Mayla, Ivy Bell Take Center Stage in Saturday's $100,000 Open Mind

Sep 13, 2017 Churchill Downs Communications

Carl Moore Management LLC and Brad Grady’s Mayla and Brook T. Investment’s Ivy Bell are familiar with seeing the tail-end of multiple graded stakes winner Finley’sluckycharm at Churchill Downs but the two sprinters will get the opportunity to shine themselves in Saturday’s ninth running of the $100,000 Open Mind (Listed).

The six-furlong Open Mind for fillies and mares is scheduled as Race 9 with a post time of 4:49 p.m.

Mayla, trained by Bret Calhoun, has been facing her stablemate Finley’sluckycharm in three of her last four starts. However, Finley’sluckycharm is targeting the $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (GII) at Keeneland on Oct. 7, according to assistant trainer Dennis “Peaches” Geier.

“We breezed her (Finley’sluckycharm) Friday and she’s doing well after Saratoga this summer,” Geier said. “Mayla is doing very well, too. Hopefully she’ll turn the corner and get the job done Saturday.”

Mayla (22-5-6-5—$299,604) was most recently the runner-up in the Aug. 12 $75,000 Twixt Stakes at Laurel Park but previously finished third behind Finley’sluckycharm in the $100,000 Chicago Handicap (GIII) on June 24 at Churchill Downs.

Gabriel Saez will have the call to ride Mayla.

Ivy Bell, trained by William Denzik Jr., has been victorious in three out of her last four starts, including a 1 ½-length score in the Aug. 5 $75,000 West Virginia Secretary Stakes at Mountaineer. The only blemish of 2017 for the 4-year-old filly by Archarcharch was a runner-up finish behind Finley’sluckycharm in the Chicago Handicap.

The Open Mind field from the rail out (with jockeys): Grace’s Treasure (Jesus Castanon); Mayla (Saez); Profound Moment (C.J. McMahon); Ivy Bell (Brian Hernandez Jr.); Athena (Joe Rocco Jr.); and Tricky Zippy (Corey Lanerie).