While the best three-year-old filly in the country on dirt is expected to emerge several hours later in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), Friday’s $250,000 Edgewood (G3) at Churchill Downs will have as its marquee attraction the best grass filly by some distance.
Newspaperofrecord, sparkling in three wins at two including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) and Miss Grillo (G2), returns to the site of the former and will be heavily favored to make it four in a row in the 1 1/16-mile Edgewood. The Chad Brown-trained daughter of Lope de Vega won each of her three starts last season by an average margin of more than six lengths.
Six others will line up against her, among them stablemate Cambier Parc, who captured the Herecomesthebride (G3) last time. Concrete Rose has won three of four including the Florida Oaks (G3) and Jessamine (G2), but was eighth behind Newspaperofrecord in the Breeders’ Cup when buried on the inside over testing ground. Stakes winner Winter Sunset, a daughter of Tapit and multiple Grade 1 winner Winter Memories, finished third in the Florida Oaks last out.
***
World of Trouble, pipped in the final strides by Stormy Liberal in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Churchill last fall, heads an excellent renewal of the $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2), which will be run at 5 1/2 furlongs for the first time. The Jason Servis trainee resumed his winning ways following the Breeders’ Cup, most recently notching top-level laurels in the Carter H. (G1) at Aqueduct on the main track.
Bound for Nowhere is likely using this race as a stepping stone toward a third trip to Royal Ascot for trainer Wesley Ward. Narrowly defeated in the Diamond Jubilee (G1) last summer, the five-year-old finished second in his title defense of the Shakertown (G2) on April 6. Ward also sends out the veteran nine-year-old Undrafted, who placed in this race back in 2014 and 2015, and won the Diamond Jubilee in 2015.
Will Call rebounded from a bad loss in the Shakertown to take this race 12 months ago, and was a rallying fifth in the Keeneland feature in his 2019 debut. Angaston has finished first or second in all three of his tries on the Churchill turf and was third at 43-1 in the Shakertown. Stakes winner Chaos Theory was fourth in the Shakertown, while Mr. Crow tries the turf after placing in the Vosburgh (G1) and Aristides (G3) last season.
***
The $250,000 Eight Belles (G2), for three-year-old fillies at seven furlongs, features a competitive group including stakes winners Mother Mother, Bell’s the One, and Break Even. Queen of Beas and Lyrical Lady are among the stakes newcomers in the field.
