After a rousing Saturday lineup, the stakes weekend isn't complete yet, as Saratoga, Woodbine and Del Mar present graded offerings.
The marquee match on Sunday is the GII Shuvee S. at Saratoga, which honors the 1970 and 1971 champion older female by Nashua who was the second filly to win the Triple Tiara. The Virginia bred is also the only filly to ever defeat colts in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. And she did that twice.
Though only four are entered here, the race includes the defending champion from last year in Clairiere (Curlin), who comes in after a pair of Grade I victories in the Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn Park and the Ogden Phipps S. at Belmont Park.
The veteran mare trained by Steve Asmussen will take on last year's champion 3-year-old filly Nest (Curlin), who is making her first start of the year for trainer Todd Pletcher. The bay filly collected a pair of Grade I wins last summer at Saratoga when she won the Coaching Club of America Oaks and the Alabama S.
Shifting to Woodbine, they card a pair of graded races on Sunday starting with the GIII Trillium S. for 3-year-old fillies and up over the Tapeta, which has Souper Hoity Toity (Uncle Mo) as the 2-1 morning-line leader. The $550,000 OBSMAR purchase won the GIII Belle Mahone S. by a neck and the Mark Casse trainee will face many of the same competitors once again in this spot. Switching to the grass, the other graded event in Toronto is the GII Connaught Cup S., which includes veteran turf traveler Bound for Nowhere (The Factor). The 9-year-old will face the winner of the GII Highlander S., Lucky Score (Lookin At Lucky) and Churchtown (Air Force Blue), who just missed last time out in the Opening Verse S. at Churchill Downs.
Finally, the weekend graded action wraps up at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club with the annual renewal of the 12-furlong GIII Cougar II S. over the dirt. The class edge goes to Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince), who ran third May 29 in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita and Azul Coast (Super Saver) who hasn't been seen since he ran second last November at Del Mar in the GIII Native Diver S. Bye Bye Bobby (Quality Road), an $870,000 KEESEP buy, ships in from New Mexico.
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