Bit of Whimsy, upset winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) Oct. 13 at Keeneland, will carry her highest weight ever and take on a field of 13 other 3-year-old fillies, including two previously beaten competitors, in the $150,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes (gr. IIT) Nov. 10 at Churchill Downs.
A daughter of Distorted Humor trained by Barclay Tagg for owners Joyce B. Young and Gerald McManis, Bit of Whimsy came from off the pace to take the QEII by 2 ¼-lengths over Eclipse Award winner Dreaming of Anna. Her other black-type credits include a June 2 victory in the Sands Point Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park and a second-place finish in the Sept. 8 Garden City Handicap (gr. IT) behind Alexander Tango. In the Mrs. Revere, she'll carry high weight of 123 pounds. Bit of Whimsy is out of the El Prado mare Kristi B.
Also coming off a victory at Keeneland and carrying 121 is Bruce Lunsford’s Bel Air Beauty, three-length winner Oct. 19 of the Pin Oak Valley View Stakes (gr. IIIT). Previously, she finished third behind Dreaming of Anna and Touch My Soul in the Sept. 8 Pucker Up Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Arlington Park. The Smart Strikefilly is trained by Frank Brothers.
Touch My Soul, who will carry 121 as well, finished fifth behind Bit of Whimsy in the QEII after her second-place effort in the Pucker Up. A group III winner in Germany, the daughter of Tiger Hillmakes just her third start in the U.S. and has yet to produce a victory here for Team Valor International and trainer Dale Romans. She is joined by fourth-place QEII finisher Costume, who looks for her first U.S. win as well. Trainer Bobby Frankel will send out the Danehill filly for Juddmonte Farms.
Stepping up in class is the Morris Nicks-trained Tensas Yucatan, a Louisiana-bred Ide filly who comes off back-to-back wins in the Marie P. DeBartolo Oaks and the Elge Rasberry Stakes in September and August at Louisiana Downs for owner James Spence.
Also of interest is Harold C. Ramser Sr. Handicap winner Gotta Have Her, saddled by trainer Jenine Sahadi for Green Lantern Stables. The Royal Academy filly is stakes-placed in two of seven efforts this year, and was a convincing 4 ¾-length winner of a Del Mar allowance race this July.
$150,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes (gr. IIT race 9, approximate post 4:37 p.m.), 1 1/16-miles for 3-year-old fillies, turf
PP, Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Tensas Yucatan, 117, Robby Albarado
2. Touch My Soul, 121, Rene Douglas
3. Bit of Whimsy, 123, Javier Castellano
4. Long Approach, 117, Shaun Bridgmohan
5. Kiss With a Twist, 117, Charles Woods, Jr.
6. Bel Air Beauty, 121, Mark Guidry
7. Dashes N Dots, 117, Miguel Mena
8. Ciao, 117, Kent Desormeaux
9. Gotta Have Her, 117, Richard Migliore
10. Lisa M, 117, Calvin Borel
11. Cat Charmer, 117, Julien Leparoux
12. Katerbug, 117, Brian Hernandez, Jr.
13. Costume, 117, Rafael Bejarano
14. Bicoastal, 117, Larry Melancon
Bit of Whimsy was the upset winner of the QEII (gr.IT) at Keeneland last month.
