Glen Hill, Proctor Take Two Shots at Mrs. Revere
Nov 10, 2011
GLEN HILL FARM, PROCTOR TAKING TWO SHOTS AT MRS REVERE – Glen Hill Farm and trainer Tom Proctor will be taking two shots at this year’s extremely competitive edition of the $175,000-added Mrs. Revere (Grade II) with Marketing Mix and Holidaysatthefarm.
Marketing Mix will enter the Mrs. Revere off a game runner-up effort to Together-IRE in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (GI) at Keeneland. The plan was to originally give Marketing Mix the rest of the year off, but then the connections called an audible.
“The $175,000 (purse) had a lot to do with it,” Proctor said. “She’s also doing really well and we wanted to give her one more shot to run against her age group.”
The Mrs. Revere is one of the final opportunities for 3-year-old fillies to compete in stakes company on the turf exclusively against members of their own age group. For this reason, the race often comes up very competitive and the 21st running of the race on Saturday is no exception.
“It’s always a tough race,” Proctor said. “Everyone wants to run against 3-year-olds one more time before the end of the year. This is one competitive race.”
Prior to the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, Marketing Mix won the Wonder Where at Woodbine by over four lengths and then took the Pucker Up (GIII) at Arlington Park by over three. She is the 5-2 favorite in oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning line for the race that includes five other graded stakes winners.
“Why shouldn’t she be the favorite?” Proctor said. “She’s a runner.”
The odds on the other Glen Hill Farm-Proctor entrant Holidaysatthefarm will likely be much higher than her stablemate. The 3-year-old daughter of Smarty Jones, listed as a 20-1 risk in the morning line, will enter the Mrs. Revere off a fourth-place finish behind Daisy Devine in the Valley View (GIII) at Keeneland.
“It’d be nice to see her (Holidaysatthefarm) run really well and I think if they were going longer she could win,” Proctor said. “We’ll see how it goes, but I wanted to get a race in her and then run her longer. She’ll probably run in the La Prevoyante (GIII at 1 ½ miles on the turf at Calder Race Course on Dec. 2).”
The Mrs. Revere will be the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race card. Post time for the first race is 12:40 p.m. (all times EST) with the Mrs. Revere scheduled for 4:37 p.m.
GROUPIE DOLL ENTERS MRS. REVERE; BRADLEY OPTIMISTIC -- When Brass Hat, a Grade I winner of over $2.1 million, retired this spring and left the Buff Bradley barn, the trainer commented that he was hoping one of the remaining horses in the barn would step-up and be his “next big horse.” Fast forward to today and it appears as though Bradley has found that next big horse in the 3-year-old filly Groupie Doll.
In six career starts, Groupie Doll has recorded a record of 3-2-0 with earnings of $239,930. After breaking her maiden by 3 ¼ lengths on dirt at Churchill Downs, the 3-year-old daughter of Bowman’s Band rolled to an eight-length victory in an allowance at Ellis Park prior to winning the Gardenia (GIII) by three lengths against older fillies and mares. Groupie Doll will enter the Mrs. Revere off runner-up performances in the Charles Town Oaks and the Lexus Raven Run (GII).
“It’s a really nice field, but if she can improve off her last two then she should be right there,” Bradley said.
The Mrs. Revere will be the first start on turf for Groupie Doll since her career debut when she finished eighth of 11 in a maiden special weight outing on the Matt Winn Turf Course.
“She should handle the turf course fine,” Bradley said. “Her last work (:47.20 around the “dogs” over a firm Matt Winn Turf Course on Nov. 8) was really good. I told (jockey) Greta (Kuntzweiler) to get her attention and make her work at it. She went slow the first quarter and then came home quick enough to let her know she was working. It was what we wanted and I was happy.”
The switch to the turf doesn’t concern Bradley and neither does the 1 1/16 mile distance of the Mrs. Revere.
“She’s never gone that far, but she’s never given us any reason to believe she can’t get the distance,” Bradley said. “I actually didn’t want to cut her back to seven furlongs after going a mile at Ellis Park, but we wanted to keep her running against 3-year-olds.”
Bradley is optimistic that his filly will run a big race Saturday, but he is also well-aware of the high quality horses that make up the field, especially two from one particular barn.
'It seems like you always have to run against (Tom) Proctor on the grass with a filly,” Bradley said.
STAKES WINNERS FACE OFF IN FRIDAY FEATURE AT CHURCHILL DOWNS – The Mrs. Revere isn’t the only race at Churchill Downs this weekend that came up extremely competitive as Friday’s featured allowance/optional claiming race includes four stakes winners.
Heuristic Stable’s Fortune Play is the morning-line favorite at 5-2 and will enter Friday’s fourth race off a second-place finish to Happy Week in seven-furlong allowance on the synthetic Polytrack course at Keeneland. Trained by John Booker Jr., Fortune Play captured the overnight Roxelana Stakes beneath the Twin Spires this spring. She is entered with a claiming-price of $80,000 and will break from post three under Freddie Lenclud.
To the inside of Fortune Play is Carl R. Moore Management LLC’s four-time stakes winner Speedacious, who will break from post two under Miguel Mena. The 4-year-old Louisiana-bred daughter of Yankee Gentleman has recorded three wins this year, including a victory in the Satin and Lace over the synthetic Tapeta course at Presque Isle Downs. According to Bret Calhoun’s assistant trainer Dennis Geier, Friday’s allowance will serve as the prep for the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies’ Sprint at Fair Grounds on Dec. 10. It will be the third appearance in the Louisiana Champions Day for Speedacious, who won the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie as a 2-year-old and finished ninth in the Ladies’ Sprint last year.
The co-second choice with Speedacious is William Patterson’s Dances With Ashley, who enters the race off a 10th-place finish in the Thoroughbred Club of America (GII) on Keeneland’s Polytack. The 4-year-old daughter of Wildcat Heir was bred in Florida by Brambly Lane Farm and Steve Dwoskin and won two restricted stakes races at age three.
Drawing the outside post is Desk Farms LLC’s Helen Belen, a four-time winner in a career that is highlighted by a victory in last year’s Valdale at Turfway Park. She will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr.
BARN TALK – Dear Maria, a granddaughter of Mrs. Revere, will try to break her maiden in Friday’s third race at Churchill Downs. Bred by Dr. Hiram Polk and Dr. David Richardson, who owned Mrs. Revere, Dear Maria is out of the mare Maria Balastiere, who won the Regret beneath the Twin Spires in 1991 and was the only foal produced by Mrs. Revere before her passing. Trained by Tim Glyshaw, Dear Maria will break from post two under Calvin Borel. …
Mark Guidry, 19th all-time in wins at Churchill Downs with 331, recorded his first victory at the Louisville track in nearly four years aboard Minister Colin in Wednesday’s sixth race. Guidry has won 17 stakes at Churchill Downs, with his biggest victory coming in the 2006 Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) aboard Lemons Forever. …
Ten $1,000 scholarships will be distributed to full-time students from colleges and universities throughout the country when Churchill Downs joins the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association for the annual College Scholarship Day on Friday, Nov. 11. College Scholarship Day will also feature a concert by Grammy-nominated country music artist David Nail. The concert will begin after Friday’s 10th and final race and Nail is expected to perform from 5:30-7 p.m. EST. The concert is included in the track’s regular $3 admission price, but is complimentary for full-time students with a valid college ID. …
Also on Friday, all veterans with a valid ID will receive free admission to Churchill Downs in celebration of Veterans Day.
WORKTAB – Multiple graded stakes winner Thiskyhasnolimit breezed four furlongs over a fast Churchill Downs track Thursday morning in :52.80 for trainer Steve Asmussen. The 4-year-old son of Sky Mesa is a two-time stakes winner at the Louisville track, having won the Iroquois (GIII) as a 2-year-old and the Matt Winn at age three. …
Jack Mandato’s Zimmer breezed five furlongs on the firm Matt Winn Turf Course around the “dogs” in 1:01.80 for trainer Christophe Clement. Zimmer is pointing toward the River City Handicap (GIII) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf on Saturday, Nov. 19 and will be ridden by Calvin Borel, according to agent Jerry Hissam.
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