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Clairiere Caps Curlin Exacta in Cotillion

Stonestreet homebred Clairiere (Curlin) kicked home convincingly in Saturday's GI Cotillion S. at Parx to earn a first highest-level victory and snap a five-race winless streak while capping an exacta for her sire. A neck winner of the GII Rachel Alexandra S. in February, the Steve Asmussen pupil was second best to familiar foe Travel Column (Frosted) in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks a month later. She was fourth behind fellow Stonestreet product Malathaat (Curlin) in the GI Kentucky Oaks Apr. 30, third in the GII Mother Goose S. at Belmont June 26 and filled out another trifecta when Maracuja (Honor Code) upended Malathaat in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga July 24. Clairiere was shortening up from a second-place run behind Malathaat in the 10-panel GI Alabama S. back at the Spa Aug. 21, and was the lukewarm 5-2 favorite to provide Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen with a record fourth Cotillion trophy.

Breaking inward a bit at the start, Clairiere quickly recovered but was forced to tap on the brakes around the first turn before finally settling in third last and out in the clear. Main market rival Always Carina (Malibu Moon), meanwhile, showed the way through easy splits of :24.92 and :49.67 as Obligatory applied token pressure. Clairiere began to pick off foes rapidly heading around the final bend, and powered to the fore in midstretch to prove clearly best.

“I can't tell you how much it means for Clairiere and Stonestreet and that family that she comes from,” said Asmussen. “She was carrying along nicely within herself within striking range. She's kept herself in great company all year and getting good when it matters most. Obviously, we're going to speak to Stonestreet and stuff [with regards to a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff], with the numbers she's got she's consistently getting faster at the right time.”

Saturday, Parx Racing
COTILLION S.-GI, $999,500, Parx Racing, 9-25, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.31, ft.
1–CLAIRIERE, 122, f, 3, by Curlin
               1st Dam: Cavorting (MGISW, $2,063,000), by Bernardini
               2nd Dam: Promenade Girl, by Carson City
               3rd Dam: Promenade Colony, by Pleasant Colony
1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet
Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $573,000. Lifetime Record: 9-3-3-2,
$1,190,992. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. Click for the eNicks
report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Obligatory, 118, f, 3, by Curlin
               1st Dam: Uno Duo (SW, $171,300), by Macho Uno
               2nd Dam: Willstar, by Nureyev
               3rd Dam: Nijinsky Star, by Nijinsky II
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I. Mott. $191,000.
3–Army Wife, 122, f, 3, by Declaration of War
               1st Dam: Tread, by Arch
               2nd Dam: Scoot Yer Boots, by Seeking the Gold
               3rd Dam: Whirl Series, by Roberto
($50,000 Ylg '19 FTKFEB; $190,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR).
O-Three Diamonds Farm; B-J D Stuart & AR Enterprises, Inc.
(KY); T-Michael J. Maker. $95,000.
Margins: 2HF, HF, NK. Odds: 2.60, 3.30, 3.50.
Also Ran: Maracuja, Always Carina, Leader of the Band, Will's Secret, Allworthy. Scratched: Private Mission.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Note:

Clairiere is the 16th Grade I winner for her two-time Horse of the Year sire, who stands at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. She is also the second bred on the cross of Curlin over Bernardini after GI Coaching Club American Oaks victress Paris Lights. The GI Preakness S. winner also has an additional six Grade I winners out of daughters of sons or grandsons of Seattle Slew. The late Bernardini is rapidly making a name for himself as a broodmare sire, and the GI Cotillion S. star is his 12th Grade I winner in that role.

The first foal out of 'TDN Rising Star' and later GI Test S., GI Ogden Phipps S. and GI Personal Ensign S. heroine Cavorting, Clairiere is followed by juvenile filly La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro), and a yearling colt by Curlin that brought $550,000 from Muir Hut Stables during the recent Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Cavorting, a daughter of GII Molly Pitcher Breeders' Cup H. heroine Promenade Girl (Carson City), was barren to Quality Road for this year, but was bred back to Into Mischief this spring. She is also a half-sister to GII Penn Mile S. winner Moon Colony (Uncle Mo), while in the extended family is GI Californian S. scorer Another Review (Buckaroo), GI Santa Barbara H. winner No Review (Nodouble) and MGSW Dance Colony (Pleasant Colony), runner-up in the GI Gazelle H.

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Alabama Also-Rans Invade For Cotillion

The second-, third-, fourth and last-place finishers from Saratoga's GI Alabama S. comprise half of what is expected to be a field of eight for Saturday's GI Cotillion S. at Parx Racing. Private Mission (Into Mischief), recent winner of the GIII Torrey Pines S., did not make the trip in from California.

Clairiere (Curlin) won the GII Rachel Alexandra S. at the Fair Grounds on her seasonal debut, but was second in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks and a one-paced fourth to 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks Apr. 30. Third following a stumbling start in the GII Mother Goose S. June 26 and again when Maracuja (Honor Code) upset Malathaat in the GI CCA Oaks at Saratoga July 24, the Stonestreet homebred closed willingly to complete the exacta behind Malathaat in the Alabama, a half-length ahead of GII Black-Eyed Susan S. heroine Army Wife (Declaration of War) in third. Will's Secret (Will Take Charge), winner of Oaklawn's GIII Honeybee S. and third in the Oaks, attended the pace in the Alabama, but weakened to be fourth.

Maracuja finished one spot ahead of Army Wife in the GIII Gazelle S. Apr. 3 and was allowed to take her chance in the Oaks, finishing an even seventh. She made her next appearance in the CCA Oaks, where she was the recipient of a heads-up ride from Ricardo Santana, Jr. and outfinished Malathaat, who was forced to race closer to that pace than is her custom. The gray filly stumbled at the start of the Alabama, contested over a rain-affected track, but retreated late to finish at the tail.

Always Carina (Malibu Moon) was the popular winner of a key Aqueduct maiden on debut Apr. 11 and earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors with a 9 3/4-length thumping of first-level Belmont allowance foes May 20. Beaten into second after setting a manageable pace as the odds-on choice in the Mother Goose, the homebred cut back to no avail in the GI Longines Test S. Aug. 7, finishing a midpack fourth behind Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot).

“I really want to get her back out in a distance where she will be forwardly placed and in control of her own trip,” trainer Chad Brown said.

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Prat Wins On East Coast, Veterans Take Del Mar Stakes Saturday

Del Mar's leading rider Flavien Prat notched another stakes victory in the second of his three-day soiree to Saratoga Race Course, the upstate New York track known as The Spa, for major race assignments.

Prat took the $200,000 Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes on Friday aboard Public Sector ($3.80) for trainer Chad Brown. Saturday, the same combination scored in the $120,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure Stakes with Flavius ($4.70).

Prat was fourth, beaten 6 ¾ lengths by Bella Sofia, aboard Always Carina for Brown in the $500,000 Grade 1 Longines Test Stakes. One race later on the card, Del Mar-based Hall of Famer Mike Smith was fifth, beaten 4 ½-lengths by 21-1 long shot State of Rest, aboard Secret Protector for English trainer Charles Appleby.

Meanwhile, Del Mar's pair of Grade 2 events on Saturday were won by riders with a combined total age of 100 and combined total experience of 62,819 races and 11,591 wins.

Joe Bravo, 49 for another month, took the first of the back-to-back stakes, the $200,500 Best Pal, getting Pappacap to settle nicely behind dueling front runners then swooping to a 4 3/4-length score. According to Equibase statistics, Bravo ended the day with 30,507 career races and 5,505 wins.

“His (only previous) race in Florida, he was just pure speed,” Bravo said. “You don't know if that's the way they like to go. I was glad to see how well he settled in behind those two up front. He showed another dimension today.”

Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, 51, won the $200,000 Yellow Ribbon on Princess Grace for trainer Mike Stidham. At Desormeaux's urging, the 4-year-old filly shot through a gap between horses at the top of the stretch to take the lead and was never headed in winning by 1 ¼ lengths.

“Michael told me one thing before the race that I used to advantage,” Desormeaux related. “He said, 'She's brave.' When that hole opened turning for home, I sent her through and she went right on with it.”

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Desormeaux, who missed much of 2020 while addressing personal issues, has 32,312 career starts and 6,086 wins according to Equibase statistics.

“I'm so happy for Kent,” Stidham said. “He's so talented, an amazing rider, and the way he came through that hole with (Princess Grace) was terrific.”

Bravo stands fifth in the Del Mar rider standings with nine wins from 53 mounts. Desormeaux is in seventh place with seven victories in 45 starts.

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Eight Well-Matched Fillies Look to Ace Test

With the door to a divisional title slightly left ajar by Malathaat (Curlin)'s recent upset loss, eight evenly-matched sophomore fillies will line up in Saturday's GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga.

Slightly favored on the morning line is Klaravich Stables' Search Results (Flatter), who, if not for the length of a Malathaat neck, may herself be favored for champion 3-year-old filly honors as the calendar turns to the season's second half. A four-length debut victress Jan. 3 at Gulfstream, the $310,000 Keeneland September purchase repeated with a pair of scores in the Busher Invitational S. and GII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct before falling just short when runner-up in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks. She got right back to business with a hard-fought success in the GI Acorn S. June 5 at Belmont, a race out of which the second and third finishers will re-oppose.

The runner-up that day was Juddmonte Farms' Obligatory (Curlin), but the ascendant homebred may have run the best race, closing into a slow pace to miss by a half-length and getting her final quarter in a sharp :23.74. Prior to that, the gray was a visually-impressive maiden winner at Gulfstream, and after a disappointing fourth in the GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks, upset the GII Eight Belles S. at 16-1 in a last-to-first flourish.

The top two from June 26's GII Mother Goose S. at Belmont also re-engage here. The winner that day, Shadwell Stable's Zaajel (Street Sense), was the longest shot on the board at 18-1, improving her career-high Beyer by 23 points to 96, while the runner-up, 'TDN Rising Star' Always Carina (Malibu Moon), suffered her first defeat after going two-for-two by a combined 13 3/4 lengths to start her career.

Overachieving Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) will get the acid test after two dominant scores in three starts to open her account. Crushing maiden special weight foes by 11 1/4 lengths debuting at 8-1 May 6 at Belmont, the $20,000 ran a good second when thrown into stakes waters in the Jersey Girl S. there June 6 and came right back to romp by 6 1/2 lengths over allowance rivals July 11 at Big Sandy.

Rounding out the field are Souper Sensational (Curlin), an impressive victress of the GIII Victory Ride S. last out July 10 at Belmont, Make Mischief (Into Mischief), third in both the Eight Belles and Acorn, and Illumination (Medaglia d'Oro), an eight-length maiden winner last out who will be previously-suspended trainer Bob Baffert's first starter at Saratoga since he was granted injunctive relief by a judge.

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