With five of its nine entrants bred outside the United States, including slight favorites Julie's Love and Dealbata, the $150,000 Noble Damsel Stakes (gr. IIIT) Sept. 15 at Belmont Park will have a strong European flavor.
The one-mile Noble Damsel for fillies and mares will be contested over Belmont's Widener Turf course. It is race 8 on the program with a 4:34 p.m. EDT probable post time, preceding the Garden City Stakes (gr. IT) for 3-year-old fillies.
The British-bred Julie's Love, trained by Graham Motion, and Irish import Dealbata, from the Chad Brown stable, ran one-two in the De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 4. Julie's Love prevailed by a half-length, holding off the late charge of Dealbata.
A 4-year-old daughter of multiple group I winner Ad Valorem, Julie’s Love began her career in Europe for trainer Manfred Hofer with a record of 1-5-3 from 12 starts.
Julie's Love is 3-for-4 since coming to the United States, where she races for owner Andreas Jacobs. She won her first two starts for Motion, allowance races at Keeneland and Belmont. She then ran third behind multiple stakes winners Gitchee Goomie and Hessonite in the Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Parx Racing July 3. She earned her first stakes victory in a game effort in the De La Rose.
"She showed that she's somewhat adaptable," Motion noted. "She's matured a lot; she was pretty wound up when she first came over here, and Julien (Leparoux) knows her very well. Overall she's been very consistent, and I think her last race was her best. She’s improved since the Penny."
Leparoux, who has ridden Julie's Love in all of her North American starts, has the return call. The duo will leave from post 7 as the 7-2 second choice.
Brown has entered both Dealbata and the French filly Kya One, who would be making her North American debut.
Owned by Martin Schwartz, Dealbata has made two starts for Brown after registering three wins from five starts in France when trained by Mikel Delzangles. The daughter of Dubawi was a length best in the Mohegan Sky overnight stakes June 16 at Belmont, her first start for Brown after nearly eight months on the sidelines.
Dealbata, the 3-1 favorite, drew post 5 under Ramon Dominguez.
The Noble Damsel could be the North American debut for Mackie Racing's Kya One, a stakes winner in France who has been in Brown's care since late July.
"It seems like she might be better at further distances, but in her works she seems like she has some turn of foot and it might be a good spot to get her started in," Brown said. "I'm still kind of learning a few things about her, but she is training well. It might be a good spot to get a race into her and see where we are."
A 4-year-old One Cool Cat filly, Kya One was sixth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, on May 28 in the Prix Corrida (Fr-II) at Saint-Cloud Racecourse outside Paris, her most recent start. That race was against fillies, but she competed against colts in her three previous starts, winning the Prix Jacques Laffitte Stakes April 5 at Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse.
"She's got some decent running lines," Brown said. "She kept good company over there and she's been running with boys. The last one was against fillies, beat two (and a half) lengths, steadied repeatedly. She's a pretty nice horse."
John Velazquez was named to ride Kya One, who breaks from post 3 at 8-1 on the morning line. She will race with Lasix for the first time.
Guy Roxburghe’s British-bred Federation dead-heated for victory with Prize Catch in a 1 1/16-mile turf optional claimer Aug. 27 at Saratoga. She is half of an uncoupled entry for trainer Christophe Clement, who will also saddle Edward Cox Jr.’s Naples Bay, a 4 1/4-length winner of a 1 1/16-mile turf optional claimer Aug. 17 at Monmouth Park.
"Both are doing well. It's a little bit quick for Federation, but she's doing well and we don’t have another race until mid-October," Clement said. "Naples Bay had a very nice allowance win at Monmouth and deserves a shot in a stakes."
Both fillies seek their first stakes victories in the Noble Damsel. Joel Rosario has the call aboard Federation, who drew post 9 at 9-2 on the morning line. Jose Lezcano will ride Naples Bay, 5-1, from post 6.
British-bred Law of The Range, a 5-year-old daughter of Alhaarth, completes the international quintet as she exits her first North American outing, a sixth on July 28 in Saratoga’s Diana (gr. IT). Trained by Tom Albertrani for Chris McHale, she'll be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. Law of the Range races without Lasix.
Completing the field from the rail out are La Cloche, who was fifth in the De La Rose and is an older half-sister to multiple grade I winner Winter Memories; Embarr, victorious in a turf optional claimer at Monmouth last time out; and Silver Screamer, winner of the Eatontown Handicap (gr. IIIT) in June and most recently fifth in the Matchmaker (gr. IIIT), both at Monmouth.
$150,000 Noble Damsel Stakes (gr. IIIT, Race 8, 4:34 p.m.), Fillies & Mares 3 & Up, 1 Mile (Turf)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer, ML Odds
1. La Cloche (KY), E Castro, 120, J J Toner, 10/1
2. Embarr (VA), F Boyce, 120, S S Cooney, 15/1
3. Kya One (FR), J R Velazquez, 120, C C Brown, 8/1
4. Law of The Range (GB), I Ortiz Jr., 118, T Albertrani, 20/1
5. Dealbata (IRE), R A Dominguez, 120, C C Brown, 3/1
6. Naples Bay (KY), J Lezcano, 116, C Clement, 5/1
7. Julie's Love (GB), J R Leparoux, 120, H G Motion, 7/2
8. Silver Screamer (KY), J L Espinoza, 123, R R Rodriguez, 6/1
9. Federation (GB), J Rosario, 116, C Clement, 9/2
Aluminum pads: La Cloche
Julie's Love won the De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 4.
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