, one mile
PP, Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer, M/L
1. Potosi's Silver (KY), J R Velazquez, 115, T A Pletcher, 4/1
2. Stonetastic (KY), J Bravo, 115, K J Breen, 2/1
3. Divided Attention (KY), J Alvarado, 115, K P McLaughlin, 5/1
4. Gracer (PA), I Ortiz, Jr., 115, A W Dutrow, 8/1
5. Stopchargingmaria (KY), J Castellano, 115, T A Pletcher, 9/5
6. Derek's Girl (KY), C H Velasquez, 115, D Jacobson, 15/1