With divisional leader Tepin away, Miss Temple City and 10 other turf females will try to take advantage in the $500,000 Diana Stakes (gr. IT) July 23 at Saratoga Race Course.
In her most recent U.S. start Sagamore Farm, Needle In A Haystack, and The Club Racing’s Miss Temple City defeated males to land her first grade I win in the Maker’s 46 Mile Stakes (gr. IT) April 15 at Keeneland. After that race, the 4-year-old daughter of Temple City ran a credible fourth in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Eng-II) June 15 at Royal Ascot.
Trainer Graham Motion said Miss Temple City is ready for her U.S. return.
"I've been very happy with how she's come back from England, otherwise I wouldn't be racing her," Motion said. "She's had a good month and I couldn't be happier with her. You wonder if the trip might affect her, running against those conditions. But I don't see any negative effects that it's had on her. I felt like when she came back to America, I targeted the Diana, and everything fell into place."
Drayden Van Dyke, who didn’t make the trip to Ascot but has been aboard Miss Temple City in her two most recent U.S. starts, returns to ride Saturday. Van Dyke guided Miss Temple City to victory in her seasonal debut in the Maker’s 46 Mile after closing out her 3-year-old season with a close second in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Stakes (gr. IT) last October at Keeneland.
Miss Temple City, who also finished fourth in a 2015 trip to Ascot in the Coronation Stakes (Eng-I), has placed in the top three in all nine of her U.S. starts.
Trainer Chad Brown has entered four fillies and mares in Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile race on the Mellon Turf Course, including Martin Schwartz’s Wekeela who enters off runner-up finishes in grade I turf races in her past two starts. In her U.S. and seasonal debut April 16 in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley (gr. IT) at Keeneland, Wekeela finished five lengths behind Tepin. The 4-year-old Hurricane Run filly followed that effort by finishing just one length behind Illuminant in the Gamely Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park.
Brown is looking for his first Diana score since 2011 when he won with Schwartz’s Zagora. The trainer also will send out grade II winner Mrs McDougal, two-time Chilean champion Dacita, and grade III winner Rainha Da Bateria. Dacita enters off a win in the New York Stakes (gr. IIT) on the inner turf at Belmont Park and Mrs McDougal will try to improve on her third in the Longines Just a Game Stakes (gr. IT) June 11 on the Belmont turf.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, in search of his first Diana win, will send out multiple group III/grade III winner Sandiva and grade II winner Isabella Sings. Trainer James Toner, who has won the Diana three times, has entered grade III winner Recepta.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, July 23, 2016, Race 10Entries: Diana S. (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Sandiva (IRE) Manuel Franco 117 Todd A. Pletcher 12/1 2 2Miss Temple City (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 121 H. Graham Motion 3/1 3 3Strike Charmer (KY) Junior Alvarado 115 Mark A. Hennig 15/1 4 4Wekeela (FR) Javier Castellano 115 Chad C. Brown 7/2 5 5Mrs McDougal (KY) Joel Rosario 117 Chad C. Brown 10/1 6 6Dacita (CHI) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 119 Chad C. Brown 5/1 7 7Recepta (KY) John R. Velazquez 115 James J. Toner 9/2 8 8Onus (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 115 Claude R. McGaughey III 15/1 9 9Rainha Da Bateria (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 115 Chad C. Brown 20/1 10 10Isabella Sings (KY) Paco Lopez 117 Todd A. Pletcher 8/1
