Two stakes winning juvenile fillies will put their undefeated records on the line when they take on 10 others in the $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Sept. 16.
Bruce Tallisman's Take Charge Paula enters the 1 1/16-mile stakes off a frontrunning, three-length win in the White Clay Creek Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs Aug. 9 at Delaware Park. The Kelly Breen-trained Take Charge Indy filly won her debut in July at Monmouth Park, where she led at every call and dusted her competition by 4 1/4 lengths in a five-furlong test. She was bred in Kentucky by Extern Developments, out of the winning Songandaprayer mare Perfect Paula.
Also entering with a maiden and stakes victory on her record is Ike and Dawn Thrash's Kelly's Humor. Trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of Midnight Lute enters the Pocahontas off a one-length win in the seven-furlong Ellis Park Debutante Stakes, where she raced near the back of the field, traveled seven wide in the turn, and rallied from fifth in the stretch to score. The filly, who also broke her maiden at Ellis Park in July, was bred by Chappell Alpine Farm and is out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Cauy's Humor.
Firstmate was a first-out winner for owners Barry and Joni Butzow in the Aug. 20 Northern Lights Debutante at Canterbury Park, where she rallied from 20 lengths back and finished in front by nine lengths for trainer Joe Sharp.
Sunny Skies won the Debutante Stakes at Churchill June 30. Although Normandy Farm's Animal Kingdom filly has a stakes win over the Louisville oval, she finished third last time out in the Ellis Park Debutante, 2 1/4 lengths behind Kelly's Humor. The same trainer and owner combination took the Pocahantas Stakes last year with Daddys Lil Darling.
Two other entrants of interest were both high-priced yearlings. John Oxley's Snowfire was a $500,000 purchase at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale. The Tapit filly, who is a half sister to stakes winner War Secretary, broke her maiden at Churchill and then finished fourth in the July 21 Schuylerville Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course.
Joseph Sutton's Sultry was a $400,000 purchase at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale. The daughter of Malibu Moon broke her maiden stylishly in August at Ellis going 6 1/2 furlongs. She is the first foal to race out of the graded-placed Viva Carina.
The race is a "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" points event and awards qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the top four finishers.
The Pocahontas is also a "Win and You're In" race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 4 at Del Mar. The winner will earn an automatic berth and a travel stipend.
Churchill Downs, Saturday, September 16, 2017, Race 11Entries: Pocahontas S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Lady Freedom (KY) Florent Geroux 118 Rodolfo Garcia 30/1 2 2Firstmate (MN) Kendrick Carmouche 120 Joe Sharp 20/1 3 3Snowfire (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 118 Mark E. Casse 6/1 4 4Harbor Lights (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 118 Steven M. Asmussen 8/1 5 5Primo Extremo (KY) Walter De La Cruz 118 Jason DaCosta 8/1 6 6Vision of Justice (KY) Gabriel Saez 118 Greg Burchell 20/1 7 7Take Charge Paula (KY) James Graham 120 Kelly J. Breen 6/1 8 8Sunny Skies (KY) Robby Albarado 120 Kenneth G. McPeek 4/1 9 9Sultry (KY) Joseph Rocco, Jr. 118 Eddie Kenneally 10/1 10 10Upset Brewing (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 118 William B. Bradley 5/1 11 11Patrona Margarita (TX) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 W. Bret Calhoun 20/1 12 12Kelly's Humor (KY) Shaun Bridgmohan 120 Brad H. Cox 9/2
