Cross-entered to Saturday’s Ashland (G1), undefeated Feedback instead will stick to one turn in Sunday’s $150,000 Beaumont (G3) at Keeneland, Daily Racing Form’s Byron King reports.
Trainer Chad Brown’s decision in effect closes the door on the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Although the Beaumont, a sprint over the Beard Course’s seven furlongs and 184 feet, offers Oaks points on a scale of 10-4-2-1 to the respective top four, even a victory by Feedback would increase her total to just 20. That’s not enough to crack the top 16 going into Saturday’s trio of Oaks preps, and points aside, it would be highly doubtful for her to save her two-turn bow for the Oaks proper.
Both of Feedback’s starts have come at seven furlongs, a blowout debut at Saratoga and a more workmanlike decision off the layoff in the February 2 Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Tactically drawn in the outside post 8, the 9-5 morning-line favorite keeps Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.
Two of her notable rivals are cutting back in distance from Oaks preps, Mother Mother and Power Gal.
Mother Mother has been chasing Bellafina out west. Runner-up in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and Santa Ynez (G2) at about this trip, the Bob Baffert filly was most recently fourth in the one-mile Las Virgenes (G2). Mother Mother was also a near-miss third to Chasing Yesterday in the Starlet (G1), but her signature win had come around one turn at Churchill Downs in last fall’s Rags to Riches. Florent Geroux, aboard for those two efforts, regains the mount.
Power Gal ships in from her winter base at Oaklawn Park, where she captured the Martha Washington but regressed to seventh in the Honeybee (G3). Trained by Mark Casse for Gary Barber, the Japanese-bred by Empire Maker figures to get loads of pace with new rider Tyler Gaffalione.
Fancy Dress Party is an intriguing 6-1 chance. The Ben Colebrook pupil is unbeaten in three starts, including a maiden win here and a romp in the Glitter Woman last out at Gulfstream Park. Queen of Beas makes her stakes debut after a pair of one-turn scores at Gulfstream, while the Wesley Ward-trained Iva reverts to dirt following her victory in the Cincinnati Trophy at Turfway. Another Time, third in the Gasparilla two back, adds blinkers after a sixth in the Davona Dale (G2). Shanghai Rain, best known for her distant second to Restless Rider in Churchill’s Debutante S., exits a Fair Grounds allowance score.
One race later on Sunday, Brown is ably represented in the $200,000 Appalachian S. (G2) for three-year-old fillies on turf, but perhaps not as unassailably as in years past.
Thrice successful in this race with Dayatthespa (2012), Lady Eli (2015), and Rushing Fall (2018), he sends out Sweetest Chant (G3) runner-up Regal Glory and debut winner Clause. Both are well-related homebreds, with Paul Pompa’s Regal Glory being by Animal Kingdom out of Grade 2 vixen Mary’s Follies and Juddmonte’s Clause a daughter of Speightstown from a half to Group 3 hero Phoenix Tower.
Regally bred Princesa Carolina, the offspring of Tapit and multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Pure Clan, turned in her best stakes performance so far when second in the Herecomesthebride (G3). But the Ken McPeek trainee appeared to need all 8 1/2 furlongs that day, and she’ll have less real estate at a flat mile here. In contrast, Herecomesthebride fourth Primela is eligible to move forward with that U.S. bow out of the way for Cherie DeVaux, if post 11 isn’t too much of a hindrance.
Ward’s pair were last seen with contrasting fortunes at Turfway. Cheveley Park (G1) near-misser The Mackem Bullet dominated her first start for the barn, but couldn’t duplicate her allowance heroics in the John Battaglia versus males and wound up fourth. Back on turf in the fillies’ division, the Katsumi Yoshida acquisition is entitled to return to form. Naughty Joker captured the Bourbonette Oaks and now switches to turf for the first time since her second on debut at Kentucky Downs.
Also double-handed is Mark Casse with Catch a Thrill, who stretches out from a closing second in Gulfstream’s Melody of Colors, and Beautiful Ballad, sixth in the Allen “Black Cat” Lacombe at Fair Grounds. Son Norm is represented by Hard Legacy, winner of her first two before a fifth in the Sweetest Chant. Winning Envelope has a stealthy look at 20-1 for Chris Block, considering her close sixth in the Florida Oaks (G3) cavalry charge. The Peter Miller-trained Angel Alessandra invades off a downhill sprint victory at Santa Anita.
