Comely Stakes: Cox's Alpine Princess is morning-line favorite

Alpine Princess, who returned from a six-month layoff to win the listed Remington Park Oaks by 9 3/4 lengths in September, was made the morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Comely, a 1 1/8-mile route for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct.

The Classic Empire filly trained by Brad Cox began her year with a fourth-place finish in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) and was third in the listed Bourbonette Oaks.

She has been in training at Churchill Downs, most recently breezing five furlongs in 1:00.80 on Sunday.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented by the trio of Life Talk, Scalable and Audacious as he vies for his third win in the Comely.

The triad of talented fillies each put in their final works for the Comely on Sunday going a half-mile over the Belmont Park dirt training track. Life Talk and Scalable breezed together in 48.25 seconds while Audacious, in company with recent allowance winner Autumn Evening, covered the distance in 49.25 seconds.

“All three worked very well, with strong gallop outs,” said Stu Hampson, Pletcher’s New York assistant. “Going into a race like this, we’re happy where we sit. We’ll let them sort themselves out this week and we’ll see what we’ve got. We’re excited to go over there with three live horses.”

Repole Stable’s Life Talk, who breaks from post 5 with jockey Kendrick Carmouche, returns to the scene of her biggest career win when taking the Demoiselle (G2) going the Comely distance in December to close out her juvenile campaign. Her season included a third in the Grade 1 Frizette here and a fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park.

This year, the daughter of Gun Runner was off-the-board in her first two starts in the Suncoast in February at Tampa Bay Downs and the Gazelle (G3) in April here, but returned to good form last out when a half-length second to stablemate Miss Justify in the Seneca Overnight on September 21 at Churchill Downs.

“Life Talk acts like she’s in really good form right now,” Hampson said. “We’re excited to get her back and hopefully we can get a good result here. She should appreciate everything about this race.”

A $335,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Life Talk is out of the winning Bernardini mare Touchy Feely, a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Indian Firewater.

Repole Stable also campaigns Scalable, who starts from post 7 under jockey Jose Gomez. She arrives from a wide-running sixth behind divisional leader Thorpedo Anna in the Cotillion (G2) on Sept. 21 at Parx Racing.

The Speightstown gray seeks her second Grade 3 coup of the year after taking the Monmouth Oaks two starts back on July 27 at its namesake course, grinding out the three-quarter-length score over Grade 2 winner Gun Song. That win came on the heels of another gutsy win traveling 1 1/16 miles in a June optional claiming tilt at Churchill Downs.

“She’s such a cool horse. She tries so hard every single time and she always brings it,” Hampson said. “She’s had an extended appearance in our barn (at Belmont) and we’ve grown fond of her. She’s such a little fighter and she’s a likeable horse. She’s doing well.”

Scalable was a $200,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale and boasts an additional graded placing when second in the Grade 2 Chandelier last October at Santa Anita Park. She is out of the Tapit mare Passion Flower, a half-sister to the Pletcher-trained multiple Grade 1-winner Stopchargingmaria.

Bass Stables’ Audacious starts from post 6 with Ruben Silvera riding. She makes her fifth career start on the heels of a pace-pressing runner-up finish in a 1 1/8-mile optional claimer Oct. 23 at Keeneland. There, she stalked in second through the early stages and pounced to a two-length lead at the stretch call, but could not repel the bid of Neon Icon and was defeated one length.

“She’s a trier. She shows up every time,” Hampson said. “She was a little unlucky last time at Keeneland, and as soon as you have to engage her, she’s fighting back. She’s a horse that goes out there and loves to do her job and puts a lot into her races.”

The daughter of Into Mischief brings a 3-for-4 in-the-money record to her stakes debut as she looks to add to a debut maiden win sprinting seven furlongs in June at Saratoga and a 1 1/16-mile allowance victory two starts back in September at Laurel Park in her first effort beyond sprint distances. Both wins came versus elder competition.