Lockdown and Vexatious were last seen taking part in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs on May 5, and Saturday return to action as part of a seven-filly field entered in the $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park.
Lockdown finished better of the two in the Oaks, coming in third under jockey Jose Ortiz. The Bill Mott trainee had never competed outside of Aqueduct up to that point, breaking her maiden and taking the Busanda Stakes over the inner dirt at the Big A. She was a well-beaten second on Aqueduct’s main track in the Gazelle Stakes (G2) one race before the Kentucky Oaks, and keeps Ortiz aboard for this 1 1/16-mile affair.
Vexatious filled the fourth spot in the Oaks, a half-length behind Lockdown, for trainer Neil Drysdale. The Giant’s Causeway filly ran third in the Fantasy Stakes (G3) and Fair Grounds Oaks (G3) in her only other tries against stakes company, and will be ridden Saturday by regular jockey Kent Desormeaux.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has three entered in the Mother Goose, and two are exiting the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico on May 19. Lights of Medina just missed by a closing head in that nine-furlong, sloppy-sealed track contest while Moana faded to fifth.
That duo’s stablemate My Miss Tapit is unbeaten in two starts, having broken her maiden by 2 1/2 lengths on March 10 and scored a 1 1/4-length victory in the April 22 Game Face Stakes, both at Gulfstream Park.
Feargal Lynch returns to Lights of Medina’s saddle, John Velazquez has the call on Moana and Manuel Franco pilots My Miss Tapit for the first time.
Stakes debuter Unchained Melody and Spanish Harlem complete the Mother Goose field.
Two races earlier, My Sweet Girl will make a title defense run in the $100,000 Perfect Sting Stakes, which drew a field of nine distaffers to go a mile on the Widener turf.
The Barclay Tagg trainee captured last year’s edition by a neck, but in six starts since has finished in-the-money just once. That one time came in the Plenty of Grace Stakes going a mile on Aqueduct’s turf April 15. My Sweet Girl enters the Perfect Sting off a sixth-placed run in the Beaugay Stakes (G3) on May 13.
Also entered are Grade 2 winner On Leave, runner-up while making her seasonal bow in the May 20 Gallorette Stakes (G3), and Conquest Babayaga, who rallied to miss by a head in the seven-furlong Intercontinental Stakes (G3) most recently on June 8.
