Stronach Stables’ Smart Sting, unbeaten in a pair of starts, is the tepid 4-1 morning line favorite for the May 6 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs. The Edgewood, a $100,000 race for 3-year-olds fillies over 1 1/16 miles on the turf course, kicks off the stakes action on Kentucky Oaks day under the Twin Spires.
While light on seasoning, Smart Sting has made only two starts, her pedigree and last outing point to her class. A daughter of two-time leading sire Smart Strike, Smart Sting is out of Perfect Sting, the champion grass female of 2000. Her championship run included a sharp victory in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) at Churchill Downs.
Put away after breaking her maiden first-time out at Woodbine last October, Smart Sting first surfaced this year March 16 at Gulfstream Park for trainer Roger Attfield. She separated herself from the pack of a tough one-mile allowance race on the turf, getting the mile in 1:34 4/5. Second that day was Lael Stable’s Subpoena. Subpoena followed that effort with a second-place finish in an off-the-turf allowance April 13 at Keeneland.
British import Bonita Star is listed as the 9-2 second choice in the 10-horse field. A daughter of Beat Hollow, who won the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT) at Churchill Downs for Juddmonte Farm and trainer Bobby Frankel, Bonita Star has made two starts in the U.S., an allowance win and a seventh-place finish in the Providencia Stakes, both at Santa Anita.
Holidaysatthefarm, a Glen Hill Farm homebred filly by Smarty Jones, figures to have a solid shot at 5-1 on the morning line. The Tom Proctor-trained filly was second in Tampa Bay Downs’ Florida Oaks (gr. IIIT) in mid-February.
Trainer Kenny McPeek has a pair in the Edgewood: Florida Oaks third-place finisher Niji's Grand Girl for Landaluce Educe Stables; and Livin the Dream Racing’s Sassy's Dream. Sassy’s Dream topped Subpoena on the Polytrack at Keeneland.
Edgewood Stakes, Churchill Downs, Friday, May 6, $100,000, 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles, turf. Approx. post time: 2:08 p.m.
PP – Horse – Jockey – Trainer – M/L
1 – Gaya – J. Graham – T. Amoss – 10-1
2 – Diva Ash – K. Desormeaux - D Romans - 8-1
3 – Subpeona – J. Lezcano – M. Matz - 8-1
4 – Bonita Star – J. Talamo – J. Lloyd – 9-2
5 – My Phi Temper – C. Lanerie – R. Werner – 15-1
6 – Smart Sting – J. Castellano – R. Attfield - 4-1
7 – Niji’s Grand Girl – J. Leparoux – K. McPeek - 6-1
8 – Sassy’s Dream – A. Garcia – K. McPeek - 8-1
9 – My Redbyrd – J. Velazquez – J. Terranova II - 8-1
10 – Holidaysatthefarm – G. Gomez – T. Proctor - 5-1