La Coronel may face the boys in American Turf
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David Carroll, assistant to trainer Mark Casse, reported that John Oxley’s La Coronel was doing well the morning after her 3¼-length victory in the Appalachian (G3) Presented by Japan Racing Association.
“La Coronel and Dream Dancing (who finished fourth for Casse and Oxley) are OK this morning,” Carroll said. “They are still here, but they will be going over to Churchill Downs soon. That was a pretty salty bunch yesterday, but (La Coronel) was probably the best horse in the race.”
After the Appalachian, Casse indicated La Coronel may face the boys in the $300,000 American Turf (G2) on May 6 and have Dream Dancing for the $150,000 Edgewood (G3) on May 5.
Last year’s Appalachian winner, Catch a Glimpse, beat males in the Penn Mile (G3) four weeks after winning the Edgewood.
“Mark’s not afraid to do that,” Carroll said. “She is not the biggest filly, but she is strong and could handle it.”
Florent Geroux picked up his second consecutive Appalachian victory.
“Nice horse. Nice horses make you look good,” said Geroux, who has ridden La Coronel in her past five starts. “I knew last fall when she won here (in the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine-G3) that she was a Breeders’ Cup-type horse.”
In the Breeders’ Cup, La Coronel drew post 13 as opposed to the two hole Thursday that gave Geroux a ground-saving trip.
“Last year in the Breeders’ Cup, Mark was worried about the post,” Geroux said. “I told him I didn’t think it would be a problem, but I couldn’t put her where I wanted. She only got beat three lengths and the horse that won, New Money Honey, she’s beaten two times out of three.”
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s Morticia pressed the pace and hung on to finish second for trainer Rusty Arnold.
“I’m proud of her,” Arnold said. “To go from a maiden race to a stakes and then to a Grade 1-type field going two turns the first time; that was huge.”
Arnold indicated he would skip the Edgewood in favor of the $200,000 Penn Oaks at Penn National on June 3.
“The Edgewood comes up too quick and this will give us six to seven weeks for the Penn Oaks,” Arnold said.
The Edgewood is possible for third-place finisher Proctor’s Ledge, who finished a head in back of Morticia.
“If she could have gotten a little more running room, she might have won,” trainer Brendan Walsh said of the filly who is owned and bred by Patricia Moseley.
Last year, Walsh saddled Auntie Joy to a fifth-place finish in the Appalachian and three weeks later she finished second in the Edgewood to Catch a Glimpse.
Bellavais, who finished fifth in her first start in three months, will head to New York, according to trainer James Toner.
“She’s fine this morning but she got tired,” Toner said. “I thought she ran well but it didn’t look like the layup horses did that well. The horses that ran better all had races in March.”
Next up for Bellavais would be the $100,000 Soaring Softly at 7 furlongs on May 20 or the $200,000 Wonder Again (G3) at 1 1/8 miles on June 8, both races named for fillies Toner trained.
“It will be one of the two,” Toner said.
Trainer Chad Brown said sixth-place finisher New Money Honey, winner of the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) who was making her 2017 debut in the race, was fine this morning. The filly is to return to New York and make her next start at Belmont Park.
Source: Keeneland Association
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