An Alabama Rematch in the Grade 1 Cotillion

When last they met, Embellish the Lace and I’m A Chatterbox dominated one of the most historic and prestigious races in their division. On Saturday at Parx, the pair will be back to battle it out again. While the Grade 1 Cotillion cannot quite match the tradition of the Alabama, the million dollar test has proven to be one of the most important races on the three-year-old filly calendar. That will be true once again in 2015, as the top two finishers in the Alabama head a talented field of twelve as part of a huge card of racing at the Bensalem, Pennsylvania oval, which also includes the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby.

I’m A Chatterbox has run nothing but good races all year long. A hot commodity early in 2015, the daughter of Munnings reeled off three consecutive impressive stakes scores at Fair Grounds for trainer Larry Jones. She has not won since, but also has not failed to run well. In the Kentucky Oaks, she was shuffled farther back in the big field then is her preferred running style, but still produced a sustained rally to finish third of 14. After a brief freshening, I’m A Chatterbox returned in the Grade 1 Coaching Club Oaks and led every step of the way. That result was not allowed to stand, though, due to late interference with the adjudged winner, Curalina. The classy miss came back to be the only one to make a run at Embellish the Lace in the Alabama, before ultimately falling a length and a quarter short. On paper, she is the one to beat in the rich Cotillion. Florent Geroux, as he has done in each of her six starts this year, will take the riding assignment.

While I’m A Chatterbox has been a proud part of the top of the sophomore filly division since her opening performance of the year, Embellish the Lace enjoyed a coming out party of sorts at Saratoga. The Tony Dutrow trained miss flashed her potential with a big maiden score at Parx in the winter, and then returned with an equally impressive allowance score at Pimlico in late spring. The Grade 1 Mother Goose became her first attempt at the big time, but a crazy early pace did in the lightly raced bay on that day. She did not take much longer to make good on her potential though, as she cruised all the way around the track in the ten furlong Alabama. Now 3-of-5 lifetime, and a Grade 1 winner, the Super Saver filly will look to build on her first big win, and again will be ridden by Javier Castellano.

While the Alabama result points them out as two to beat in the Grade 1 event on Saturday, this Cotillion is by no means a two-filly affair.

Last year’s 2-year-old Filly Champion, Take Charge Brandi will continue her comeback at Parx. The well bred daughter of Giant’s Causeway had a four race win streak halted first by injury, and then broken when she tired to finish last in the Grade 1 Test in her return to the races. She set all the pace that day, and it should be expected that the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner will get a lot out of that race. Clearly she will need big improvement to win the Cotillion, but she has the speed and the class, and has silenced her critics on more than one occasion in the past. She also could well make the job of the speedy Embellish the Lace tougher in the early stages of this nine furlong, two-turn race.

A Grade 1 winner at two, Peace and War has been knocking on the door of her first win of 2015 over at Delaware Park. After two failed attempts in difficult spots to start the year, the daughter of War Front ran a pair of promising races when a rallying second in both the Our Mims and Delaware Oaks. While this seems to be a tough place to find her first victory since Keeneland’s Alcibiades, she is clearly coming into the race the right way. Furthermore, with the strong early pace expected to materialize in the Cotillion, her late run could be a very dangerous entity on Saturday.

The list of others to consider in the Cotillion is a long one. Tara’s Tango is a lightly raced California filly from the Jerry Hollendorfer barn, who has pointed herself out as a very good filly of late. Stroke Play is stepping way up in class, but has been on a real roll of late locally. Pangburn has a strong late run that should eventually allow her to break through in a stakes race. Both Keen Pauline and Calamity Kate have already broken through, with big upset wins in the Black-Eyed Susan and Delaware Oaks respectively. Eskenformoney and Don’tforgetaboutme both come in with solid recent form at Monmouth Park for trainer Todd Pletcher. Finally, Desert Valley won her last at Thistledown by better than 13 lengths.