Defending E. P. Taylor Winner Likely Favored for Repeat

Etoile (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a narrow winner of the 2020 GI E. P. Taylor S., is the 5-2 morning-line favorite to repeat in Sunday's renewal at Woodbine.

A Group 3 winner in her native land for Jean-Claude Rouget, she brought 750,000gns from Peter Brant, Mrs. M. V. Magnier and Mrs. Paul Shanahan at the 2019 TATDEC sale and was transferred to Chad Brown for a North American campaign.

Second as the favorite in last term's GII Dance Smartly S., she went one better for a career high next out in the E. P. Taylor. She's only made two starts since in 2021, kicking off her 5-year-old campaign with a flat fourth-place effort in Keeneland's GI Coolmore Jenny Wiley S. Apr. 10, then finished a fast-closing second as the favorite to Mutamakina (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Dance Smartly last time Aug. 22.

Brown, one-two in last weekend's GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. at Belmont and GI First Lady S. at Keeneland, will also saddle second-choice Great Island (Scat Daddy) and Kalifornia Queen (Ger) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who finished first and second, respectively, in Monmouth's GIII WinStar Matchmaker S. July 17. Great Island followed with a second-place finish in Saratoga's GI Flower Bowl S. Sept. 4 while Kalifornia Queen placed third in the GII Ballston Spa S. Aug. 28.

La Dragontea (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and Court Return (Court Vision), one-two across the line in the GII Canadian S. at Woodbine Sept. 18, re-oppose, while Waliyak (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) makes the trip across the pond following a victory for Roger Varian in the G3 Prix Bertrand de Tarragon at Chantilly Sept. 17. Varian also secured this contest with Sheikha Reika (Fr) (Shamardal) in 2018.

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Paco Lopez X-Rayed For Possible Shoulder Injury After Meadowlands Spill

Leading jockey Paco Lopez, coming off his eighth riding title at Monmouth Park, was taken by ambulance to Hackensack Medical Center for X-rays on his left shoulder after his mount in the third race, Voter Protection, broke down entering the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile turf race, according to the first aid staff at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, N.J.

Voter Protection, the even-money favorite in the race, was at the back of the pack and clear of other horses at the time of the misstep that sent Lopez headlong into the turf. First Aid personnel said Lopez was “alert and oriented” but was complaining of left shoulder pain.

Lopez later told track personnel that his shoulder “popped out” but was not broken. He took off his final three mounts on the card.

According to the Equibase chart, Voter Protection was euthanized.

A 3-year-old More Than Ready gelding racing for Klaravich Stables Inc. and trained by Chad Brown, Voter Protection was making his seventh career start in the $25,000 maiden claiming race for 3-year-olds and up. He had raced for a claiming tag twice previously, most recently while finishing sixth in a six-furlong turf race for $50,000 maiden claimers at Belmont Park on Sept. 26.

Lopez is second leading jockey by wins in North America in 2021. His 281 wins are just nine behind Irad Ortiz Jr. Lopez is three wins shy of his most productive year in the saddle, and at nearly $10.6 million he is closing in on his best year from an earnings standpoint.

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Brown Vs. O’Brien in QEII

Keeneland's GI QEII Challenge Cup Saturday looks like a duel between top American turf trainer Chad Brown and leading European conditioner Aidan O'Brien.

O'Brien saddles a representative of the Coolmore contingent in Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who adds blinkers for her second start at Keeneland. Winner of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas May 23, the bay could only manage eighth next out in Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation S. June 18 and was a well-beaten sixth in the G1 Nassau S. July 29. Fourth in the G1 Matron S. Sept. 11, she was shipped Stateside to take on her elders in last weekend's GI First Lady S. in Lexington, where she finished third to the Brown-trained Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}). The connections' Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) wheeled back off a second in the 2011 First Lady to take that year's QE II.

Brown has two strong chances to best Empress Josephine yet again in Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) and Technical Analysis (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). A two-time winner in Europe, Shantisara was privately purchased by these connections and transferred to Brown. Second in Monmouth's Boiling Springs S. in her first American start June 26, she captured Arlington's GIII Pucker Up S. Aug. 14 and followed suit with a win in Belmont's Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. Sept. 18.

Technical Analysis kicked off this season with a Belmont optional claimer score Apr. 29 and was sixth in that venue's GIII Wonder Again S. June 3. The bay enters off of back-to-back victories at Saratoga in the July 23 GIII Lake George S. and Aug. 21 GII Lake Placid S.

Undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown) faces her toughest competition yet in this first start outside of Canada. A good-looking debut winner at Woodbine in August of 2020, the Chuck Fipke homebred won the GI Natalma S. last September and was subsequently shelved. She made a victorious return 50 weeks later, wiring a Woodbine optional claimer Sept. 6.

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Brown Seeks Fifth Sands Point Win

Chad Brown has two good chances to score his third straight win, and fifth overall, in Belmont's GII Sands Point S. Saturday. Higher Truth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) broke her maiden and won a N1X allowance going 10 furlongs over this course in the spring and was third to the ill-fated Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in this venue's July 10 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S., which was also run at 1 1/4 miles. A close second in the GII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. Aug. 8, the bay led throughout the early stages of the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. here Sept. 18, but was run down late, finishing a half-length second.

“I think she'll be able to handle the cutback. She's been training well,” Brown said to the NYRA notes team.

Higher Truth's stablemate Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}) returns to the east coast after a good run at Del Mar last time out. Winner of the GIII Jimmy Durante S. in SoCal last year, the bay rallied to be a close second in Aqueduct's Memories of Silver S. Apr. 18. A non-factor fifth in the GIII Wonder Again S. over course and distance June 3, she closed resolutely to be second in Saratoga's GIII Lake George S. July 23 and made another bold rally to be third in the GI Del Mar Oaks Aug. 21.

Harajuku (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) makes her first start for trainer Graham Motion here after previously being campaigned in Europe with trainer Andre Fabre. Winner of the G3 Prix Cleopatre S. May 1 at Saint-Cloud, the Flaxman homebred was off the board in her next four European starts, culminating in a fourth in the G2 Prix de la Nonette S. Aug. 21. The bay made her final start for Fabre at Belmont, a third in the Jockey Club Oaks.

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