Edward A. Cox Jr.’s Naples Bay, a half sister to major sire and major winner Medalgia d’Oro and winner of the Noble Damsel Stakes (gr. IIIT) Sept. 15 at Belmont Park, headlines a field of eight fillies and mares scheduled to start in Calder Casino & Race Course’s My Charmer Handicap (gr. IIIT). The $100,000 Thanksgiving Day feature will be run at 1 1/8 miles.
First race post time at Calder on Thursday is 11 a.m. The My Charmer is scheduled as race eight on the Thanksgiving Day program with an approximate post time of 2:32 p.m.
Trained by Christophe Clement, who won the My Charmer in 1995 with Danish and in 2005 with Snowdrops, Naples Bay is a two-time winner in 2012, adding an allowance victory on the Monmouth Park grass course in August to her Noble Damsel triumph. The daughter of Giant's Causeway —Cappucino Bay, by Bailjumper, who exits a seventh-place finish as the 2-1 favorite in the $100,000 Lady Baltimore Stakes at Laurel Park where she was beaten 2 1/2 lengths, has drawn post five and will be ridden by Luis Saez.
Bred by Albert and Joyce Bell in Kentucky, Naples Bay was a $350,000 weanling purchase out of the 2008 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. She’ll tote co-highweight of 119 pounds in the My Charmer along with Hooh Why.
Mackie Racing’s Kya One was fifth behind Naples Bay in the Nobel Damsel, her first North American start after competing exclusively in her native France for the first 19 outings of her career, winning the listed Prix Jacques Laffitte at about nine furlongs in April. The Chad Brown-trained daughter of One Cool Cat is group III-placed with a third-place performance in the 2011 La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte while under the care of conditioner Yves De Nicolay, and will be ridden from post one in the My Charmer by Paco Lopez.
Three Chimneys Racing’s Janicellaine, trained by Roger Attfield, enters the My Charmer off a third-place effort in the 12-furlong Dowager Stakes at Keeneland where she was beaten a length by multiple graded stakes winner Upperline. Prior to that performance, the Irish-bred daughter of Beat Hollow crossed the wire second in the Flaming Page Stakes at Woodbine.
Janicellaine has drawn post three for the My Charmer and is to be ridden by Gabriel Saez.
Other notables in the My Charmer field include Alters Racing Stable’s Wicked Night, third in the $50,000 Ms Brookski Stakes at Calder in late July, and Miller Racing’s Speak Easy Gal, last seen finishing second, beaten a neck, when meeting male rivals in the $125,000 Bonnie Heath Turf Cup on Florida Million Day.
Completing the field for the race is Mark Hoffman and Earl Trostrud Jr.’s Hooh Why, Gary Aiken’s Callmethesqueeze, and Tonys Investments’ My Pal Chrisy.
$100,000 My Charmer Handicap (gr. IIIT), race 8, approximate post 2:32 p.m., fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles, turf
PP, Horse, Trainer, Wgt., Jockey
1, Kya One, C. Brown, 116, P. Lopez
2, Hooh Why, D. Fawkes, 119, W. Martinez
3, Janicellaine, R. Attfield, 116, G. Saez
4, Wicked Night, R. Spatz, 11, J. Bravo
5, Naples Bay, C. Clement, 119, L. Saez
6, Callmethesqueeze, M. Azpurua, 118, J. Alvarez
7, Speak Easy Gal, M. Wolfson, 117, H. Sanchez
8, My Pal Chrisy, P. Lutchman, 115, L. Panici
