Stacelita On Course for Flower Bowl

Martin Schwartz’s Stacelita had her second breeze since winning the Grade 1 Beverly D. on August 13, covering five furlongs over the Oklahoma turf training course in 1:00.20 on Saturday as she prepares for her next engagement, the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park on October 1.

“I’m just going race-to-race,” said her trainer, Mechanicville native Chad Brown. “We’re pointing her to the Flower Bowl; if she does well there, the Breeders’ Cup [Filly & Mare Turf]. I think she’s as good as the rest here. We’ll just march on to the Breeders’ Cup.”

After beginning her career in Europe , the 5-year-old Monsun mare made her American debut as the favorite in the Grade 1 United Nations, finishing third. In the Beverly D., she came through on the rail to post a 1 ¼-length victory. A multiple Group 1 winner in France , she is now 9-2-2 from 15 starts.

“I’ve been lucky,” said Brown. “I was around a lot of top turf mares when I was with [late Hall of Famer] Bobby [Frankel], including ones that already won the Breeders’ Cup, and to me, she’s in that category. She’s a pretty all-around solid horse. She’s got good size to her, she’s strong, she’s sound, she’s smart, and she’s got a lot of class.”