Saratoga Picks | Coronation Cup Stakes 2024

G U Racing Stable’s multiple stakes-winner Twirling Queen brings a three-race win streak into Friday’s Listed $150,000 Coronation Cup, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

The Coronation Cup is slated as Race 9 on Friday’s 10-race card at Saratoga, which also features the $135,000 Wilton in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

The Twirling Candy bay is a perfect 3-for-3 this year since joining the barn of trainer Jose D’Angelo. Twirling Queen won twice this winter sprinting five furlongs over the Gulfstream Park synthetic with Luis Saez aboard, taking an optional-claimer in February and an off-the-turf renewal of the Melody of Colors in March with prominent trips.

Twirling Queen [post 5, Luis Saez, 122 pounds] enters from a stalking three-quarter-length win in her turf debut in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Mamzelle on May 11 at Churchill Downs, where she bested returning rivals and next-out winners Toupie and Cloudwalker.

With Francisco Arrieta up in the Mamzelle, Twirling Queen broke alertly but took back off a pace duel between Hot Beach and Imaboutago and maneuvered into an outside stalking position. She advanced through the turn and took command from Hot Beach at the furlong grounds before staving off the strong finish of Toupie, who was a half-length better than the rallying Cloudwalker.

D’Angelo said the Mamzelle effort confirmed that Twirling Queen doesn’t need the lead to win.

“For the race at Gulfstream [Melody of Colors], I spoke to Luis [Saez] on the morning of the race and said to him, ‘the filly is ready to win, no matter what get the lead,’” recalled D’Angelo. “She could not get the lead, but Luis was patient and sat second and then she went and won the race. From that race I learned from her that you can rate her and that she has tactical speed and can wait to make her move.

“For the race in Kentucky, I said to Arrieta, ‘have a good start, you don’t have to have the lead,” continued D’Angelo. “I told him to just let her go wherever she wants to go and make the move at the top of the stretch. That’s what he did, and she responded really well.”

Twirling Queen, who races in custom blinkers for her petite head, breezed three-eighths in 35.92 seconds Thursday over the Saratoga main track.

“We blew her out a little bit and let her run down the stretch and she was pretty fast. She’s a pretty nice filly and doing great. I think we have a big chance next week,” D’Angelo said. “She’s not a big filly. She’s very professional and smart on the track. If you want to go fast, she goes fast. If you want to just give a normal work, she’ll work good.”

Twirling Queen, out of the multiple stakes-winning Kantharos mare Adventurous Lady, started her career with trainer Norm Casse, racing four times on dirt in Kentucky, including a first-out maiden win last June at Ellis Park. She is now perfect in three starts for D’Angelo and may have found her preferred footing after garnering a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure in the Mamzelle.

“We ran her three times and won with her three times – we’re hoping for four in a row,” D’Angelo said.

Godolphin’s British homebred Star of Mystery [post 10, Flavien Prat, 124 pounds] has banked a Saratoga field-best $683,862 through a 10-4-4-1 record and looms the one to beat for trainer Charlie Appleby.

“She’s a filly that with who she’s been campaigning against, she ought to be a short-priced favorite to go around there,” Appleby said. “I will be disappointed if she doesn’t get the job done, to be honest.”

The Kodiac sophomore enjoyed success at Newmarket as a juvenile, winning the Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress last July 1 ahead of a second in the Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge just 13 days later.

Star of Mystery wintered in Dubai while making four starts against the boys at Meydan Racecourse, taking the Al Wasl in her seasonal debut on January 12 ahead of a score in the Group 2 Blue Point Sprint on January 26 that garnered a 109 TimeForm Rating.

She completed a bustling winter campaign with runner-up efforts in the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on March 2 and the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on March 30, the last three Dubai efforts coming against older company.

Last out, the well-traveled bay took on older males once more, finishing third in the Grade 1 Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint on Belmont Stakes Day June 8 at Saratoga Race Course won in course-record fashion by Cogburn.

“She gained valuable experience on that first start as well at Saratoga, so she goes there in good order,” Appleby said.

Star of Mystery remained in New York after the Jaipur at Godolphin’s Greentree facility located adjacent to Saratoga Race Course. She worked a half-mile in 50.88 Friday over the Oklahoma training turf.

Out of the Shamardal mare Mistrusting, Star of Mystery is a half-sister to the Appleby-trained 2021 Grade 1 Just a Game and Grade 1 Diana winner Althiqa.

Woodford Thoroughbreds’ Pipsy [post 4, Frankie Dettori, 124 pounds] broke in the air and trailed in last-of-10 before rallying from 10 lengths off the pace to capture the six-furlong Grade 3 Soaring Softly on May 12 at Belmont at the Big A.

Pipsy launched her career in her native Ireland with trainer Ger Lyons, posting a pair of wins, including a prominent score in the Irish Stallion Farms E.B.F Legacy in October traveling five furlongs over synthetic at Dundalk.

She was purchased for $928,489 at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale and moved to trainer William Walden, who was delighted with the eye-catching effort from the Kodiac bay over good going in her U.S. debut.

“Going that short on the grass, if you miss the break, you’re lucky if you hit the board let alone mow them all down in the stretch to win. I thought it was an exceptional effort,” Walden said. “The way it played out was a big part of the decision to try the mile in the Tepin because she was able to rate and come with a late run.”

Pipsy was stretched in distance last out in the one-mile Tepin on June 29 at Churchill Downs where she broke sharply under Flavien Prat and sped away through splits of 23.83 and 47.76 before fading to last-of-8.

“We knew she had the tactical speed to be on the front end if she wanted to be. That being said, she broke real well and no one else went,” Walden said. “He [Prat] took the hand he was dealt, and she got a little keen. The horse in second [Just Better] that ended up pressing her the whole way was getting away from her rider a little bit, but at the end of the day, I don’t know if she had a perfect trip if she was going to win that day.

“I don’t think she wants the mile – she’s not bred for it and doesn’t look like, but it’s a question we needed to answer,” Walden added. “We got the answer we didn’t want, but it’s the answer nonetheless so we’ll move forward from there.”

Wertheimer and Frere’s Kentucky homebred Toupie [post 1, Jorge Ruiz. 122 pounds] exited the aforementioned Mamzelle to post a 2 1/4-length score in the Stormy Blues on June 16 traveling 5 1/2-furlongs over firm Laurel Park turf.

Trained by Graham Motion, the Uncle Mo bay, who worked back a half-mile in 49.40 seconds Thursday over the Fair Hill dirt, boasts a consistent 7-3-2-1 record that includes a rallying 2 1/4-length victory in the six-furlong Stewart Manor on November 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“She won really easily the other day,” Motion said. “The Laurel race was to get her to the Coronation, so she’s in good form.”

Gregory Hoffman, R. T. Racing Stable and Clay Scherer’s Irish-bred Ever So Sweet [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 120 pounds] earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure for her last out allowance win sprinting six furlongs against elders in her seasonal debut on May 26 at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Brad Cox, the Calyx bay made every pole a winning one over firm footing, zipping through splits of 21.48 seconds, 43.18 and 54.80 en route to a four-length score over next-out winner Kerry in a final time of 1:06.94.

A maiden winner at second asking in September at Belmont at the Big A, Ever So Sweet finished fifth in the Stewart Manor to close out her juvenile campaign.

Ever So Sweet has breezed back four times over the Oklahoma training turf, including a near bullet half-mile in 47.60 on June 28 – ranked second of 46 efforts at the distance.

“She’s doing really well and has had a few breezes on the turf course there at Saratoga,” Cox said. “She definitely has improved from 2-to-3, we saw that with her physically and really just the way she was moving – a little more free-moving and settling. I like the way she trains better this year than she did last year.”

Cox said Ever So Sweet is at her best when on the lead.

“I think it gives her the best opportunity. She has a lot of gate speed and through the turn and into the lane, she’s able to kick away,” Cox said. “This is a step up, but she’s trained well enough and has plenty of time since her first start as a 3-year-old. She’s working well enough to give us the confidence to try a stake with her.”

Ever So Sweet, out of the Exceed And Excel mare Shine, sold for $144,137 at the 2022 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale.

Kairyu [post 7, Jose Ortiz, 124 pounds] will look to secure her first stateside win, building on a rallying runner-up effort to Pipsy last out in the six-furlong Grade 3 Soaring Softly.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux for owners Martin Schwartz and Michael O’Callaghan, Kairyu made her first three starts in her native Ireland for O’Callaghan topped by a win in the Group 3 Anglesey last July at The Curragh.

Kairyu, out of the Lope de Vega mare Vegatina, made her stateside debut with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 2 Appalachian in April at Keeneland ahead of her strong Soaring Softly try.

Tracy Farmer’s dual stakes-winner Dancing Duchess [post 3, Javier Castellano, 122 pounds] captured the five-furlong Listed Algonquin in October at Woodbine to close out her juvenile campaign, vaulting from last-of-8 to score by a half-length with returning Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano aboard.

Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the Ontario-bred daughter of Munnings has made three starts this year – all at Woodbine – and arrives from a prominent 1 1/2-length score in the Alywow over 6 1/2-furlongs of good turf.

Dancing Duchess, bred by Mitchell H. Kursner, is a half-sister to 2021 Queen’s Plate-winner Safe Conduct. She is out of the winning Congrats mare Duchess Dancer – a half-sister to Canada’s 2008 Horse of the Year Fatal Bullet.

Rounding out a talented field at Saratoga are:

• Stakes-placed Cloudwalker [post 9, Tyler Gaffalione, 120 pounds] for trainer Brendan Walsh
• Stakes-placed Baraye [post 8, Gerardo Corrales, 122 pounds] for conditioner Wesley Ward
• Maiden winner In Our Time [post 2, Joel Rosario, 18 pounds], who arrives from a close second in a 7 1/2-furlong optional-claiming sprint on May 19 at Gulfstream Park for owner/trainer Jack Sisterson

Value Area, Do Gooder and Golden Degree are entered for the Saratoga main track only.