Sharing followed in her dam’s hoofsteps last fall by winning a Breeders’ Cup race, in her case the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Santa Anita. On Saturday, the daughter of Shared Account will attempt to replicate mom once more by winning over the Matt Winn turf course at Churchill Downs in the $100,000 Tepin.
New to the Churchill stakes calendar this year, the one-mile Tepin marks the season debut for Sharing, who registered a 13-1 upset at the Breeders’ Cup race when last seen. By Speightstown, Sharing had previously captured the Selima S. at Laurel and will look to make it three stakes wins in a row for trainer Graham Motion and jockey Manny Franco.
Sharing is the first graded stakes winner produced by Shared Account, who registered an even bigger upset winning the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) at Churchill at odds of 46-1.
With stakes opportunities, especially on grass, limited in recent weeks, the Tepin has come up incredibly tough. Alms, a homebred racing for Godolphin, brings a 4-for-4 record into the Tepin. The City Zip filly has won three straight stakes, including the Matron (G3), Jimmy Durante (G3), and the Shantel Lanerie Memorial at Fair Grounds, the latter her only start so far this year on Feb. 8.
The field also includes Natalma (G1) winner Abscond, most recently second in the Herecomesthebride (G3), and Florida Oaks (G3) heroine Outburst. Walk In Marrakesh, who lost both the Natalma and Florida Oaks in photo finishes, will seek to rebound off a relatively dull try at Gulfstream last out.
Dominga rebounded from her second to Alms in the Shantel Lanerie Memorial by winning the Allen “Black Cat” LaCombe Memorial at Fair Grounds. Moral Reasoning was only fifth as the favorite in the Sweetest Chant (G3) last time for Chad Brown, while Mark Casse has a promising stakes newcomer in Hendy Woods, who captured her first two outings over the Fair Grounds turf.
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The $100,000 War Chant, a one-mile turf test for straight 3-year-olds, concludes the tremendous 11-race card and the all-stakes Late Pick 5.
Godolphin is strongly represented in this one as well with a trio of starters. Hieronymus has won four of five including a pair of turf stakes at Fair Grounds over the winter, while Pixelate was a close second to Hieronymus in the Black Gold and to Bodecream in the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston two back. Shared Sense, also sporting the all blue silks, will try the turf following a recent allowance score at Oaklawn.
Field Pass, neck winner of the Dania Beach S. and Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) in his last two outings for Mike Maker, looms an obvious danger, while California invaders Smooth Like Strait and Billy Batts are proven at the level.
