Champions Letruska, Ce Ce lead a compact field in Apple Blossom

Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park might have drawn a field of just five, but a dazzling quintet it is that will go postward at about 3:18 p.m. EDT.

Letruska and Ce Ce, both reigning champions and the previous two winners of the 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom, will be joined in the starting gate by Grade 1 winners Clairiere and Maracuja, with long shot Miss Imperial rounding out the field.

In last year’s Apple Blossom, Letruska edged two-time champion older female Monomoy Girl by a nose to collect her first Grade 1 victory for trainer Fausto Gutierrez. The Super Saver mare would go on to earn the Eclipse Award as champion older female with a sparkling record of 8: 6-1-0, which included three additional Grade 1 tallies.

Letruska kicked off her 6-year-old season with a win in the Feb. 26 Royal Delta (G3) at Gulfstream Park. She drew post 2 and will have regular rider Jose Ortiz in the irons.

Ce Ce, the champion female sprinter of 2021, spent the 2020 season as a route filly for trainer Michael McCarthy and was a dual Grade 1 winner that campaign. Prior to winning that year's Apple Blossom, she also took down the Beholder Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.

Cut back to sprinting last year, Ce Ce responded with a championship campaign that concluded with an upset of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at 6-1.

Ce Ce, a homebred by Elusive Quality for Bo Hirsch, kicked off her 6-year-old season with a win in the March 12 Azeri (G2), the local prep for the Apple Blossom. She will start from the outside in post 5 with regular rider Victor Espinoza in the irons.

This year Ce Ce will try to become only the second filly or mare to win both champion sprinter and champion older female during a career. In 2018, Unique Bella was named champion older female for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer after the previous year winning champion female sprinter.

Letruska will carry the high weight of 124 pounds. She is the slight 7-5 favorite on the morning line. Ce Ce, who will tote 121 pounds, is the 2-1 second choice on the morning line.

Clairiere was a finalist for champion 3-year-old filly honors last year after knocking heads with the division’s best all season. The daughter of Curlin out of Grade 1 winner Cavorting won the Cotillion (G1) and Rachel Alexandra (G2) last year and also hit the board in four other graded stakes before being beaten three-quarters of a length in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Clairiere kicked off her 4-year-old season with a 6 1/2-length romp in a high-level allowance last month at Fair Grounds. She will break from post 3 under Joel Rosario, who rode the filly for the first time in her seasonal bow. Clairiere is the 5-2 second choice.

Maracuja drew the rail for trainer Rob Atras. She earned her Grade 1 win in last year’s Coaching Club American Oaks. The daughter of Honor Code started her 4-year-old season with a two-length win against allowance foes April 1 at Oaklawn Park.

Miss Imperial was claimed by Hollendorfer and owner Barry Ostrager for $50,000 last August at Assinobia Downs, where she was a multiple stakes winner for previous trainer Duncan Murray. The 6-year-old daughter of Maclean’s Music is winless in four starts this year, which includes being beaten three lengths by Maracuja in that April 1 race at Oaklawn.

The Apple Blossom will go as the fifth race on a 12-race program. The co-features on the card are the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and $150,000 Oaklawn Stakes for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles.