An open field of experience makes up the cast of seven 3-year-old fillies that will contend in the $150,000 Arlington Oaks (gr. III) July 20 at Arlington Park.
Seaneen Girl and Gold Edge are the graded stakes winners in a group that includes two other black-type winners, an allowance winner, and two fillies coming straight off of maiden victories.
The 1 1/8-mile Arlington Oaks is race 7 on the card with an approximate post time of 3:53 p.m. CDT.
Seaneen Girl, who won last year's Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II), enters the Oaks off a runner up finish in the Iowa Oaks (gr. III) at Prairie Meadows and will stretch out just a bit from the Iowa distance of 1 1/16 miles. Though the Bernard Flint trainee hasn't run on the Polytrack since last fall at Woodbine, the Spring At Last filly placed second in the Mazarine Stakes (gr. III) at the Canada track. Jockey Leandro Goncalves will ride Seaneen Girl from the inside post for owner Naveed Chowhan.
Trainer Wayne Catalano sends out two fillies: Gold Edge and Bold Kitten. Graded stakes winner Gold Edge picked up two black-type wins at Arlington last year: the Lisa M Stakes, followed by the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes (gr. III) in September. However, she hasn't seen the winners circle since then and will be extending quite a bit from her five-furlong allowance start at Arlington July 7. Jockey Channing Hill has the call on the filly by Eddington .
Catalano's other trainee is Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred Bold Kitten, who scored last time out in the Purple Violet Stakes at Arlington, edging out fellow contender My Option by half a length. The Kitten's Joy filly is the highweight in the field and will carry 124 pounds, spotting her rivals six pounds. Florent Geroux is named to ride.
Though runner-up to Bold Kitten last time out, My Option prevailed over her in their two previous meetings: the April 27 Pretty Jenny Stakes and the Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante Stakes in December, both at Hawthorne Race Course.
Never out of the money, the Belong to Me filly sports a record of 3-2-0 from five career starts. Both second-place finishes were at the Chicago oval. Eduardo Perez will ride the Chris Block trainee, who runs as a homebred for Timothy Keeley.
Jay Em Ess Stable's Sky Girl will make her fourth start after capturing an allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs June 1 and winning her maiden there immediately before that. Her first start was at Keeneland in April, where the Sky Mesa filly finished third on the Polytrack. Trainer Paul McGee sends out Sky Girl with jockey Corey Lanerie up.
Mary Bernice and Frivolous, who both come in off their maiden victories complete the field. Last time out, Mary Bernice, a daughter of Bernardini, won over the Tapeta surface at Presque Isle Downs in a 8.32-furlong test. Tevis McCauley traines Mary Bernice for Unlimited Equine, and Ronald Allen will ride.
Frivolous broke her maiden on her fourth try June 28 at Churchill going one mile on the dirt. She's run twice this spring over the Keeneland Polytrack, picking up a second and a third in those maiden efforts. Trainer Vicky Oliver sends out the filly by Empire Maker for owner G. Watts Humphrey Jr., and jockey Francisco Torres has the call.
$150,000 Arlington Oaks (gr. III, Race 7, approximate post time 3:53 p.m. CDT), For Fillies, 3YO, 1 1/8 miles. (All Weather Track)
PP, Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Seaneen Girl (KY), L R Goncalves, 118, B S Flint
2. Frivolous (KY), F C Torres, 118, V H Oliver
3. My Option (IL), E E Perez, 118, C M Block
4. Mary Bernice (KY), R D Allen, Jr., 118, T Q McCauley
5. Gold Edge (KY), C Hill, 118, W M Catalano
6. Sky Girl (KY), C J Lanerie, 118, P J McGee
7. Bold Kitten (IL), F Geroux, 124, W M Catalano
