Champion Fillies and Mares Invade Chicago in the Beverly D. Stakes
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Since 1987 Arlington Park has been featuring some of the top female turf horses in the world in the Grade 1 stakes known as the Beverly D. This race, the counterpart to the Million, is contested at a distance of 1 3/16 miles and the winner is automatically entered in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Christophe Clement has the stakes record for a trainer with three winners and he has an entry this year’s version as well. Now let’s take a deeper dive into this year’s Beverly D. field!
Drawing the rail, Chad Brown takes the training duties for post-time favorite and French import Stacelita (3-1). Stacelita is making only her second American start after finishing third in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park. Yes, that is correct; she took on the boys in a graded stakes race (featuring Teaks North and Chinchon), held the lead for a moment, and ultimately finished third! She has been working very well at Saratoga recently and seems to be in championship form coming into the Beverly D. She definitely seems to be quite the contender in this race as she has not only won 8 of 15 lifetimes races, but also finished in the money in 12 of her 15 starts.
Next up is South African import and second choice River Jetez (4-1). This horse has recently traveled around the world in 2011, stopping in places such as Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Newmarket in Great Britain. This 8 year old and 12-time winning mare will make her second start off of a layoff and first start ever in North America after finishing 5th in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes. She likes the turf and should definitely contend as she has finished in the money in 28 of her 39 turf starts.
Lightly raced 4 year old Cheetah (9-2) makes her fourth American start for the aforementioned Christophe Clement. This horse may prefer the synthetic surfaces better than the turf as she is a perfect 3 for 3 on the polytrack. You also might question her back class as has ran in lesser races in Great Britain. In my opinion she should still not be discounted as she has won two of her three North American races so far with improving Beyers in each of those races.
This analysis would not be complete, however, without also featuring the distaff runners with Chicago connections.
Let’s begin with the winner of Arlington’s preview day winner of the Modesty Handicap, Fantasia (6-1). Rajiv Maragh retains the mount for Jonathan Sheppard for the Beverly D. Fantasia seems to have retained the great form by firing a 5F workout in 1:00.3 at Presque Isle today. She really seemed to like the added distance in the Modesty and there’s no reason to believe why she couldn’t contend here.
Gerard Butler’s entry, Pachattack (10-1), is coming off of a dominating performance in the Arlington Matron on May 28th where she obliterated the field by 6 lengths while also landing a new lifetime Beyer of 103. She has been on the shelf since that race but has been working extremely well with a bullet 5F work on a rainy morning last Sunday.
No Illinois stakes race would be complete without an entry from Team Block. This year’s entry in the Beverly D. is Never Retreat (10-1) (who I got to see workout on that same rainy morning last Sunday). She recently just tied her lifetime best Beyer of 97 with a victory in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly stakes at Woodbine. If the turf is wet or soggy this horse should be in on your tickets. She has won 6 of 17 turf starts and has finished in the money in 15 of those 17 starts.
Other local runners include Michael Stidham’s Upperline (20-1), Butterfly Stable’s Romin Robin (30-1), and let’s not forget last year’s Beverly D. winner Éclair De Lune (12-1).
Rounding out the field are Check the Label (20-1) and Dubawi Heights (10-1).
I am looking forward to seeing the outcome of this challenging race with some of the top turf fillies and mares in the world!!! Who do you like in this very competitive field??
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