Victorina will confront 10 rivals when she heads postward as the 116-pound highweight in the $175,000 Chicago Breeders’ Cup Handicap (gr. III) at Arlington Park June 16. The race for fillies and mares, which includes $75,000 from the Breeders’ Cup Fund for eligible horses, will be contested over Arlington’s Polytrack main track.
Greg Gilchrist trains Victorina for owner Harry Aleo, the same connections of the ill-fated 2005 champion sprinter Lost in the Fog and current sprinting sensation Smokey Stover. Jockey Aaron Gryder, who rides Smokey Stover, takes the mount aboard Victorina from jockey Russell Baze, who is vacationing with his family in Europe.
Victorina has won five stakes, including the Azalea Breeders’ Cup (gr. III) at Calder Race Course’s 2006 Summit of Speed. The 4-year-old-daughter of Delaware Township won her only previous start in Illinois, the 2006 Meafara Stakes at Hawthorne Race Course. Victorina has raced at eight different tracks in career. The Chicago Breeders’ Cup will be Victorina’s first start at Arlington and first over a synthetic surface.
Victorina was unable to overcome an awkward start and finished fourth as the 8-5 in the Distaff Breeders’ Cup Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct March 24. Victorina entered the Distaff Breeders’ Cup off a win in the Princess of Palms Handicap at Turf Paradise.
Ten others have been entered in the Chicago Breeders’ Cup, including Coolwind, who is seeking her second straight win at Arlington, having won a third-level allowance race in her last start. Last summer, the 4-year-old daughter of Forest Wildcat won the Sweetest Chant Stakes and ran second in the Arlington Breeders’ Cup Stakes (gr. III).
Coolwind is trained by Greg Grier for owner Jim Tafel, who is best known as the owner of this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum ! Brands (gr. I) winner Street Sense.
Trendy Lady enters the Chicago Breeders’ Cup off two dominant allowance victories at Gulfstream Park and seeks her first stakes win. Todd Pletcher trains Trendy Lady, a 4-year-old daughter of Unbridled’s Song, for the Robert and Beverly Lewis Trust.
Bluesbdancing won the Fit for a Queen Stakes at Arlington in her last start, defeating fellow Chicago Breeders’ Cup entrant Lady Belsara, who finished third in the May 19 event. Lady Belsara set the pace in the Fit for a Queen but could not hold off the late charge of Bluesbdancing.
Entries for the Chicago Breeders’ Cup Handicap (gr. III):
PP. Name, Jockey, Weight
1-My Chickaee, Christopher Emigh, 113
2-Trick’s Pic, Alex Estrada, 114
3-Modjadji, James Graham, 114
4- Lady Belsara, E.T. Baird, 113
5- Victorina, Aaron Gryder, 116
6- Cuaba, Larry Melancon, 115
7- Dimple Pitch, Jesse Campbell, 113
8-Bluesbdancing, Eduardo Perez, 114
9-Travel Team, Eddie Martin Jr., 112
10-Coolwind, Eusebio Jr., 115
11-Trendy Lady, Rene Douglas, 114