Weekend Takeaways: Azeri hints at exciting filly and mare division

Oaklawn Park’s Azeri Stakes (G2) on Saturday offered an exciting glimpse of what’s to come in this year’s filly and mare division, a highlight to the weekend outside of the much-discussed Derby preps.

Midnight Bisou made a move to the rail when in behind horses, then fended off Elate, who was returning from a seven month layoff, while reigning female sprint champion Shamrock Rose held for third.

“This mare, not only is she extremely talented, but (trainer) Steve Asmussen, (assistant) Scott Blasi and the whole crew — they just had her dead on,” Midnight Bisou’s regular jockey Mike Smith said. “She was so good today. Halfway down the back stretch she took a big breather at that point.

"…It’s just a matter of planning out a trip from there and getting a place to run. A seam opened up just before the eighth pole. When it did, I basically just dropped her head for a second and she was gone.”

Should the Grade 1-winning trio return in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) on April 13, they’ll likely face Monomoy Girl, whose five Grade 1 victories last year led her to 3-year-old filly champion honors.

Last year’s older filly and mare division ended in disarray. Unique Bella retired early in the year due to injury, Elate went to the sidelines with shin issues after only two races, and Abel Tasman ran flat in the final two starts of her career. It made for a confusing Eclipse Awards picture, with Unique Bella ultimately taking the champion title for older female.

But there was a hint at a compelling 2019 season waiting when Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou, both sophomores at the time, were the respective first and third-place finishers in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Midnight Bisou has held her consistent form this season, winning the Houston Ladies Classic (G3) prior to the Azeri, and Elate, back for a 5-year-old campaign, ran well off the layoff to finish a length in second. Monomoy Girl has been working consistently at Fair Grounds, and if you add Beldame Stakes (G1) winner and Distaff runner-up Wow Cat to the mix, you’re looking at an impressive fleet in the older filly and mare division this year.

Neither Midnight Bisou nor Monomoy Girl have ever finished off the board. They faced each other in four races last year, with Monomoy Girl winning three times and Midnight Bisou once when elevated by the stewards, and the renewed rivalry could be the main attraction of what looks like a stellar filly and mare division.

What about the Rebel winners?

It’s been said multiple times already that Game Winner and Improbable ran respectable races in their narrow defeats at Oaklawn Park. It’s also been said that the two Rebel Stakes (G2) winners – Omaha Beach and Long Range Toddy – made the Kentucky Derby 2019 trail even more confusing.

Omaha Beach was revving to go. He hit the board four times before finally breaking his maiden by nine lengths going seven furlongs over a sloppy track, then carried that front-running form around two turns in the Rebel and held off Game Winner by a nose. Yes, Game Winner was coming back from a layoff and he missed his original target when the San Felipe (G2) was canceled, but Omaha Beach earned respect when holding off the juvenile champion by a nose.

“Coming out of a maiden race, it's a big step up,” Richard Mandella, trainer of Omaha Beach, said. “Game Winner ran really good. He hadn't run in a long time. He'll probably be tough next time, but mine just broke his maiden. He might be tougher, too. We always thought he was a really good horse.”

As for Long Range Toddy, there’s not much to knock him for. He won two stakes at Remington Park, lost the Smarty Jones Stakes by a neck and finished third in the Southwest (G3). It would be no surprise to see him hit the board in the Rebel, but Jon Court’s smart ride helped the consistent runner best Improbable by a neck.

“When we turned for home, Drayden (Van Dyke on Improbable) looked like he was full of punch with the final finish,” Court said, “so I kept my eye on him – targeted him to run down the stretch – and it worked out well.”

The two Rebel winners proved themselves as serious contenders going forward. They’ll have the chance to reproduce their form in one final prep before the first Saturday in May, and we’ll know for sure how they fit in after Game Winner’s and Improbable’s next start, too. Until then, we can’t count them out.

Alwaysmining a horse to look out for

We might have to wait until the Preakness Stakes to see how Alwaysmining fits in on the Triple Crown trail, but there’s no doubt he’s currently the best 3-year-old colt in Maryland. Kelly Rubley has sent him out for five consecutive victories at Laurel Park, including four stakes races, and the 3-yer-old gelding aced his first two-turn test in the Private Terms Stakes.

“My biggest concern was it’s really a short jump to the first turn here when we go a mile and a sixteenth and if we didn’t clear it, I wasn’t sure how our trip would play out,” Rubley said. “Obviously, he had no problem jumping out on top. I was extremely impressed with this race. (Daniel Centeno) said he never even had to use the stick on him, which I think is phenomenal. He’s just doing it for fun.”

The next big race for 3-year-olds in Maryland is the Federico Tesio Stakes on April 25, a “Win and You’re In” event for the May 18 Preakness Stakes. That race would stretch Alwaysmining out to 1 1/8 miles.

Alwaysmining’s next plans aren’t set in stone yet, but the Maryland-bred looks ready to take on tougher competition as the racing season dives into spring.