Proviso, Hot Cha Cha, Acoma
work for Keeneland targets
Three distaffers under consideration for both Saturday’s First Lady S. (G1)
on the Keeneland turf, and Sunday’s Spinster S. (G1) on the Polytrack, posted
works on Monday.
Over Saratoga’s fast Oklahoma training track, multiple Grade 1 queen PROVISO
(GB) (Dansili [GB]) negotiated a half-mile :49 2/5. The Bill Mott mare has
reeled off three consecutive Grade 1 wins in the Diana S., Just a Game S. and
Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. — all on turf — which argue in favor of the one-mile
First Lady.
On the other hand, Proviso crossed the finish line first in last year’s
Spinster on the Polytrack, only to be disqualified for causing interference and
placed second. Her owner/breeder, Juddmonte Farms, also sponsors the 1 1/8-mile
Spinster.
The other two reportedly on the fence between the First Lady and Spinster
turned in works at their respective Kentucky bases.
On Keeneland’s Polytrack, Grade 1 victress HOT CHA CHA (Cactus Ridge) zipped
a half-mile in :48 with regular rider James Graham in the saddle, and
owner-breeder Nelson McMakin looking on.
“If it had been :46 or :53, we’d say that’s what we wanted, but this is what
we wanted,” trainer Philip Sims said.
“I am not sure which one she will run in,” Sims added regarding the First
Lady or Spinster dilemma. “I may enter in both. It will come down to pace and
distance. I think she is better at a mile and an eighth than a mile.”
Hot Cha Cha, a 4 1/2-length winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup
(G1) on the turf here last fall, finished a strong third in the Jenny Wiley S.
(G2) over the course in April. She was most recently runner-up in the Beverly D.
S. (G1)
If Hot Cha Cha runs in the First Lady, she will attempt to join Vacare as the
only fillies to post a Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup-First Lady double.
Vacare swept the two races in 2006 and 2007.
A start in the Spinster would be Hot Cha Cha’s first start on Polytrack since
July 2009, when she reported home a close third in the Arlington Oaks (G3).
Earlier last year, she dominated the Bourbonette Oaks (G3) on Turfway’s
Polytrack by six lengths.
“She has trained here all the time, so it would not hurt a bit (to run in the
Spinster),” Sims said.
While the Spinster is normally a stepping stone to the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’
Classic (G1), Sims said that the Filly & Mare Turf (G1), at 1 3/8 miles, would
be the first preference at Churchill Downs over the Ladies’ Classic.
Hot Cha Cha has posted a 5-1-2-2 record in 2010 with her lone victory coming
in the Mint Julep (G3) at Churchill Downs in June. Her largest margin of defeat
this year has been only two lengths.
“Frustrating? Not really, because she is always right there and is very
consistent,” Sims said.
Grade 2 heroine ACOMA (Empire Maker), a troubled seventh in the Beverly D.,
traveled five furlongs in 1:02 2/5 over a fast track at Churchill Downs.
The winner of the 2008 Valley View S. (G3) on the Keeneland turf, the David
Carroll trainee was a subpar last in the 2009 First Lady. In her only previous
attempt on synthetic, Acoma broke her maiden on the Polytrack here going 1 1/16
miles as a three-year-old.