Brisset having fun with Ellis Park graduate Talk Veuve to Me

Talk Veuve to Me, who was second in her racing debut last summer at Ellis Park, romped to a 4 3/4-length victory over Figarella’s Queen in last week’s Grade 3, $200,000 Indiana Oaks at Indiana Grand and now is in Saratoga.

“She showed what I was expecting her to show,” said Keeneland-based trainer Rodolphe Brisset, who has two wins and two thirds in five starts at the current Ellis meet. “It was maybe a little quicker than what I was thinking on paper. But she took the lead pretty easy. You could see that she was looking around a lot, just went to the wire cruising.

“She’s very unlucky being born in one of the best years —how many good fillies do we have this year? — between Monomoy Girl, Midnight Bisou and Red Ruby and I’m sure I’ve left out some. It’s a very, very strong year for 3-year-old fillies. I don’t know where everybody wants to go. She may have to face them and turn the table on some to be in the top three. But we are what we are.”

Figarella’s Queen, a 13-1 shot ridden by Robby Albarado, closed from sixth to finish 6 3/4 lengths in front her Brad Cox-trained stablemate Kelly’s Humor, winner of last year’s Ellis Park Debutante.

Talk Veuve to Me, a daughter of Violence, originally was purchased by Brisset privately after she failed to sell at a 2-year-old auction. Brisset was about to go out on his own, after being an assistant to Hall of Famer Bill Mott, and he sold part-interest in Talk Veuve to Me to good friend Stephen McKay. The filly was second in her debut at Ellis Park last summer, then sidelined by a slight stress fracture. Returning to the races in March at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, she won by 11 lengths and the Team Valor International syndicate bought majority interest.

In her next two starts, Talk Veuve to Me was second in Churchill Downs’ Grade 2 Eight Belles on the Kentucky Oaks undercard, then second in New York’s Grade 1 Acorn behind Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl.

“She had two real hard races, the Acorn, the Eight Belles,” said Team Valor president Barry Irwin. “We wanted to find a spot we were confident she would win. Just so she wouldn’t lose another race and get seconditis. Rodolphe picked out this one, and it worked out great.”