Who will be Matron flattered -- Songbird or Rachel’s Valentina?
While the top two ranked juvenile fillies in the nation race headlong towards a showdown in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, two of the best they have defeated so far will wage their own showdown in the Grade 2 Matron Stakes at Belmont Park. Pretty N Cool and Constellation may not have been able to hold off their highly rated competition in respective Grade 1 affairs last time, but in Sunday’s six furlong co-feature, the pair come in as strictly the two to beat.
Sure, Pretty N Cool was turned away by Songbird in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante last out, but that likely Breeders’ Cup favorite has been the only one to interrupt the daughter of Scat Daddy’s march to the winner’s circle in three career starts. Always highly regarded from the Bob Baffert barn, Pretty N Cool (Scat Daddy -- Stayclassysandiego, by Rockport Harbor) debuted in a five furlong maiden race on July 19 at Del Mar. The seaside oval came up uncharacteristically wet that day, but the slop did little to slow down the even money favorite. Off that easy 4 ½ length victory, the Watson, Pegram, and Weitman owned filly returned 24 days later to go off the 2-5 favorite in the Sorrento Stakes.
Once again, the bettors had things tabbed correctly, as the gray filly scooted clear and dominated the Grade 2 affair. That performance was flattered recently when the filly who rallied up for second in the 6 ½ furlong race, Gomo, came back to win the Grade 1 Alcibiades two starts later. It was an excellent start to her career, but those two winning performances were not enough to make her the favorite in the last start. The even more highly regarded Songbird relegated Pretty N Cool to second choice status in the Debutante. Sure enough, after a duel for supremacy, it was Songbird who put away the previously undefeated filly down the stretch of the seven furlong affair.
Meanwhile, Constellation (Bellamy Road -- For Royalty, by Not For Love) comes in with one less race of experience than her California counterpart. The LNJ Foxwoods filly made the most of her career debut for trainer Steve Asmussen. Much like Pretty N Cool, she toyed with her competition in that debut; for her, coming in a 5 ½ furlong race at Saratoga on August 9. Also a 4 ½ length debut winner, Constellation jumped right up into Grade 1 competition for her second career start.
After pressuring testing early fractions, the chestnut filly looked strong on the lead briefly in the stretch of the seven furlong Spinaway. Rachel’s Valentina found another gear, though, and a slightly tired Constellation had no late answer, and faded to third behind another very talented filly in Tap to It. Still, as second career starts go, it was very promising.