Coronation Cup Preview: Artie’s Princess Makes Grass Debut

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Trainer Wesley Ward sends his up-and-coming Ontario-bred filly Artie’s Princess out for her grass debut in Friday’s $100,000 Coronation Cup Stakes at Saratoga.

The Coronation Cup is a 5 1/2-furlong outer turf sprint restricted to 3-year-old fillies. This year’s edition is the penultimate event on a 10-race card and has a local post time of 5:46 PM Eastern.

Here is a look at the full field for the Coronation Cup:

1. Always Inthe Munny 12/1 – Back-to-back romps by at least 8 lengths prompted her current ownership group to privately purchase her and let trainer Tom Amoss take over. Though she has yet to compete on turf, her sire, Munnings, has thrown plenty of proven grass sprinters, including Om, who twice finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

2. Karak 6/1 – Like Artie’s Princess, she comes from the Ward barn, though unlike her stablemate, she has proven turf success. Ward thought highly enough of her May 2019 debut victory to send her to the prestigious Royal Ascot meet, and while she went unplaced in the Windsor Castle Stakes, she rebounded nicely to win the Tyro Stakes over the Monmouth Park lawn.

3. Fly So Pretty 8/1 – She broke her maiden over this exact course and distance last July 21, then won the Steward Manor Stakes on the Aqueduct lawn 2 starts later. She has an overall record of 3-2-0-1 in turf sprints, where Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is a solid 17% historically.

4. Miss J McKay 5/1 – She won 3 straight to kick off her career and was supplemented into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2), though she failed to draw in from the Also Eligibles list. She finished second or third in each of her 3 subsequent starts and makes her second 2020 appearance after finishing third in June’s Lady Shipman Stakes.

5. Shippy 12/1 – She just missed winning her turf debut by a nose in April, then followed that with a romping victory in the off-turf Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth Park three weeks ago. Trainer George Weaver hits at a 24% rate with last-out winners and 31% with runners making their second starts after three-month layoffs.

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6. Bredenbury 9/2 – The Irish-bred filly had a 4-1-1-1 overseas record before shipping stateside and joining Graham Motion’s barn. She finally broke through for her first stateside score last time out in the Lady Shipman Stakes and keeps Luis Saez aboard for the second straight start.

7. Lexi On the Move 15/1 – She won her first 2 starts while sprinting on the Oaklawn Park dirt, but she struggled mightily in the slop before finishing last of nine in April’s Purple Martin Stakes. She makes her grass debut after posting a 4-furlong work in 49 seconds flat (second-best of 31) over the local turf training course.

8. Artie’s Princess 7/2 – If not for missing winning the Frost King Stakes by a neck, her record would be spotless in 4 starts, all of which came over Woodbine’s synthetic main track. She has yet to compete on the lawn, but her Beyer speed figures have improved with every start, synthetic form tends to hold on the grass, and Ward is a turf sprint whiz (21% win rate historically).

9. She’s My Type 3/1 – She won her first 2 starts (including the Ginger Brew Stakes) while routing on the Gulfstream Park turf and came close to winning her subsequent 2 starts on the same course. She returned from a three-month layoff to finish second in the Lady Shipman Stakes and should improve in her second start back.