How to Play the Darley Alcibiades Stakes
- Casey Laughter
- Oct 5, 2016
- 5 min read
Photo Credit: Casey Laughter
The Darley Alcibiades (GI) is best known for showcasing top juvenile fillies, and this year is no different.
The race features a full, and seemingly, wide open field. Juvenile fillies can be hard to read, and the morning line reflects that with Daddy’s Little Darling, winner of the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs, being the co-favorite at 5-1 with the Mike Stidham trained Diadura.
With that in mind, let’s break this puzzle down a bit!
Fun (Harlan’s Holiday – Home Run, by Empire Maker) This Ian Wilkes filly is coming into this race for her fourth career start and looking to gain back her winning ways. She won on debut going 5.5f on the main track at Churchill. She looks like a filly who will likely improve with age. She will need to step things up here, after second and fourth place finishes in the Schuylerville Stakes (GIII) and Spinaway Stakes (GI).
Sully’s Dream (Colonel John – Karate Girl, by First Samurai) This filly broke her maiden going a mile on the dirt at Ellis park but then could not hang with the others at Churchill Downs in the. The Equibase form says the filly came up empty after six furlongs, which could have been due to the sloppy conditions. However, the loss could just as easily mean that this filly needs a class break, or a switch of surfaces to improve.
Queen Bernardina (Bernardini – Cherokee Queen, by Cherokee Run) This filly tried twice to break her maiden at Ellis Park before finally finding success at Churchill Downs, contesting at the distance of one mile over the main course. This one likes to run toward the front of the pack, which will require that she break well, or she will risk being taken out of her element.
Dancing Rags (Union Rags – Home Court, by Storm Cat) This filly is a half-sister to Coup de Grace, a multiple grades stakes winning sprinter by Tapit, though with the Belmont winning Union Rags as a sire, she could inherit more stamina than her half sibling. Graham Motion brings this filly in off a maiden breaking win at Laurel. She could be worth a look, even if she may be part of a hotly contested pace.
Lady Hansen (Hansen – Where Woody Bea, by Woodman) Lady Hansen is switching surfaces for this race. She broke her maiden on the turf at Ellis Park before shipping into the Kentucky Downs where she placed third in a minor stakes. She has a pedigree that indicates dirt could be her forte, However I question how much distance this filly wants. Look for her to make a run at the end if she can outrun her pedigree.
Caroline Test (First Defense – Panther Strike, by Black Minnaloushe) This filly broke her maiden on dirt and then placed second in a stakes at Ellis. She shipped into Kentucky Downs to finish second in a stakes, where she was just ahead of Lady Hansen. Pedigree seems to lean toward turf, but she is not unproven on dirt.
Cold Hearted Pearl (Parading – Sessile, by Forestry) This filly has already raced at four different racetracks and will look to add Keeneland to her resume on Friday. She broke her maiden in her fourth start at Ellis Park and then shipped to Woodbine to finish 8th in the Grade One Natalma Stakes. On paper, it looks like Cold Hearted Pearl is overmatched in this spot.
Dream Dancing (Tapit – To Dream About, by Monarchos) This filly broke her maiden at Saratoga in her second start after just missing in her debut. Mark Casse knows plenty about getting fillies ready for big races, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her run well. She recently finished fourth in the sloppy Pocahontas Stakes, and could appreciate the fast track she’ll likely get at Keeneland.
Price Too High (Scat Daddy – La Capella, by Smart Strike) The only other time this filly started on a dirt surface was in the spring at Keeneland when running in her debut. She finished fourth that day, and since then, has finished third at Saratoga before finally breaking her maiden. However, those races were on turf, and now with the return to dirt Price Too High becomes an unknown entity. Nevertheless, Wesley Ward can get two-year-old fillies ready for some monster performances, so don’t count her out.
Benner Island (Speightstown – Spacy Tracy, by Awesome Again) After a maiden win at Indiana Grand, she was shipped to Arlington, where she finished second to Diadura in the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes. She has a pedigree that should excel on dirt and should have no problem with this 8.5 furlongs in the Alcibiades. She is worth a look, however she is deep closer which could cause her traffic troubles in such a large field.
Diadura (Hard Spun – Daytime Promise, by Five Star Day) This filly comes in undefeated from Arlington. She has a spectacular pedigree for this distance and surface. She recorded a bullet work at Keeneland on Sept. 30, going 5F on the main track. The switch from all all weather to dirt should pose no threat here, and sometimes even moves horses up.
I’mluckysgirl (Lookin at Lucky – Miss Sharondipity, by Malibu Moon) After two races at Indiana Grand, which included her maiden win, this filly has hit a rough patch. It seemed as though she did not relish the sloppy surface in the Pocahontas, where she finished seventh. She has been training lights out at Belterra in Cincinnati, and should like the fast track at Keeneland.
For Honor (To Honor and Serve – Unspoken Fur, by Empire Maker) This filly is coming in off her maiden win at Saratoga. This race will be only her second start. On paper, she is a stellar work horse and looks like she has a lot of room to improve and grow into herself. Based on pedigree alone, distance will not be an issue and 15-1 on the morning line looks pretty attractive.
Daddy’s Lil Darling (Scat Daddy – Miss Hot Salsa, by Houston) This filly was a strong winner in the Pocahontas on the sloppy Churchill track. She has a pedigree that leans a bit more toward turf, but Scat Daddy babies can seemingly run on any surface and be successful. She is the widest of all and will need a perfect trip, but looks like strong contender in this spot.
In closing, I think this is a wide open field where any filly in this field could steal the show. I will pay special attention to For Honor, Diadura, Dream Dancing, and Dancing Rags, as these fillies spark quite a bit of interest.
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