Jilbab, winner of the C.C.A. Oaks (gr. I) in July, will be the 120-pound highweight in Saturday's Cotillion Handicap (gr. II) for 3-year-olds at Philadelphia Park. The daughter of A.P.Indy will face 10 rivals in the Cotillion, the signature race of the fall at the Bensalem, Pa. track.
Jilbab, a Kentucky-bred homebred raced by Godolphin Racing and trained by Saeed bin Suroor, won the 1 1/2-mile C.C.A. Oaks after stumbling badly at the break, making up 10-plus lengths to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Tarnished Lady and Shop Til You Drop. She followed that performance with a fourth-place outing in the 10-furlong Alabama Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga.
Jibab will have Mike Luzzi in the saddle and will break from post 2 in the 1 1/16-mile event.
Second in the weights at 119 is Pin Oak Farm's homebred Alternate. The stakes-winning daughter of Seattle Slew has a 3-3-1 mark from seven starts, with the Go For Wand Stakes at Delaware Park highlighting her resume. She has also placed in the Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks (gr. II), Delaware Oaks (gr. III), and Susan's Girl Breeders' Cup.
Out of the Green Dancer mare Strike a Balance, Alternate is trained by H. Graham Motion. She will break next to Jilbab from post 3 and be ridden by Eibar Coa. Coa was aboard for her last start in the Monmouth Oaks.
Pass the Virtue, the winner of the Susan's Girl Breeders' Cup at Delaware Park, is next in the weights, co-weighted at 118 with Smok'n Frolic. Pass the Virtue, a winner of five of 13 starts, also has the Rhododendron Stakes at Charles Town to her credit. By Slavic, out of the Halo mare Occasional Virtue, Pass the Virtue is owned by Susan Christiansen and is trained byLeslie Glazier.
Smok'n Frolic, from the Dogwood Stable, won the Demoiselle Stakes (gr. II) in her 2001 finale, but is winless in four starts this year. The daughter of Smoke Glacken, bred in Florida by Cherokee Farms, also won the Tempted Stakes (gr. III) and Fashion Stakes last year in New York. Herbert Castillo Jr. has the mount.
Cotillion Handicap (gr. II), $250,000 Philadelphia Park, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-old fillies, Oct. 5
PP Horse Wgt. Jockey
1 Pupil 111 Stewart Elliott
2 Jilbab 120 Michael J. Luzzi
3 Alternate 119 Eibar Coa
4 Smok'n Frolic 118 Heberto Castillo Jr.
5 Spelling 113 (No Rider)
6 Whoop's Ah Daisy 113 Edwin L. King Jr.
7 Nasty Sabrina 114 Michael Duane Pindell
8 Pass the Virtue 118 Alberto Delgado
9 Cat Rocket 115 Abdiel Toribio
10 Preferred Option 115 Victor Carrero
11 Sixtyone Margaux 115 Julian Pimentel
