Spinster Stakes 2021: Odds, projections, undercard and more

The top mare in training can add another Grade 1 triumph to her collection Sunday.

Letruska (4-5) headlines the Grade 1, $500,000 Spinster Stakes. Post time from Keeneland is 5:15 p.m. EDT, with NBCSN and TVG broadcasting the 1 1/8-mile event for fillies and mares.

Sunday’s Spinster heroine collects a “win and you’re in” berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

Letruska has already won three Challenge Series stakes in the division: Belmont Park’s Ogden Phipps (G1), Churchill Downs’ Fleur de Lis (G2) and Saratoga’s Personal Ensign (G1). All six of her rivals Sunday in the Spinster will be looking to punch their fees-paid berths into the $2 million Distaff.

Those three “win and you’re in” scores for Letruska followed another memorable victory, Oaklawn Park’s Apple Blossom Handicap (G1). That day, the Fausto Gutierrez trainee defeated champions Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver.

Letruska started her career in Mexico before moving the U.S. in late 2019 and emerging as a Horse of the Year candidate in 2021. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. flies in from New York to retain the mount.

Bonny South (9-2), a homebred for race sponsor Juddmonte, finished second to Letruska in both the Ogden Phipps and Personal Ensign. Brad Cox trains the filly who owns a Keeneland graded stakes score from this spring in the Doubledogdare (G3).

Dunbar Road (5-1) is a Grade 1 winner but has not hit the board in three starts this year. Crystal Ball (5-1) climbs in class after running second at Churchill in the Locust Grove Stakes (G3). Envoutante (6-1) finished third in that Locust Grove.

Here is a look at the field for the 2021 Spinster Stakes (trainer and jockey in parentheses) with morning-line odds:

1. Dunbar Road (Chad Brown, Flavien Prat), 5-1

2. Bonny South (Brad Cox, Florent Geroux), 9-2

3. Town Avenger (Brian Lynch, Julien Leparoux), 20-1

4. Letruska (Fausto Gutierrez, Irad Ortiz Jr.), 4-5

5. Envoutante (Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr.), 6-1

6. Crystal Ball (Rodolphe Brisset, Tyler Gaffalione), 5-1

7. High Regard (Victoria Oliver, Rafael Bejarano), 20-1

TimeformUS’ pace projections show the favorite Letruska going out to an uncontested lead under Ortiz Jr., followed by Envoutante and Crystal Ball.

Other Sunday stakes

Here is a look at other stakes races of note taking place Sunday across North America. All times are EDT.

1:57 p.m. – $150,000 (about U.S. $120,000) Durham Cup Stakes (G3), 3-and-up, 1 1/16 miles (all-weather), Woodbine, TVG

Sir Winston (7-5) runs here looking for his first stakes score since upsetting the 2019 Belmont Stakes for trainer Mark Casse. He returned in August for his first start in nearly 12 months and beat allowance optional claiming foes at Woodbine. Jockey Antonio Gallardo will ride the 5-year-old son of Awesome Again. Mighty Heart (8-5), 2020 hero of the Queen’s Plate Stakes, was second last out in the local Seagram Cup Stakes (G3) for trainer Josie Carroll.

2:43 p.m. – $150,000 Futurity Stakes (G3), 2-year-olds, six furlongs (turf), Belmont Park, FS1

Chi Town Lady (2-1) scratched out of Saturday’s Matron Stakes (G3) to instead battle open company in the Futurity. Trained by Wesley Ward, she has won both her career starts, including at Saratoga in the Bolton Landing Stakes. Jockey John Velazquez rides the Verrazano filly in this Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint qualifier. Ward also trains Poppy Flower (5-2), who was second to her stablemate in the Bolton Landing.

3:15 p.m. – $250,000 Beldame Stakes (G2), 3-and-up fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles, Belmont Park, FS1

Horologist (2-1) won the 2020 Beldame Stakes and is back to try to repeat in 2021. Bill Mott trains the 5-year-old Gemologist mare, who won Saratoga’s Summer Colony Stakes in her last start. Jockey Junior Alvarado gets the call. Chad Brown trainee Royal Flag (5-2) took the Shuvee Stakes (G3) this summer at the Spa, then was third in the Personal Ensign (G1) behind Letruska and Bonny South.

4:21 p.m. – $150,000 Knickerbocker Stakes (G3), 3-and-up, 1 1/8 miles (turf), Belmont Park, FS2

L’Imperator (3-1) aims to deliver his first stakes score for Brown. The 4-year-old Holy Roman Emperor gelding started his career in Europe and has raced three times since moving to the U.S., running third last out at Saratoga in the Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2). Jockey Manny Franco will pilot the morning-line favorite. Sacred Life (7-2) also starts here for Brown off a runner-up effort in an allowance race at the Spa.

4:44 p.m. – $200,000 Indian Summer Stakes, 2-year-olds, 5½ furlongs (turf), Keeneland, NBCSN and TVG

Averly Jane (4-5) takes on open company in this Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint qualifier for Ward. The Midshipman filly is 3-for-3 to start her career, including a last-out score at Saratoga in the Skidmore Stakes. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione rides. Ward also conditions Kaufymaker (7-2), a Royal Ascot competitor this summer who was third at Kentucky Downs in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes.

5:09 p.m. – $150,000 (about U.S. $120,000) Ontario Matron Stakes (G3), 3-and-up fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles (all-weather), Woodbine, TVG

Skygaze (6-5) aims for back-to-back scores after taking the local Belle Mahone Stakes in her last start. Casse trains the 4-year-old American Pharoah filly, who has twice finished third against Grade 3 competition. Jockey Patrick Husbands gets the call. Casse also has Crystal Glacier (5-2), who finished second to her stablemate in the Belle Mahone.

5:46 p.m. – $200,000 Bourbon Stakes (G2), 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles (turf), Keeneland, NBCSN and TVG

Tiz the Bomb (3-1) leads this Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf “win and you’re in” race. The Hit It a Bomb colt is 2-for-3 thus far and enters off a Kentucky Downs score in the Juvenile Mile Stakes. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. rides for trainer Kenny McPeek. The Brian Lynch-trained Red Danger (7-2) also scored a last-out Kentucky Downs stakes win, his coming in the Juvenile Sprint.

Spinster preview

From Keeneland’s communications department:

St. George Stable’s Letruska, who has firmly established herself as the leading mare in the land, heads a field of seven fillies and mares entered Thursday for Sunday’s 66th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Spinster.

Scheduled as the ninth race on Sunday’s 10-race program, the Spinster is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race with the winner receiving a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff to be run Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Post time for the Spinster is 5:15 p.m. EDT with first post at 1 p.m.

Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska has had her Breeders’ Cup ticket punched three times by virtue of victories in the Ogden Phipps (G1), Fleur de Lis (G2) and Personal Ensign (G1). Prior to the Ogden Phipps victory, Letruska started her four-race win streak with a nose victory over champion Monomoy Girl in the Apple Blossom (G1) in April at Oaklawn Park.

Since taking the Personal Ensign on Aug. 28, Letruska has had two bullet works at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount Sunday from post position four.

Back to challenge Letruska from the Personal Ensign are Juddmonte’s Bonny South and Peter Brant’s Dunbar Road.

Trained by Brad Cox, Bonny South has been a runner-up twice to Letruska. She came up 2¾ lengths short in the Ogden Phipps and was a half-length shy in the Personal Ensign. Winner of the Doubledogdare (G3) here this spring, Bonny South will be ridden Florent Geroux out of post position two.

Dunbar Road finished fourth in the Personal Ensign, beaten just 3/4 of a length. Trained by Chad Brown, Dunbar Road was third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff here. In her only other Keeneland start, she ran third in the 2019 Spinster.

Dunbar Road will exit post one under jockey Flavien Prat.

The field for the Spinster, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Dunbar Road (Prat, 124 pounds), Bonny South (Geroux, 124), Town Avenger (Julien Leparoux, 121), Letruska (Ortiz Jr., 124), Envoutante (Brian Hernandez Jr., 124), Crystal Ball (Tyler Gaffalione, 124), High Regard (Rafael Bejarano, 124).