TurfPublicists: DE LA ROSE ADVANCE; for Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Contact: Ashley Herriman

BE FAIR TRIES TURF IN DE LA ROSE

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Be Fair was scheduled to make her turf debut at Saratoga in last summer’s Grade 2 Lake George, a race she won impressively over a sloppy track when it was rained off the grass.

Almost exactly one year later, she will have her chance to test the surface in Wednesday’s one-mile, $70,000 De La Rose Stakes for older fillies and mares, which has drawn a seasoned field of 10.

“This is a new experiment,” said Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who trains Be Fair for Westrock Stables. “The mile is a good distance for her and there was nothing really in the condition book for her otherwise, so we thought we’d try it. Let’s hope the turf comes up good for her.”

Be Fair picked up an allowance win at Oaklawn Park on March 4, and finished third behind the undefeated Zenyatta over the Hot Springs oval in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 9. Given some time off after a sixth place finish in the Grade 2 La Troienne on April 30, she returned to finish third in the Roxelana Stakes at Churchill Downs on July 2. She turned in a bullet four furlong work over the Oklahoma Turf Course on July 28 in preparation for the De La Rose.

Calvin Borel will ride the daughter of Exchange Rate from post 4.

Returning from a nine-month layoff is Twin Creeks Farm’s Miss Catalyst, who turned in a gutsy effort to win the Pebbles Stakes at Belmont Park on October 12, defeating Pull Dancer and Maram.

“We’d be looking for a spot for her, and she was entered at Belmont on one of the days that it got really hot and they cancelled the races,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “She’s doing well. She might be the kind that will improve for having a race, but she seems to be in good order. I think she was on a bit of a roll at the end of last year and obviously had a big run last time.”

John Velazquez has the call from post 9.

Trainer Christophe Clement will saddle a pair he termed “live outsiders” in Daveron and Haka. Daveron exits a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 New York Stakes at Belmont on June 19, while Haka was eighth over the artificial surface at Arlington Park in the Grade 3 Arlington Matron on May 29.

Roger Attfield, the Woodbine-based trainer who sent out Perfect Shirl to win last Wednesday’s turf feature, the Grade 2 Lake George, will saddle Miss Keller, an Irish-bred filly who won a second-level allowance at Keeneland on April 7 in her first start of the year, then went on to finish third in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs on May 1 and second in the Grade 2 Nassau at Woodbine on June 5.

Completing the field are Coulee, third in a turf allowance at Churchill on June 26; Silver Reunion, a 2009 Saratoga turf stakes winner making her first start since fading to finish eighth in the Grade 3 Valley View at Keeneland on October 23; Keertana, fifth in the Grade 3 Locust Grove at Churchill on July 3; Dreamt, third in an optional claimer at Belmont on May 30 and My Baby Baby, who finished sixth in the Roxelana.

Ivory Empress, fifth in the Miss Liberty at Monmouth on July 4 may run if any scratches occur. Gemswick Park, McVictory and Solo Piano may run if the race is taken off the turf.

The field for the $70,000 De La Rose:

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt		Trainer		Odds
1	Coulee (KY)	E S Prado	116		M E Hushion		20-1
2	Silver Reunion (KY)	R A Dominguez	116		H G Motion		8-1
3	Keertana (KY)	J Lezcano	118		T F Proctor		7-2
4	Be Fair (FL)	C H Borel	116		D W Lukas		15-1
5	Daveron (GER)	R Maragh	116		C Clement		6-1
6a	Dreamt (GB)	K J Desormeaux	116		W I Mott		10-1
7	My Baby Baby (KY)	R Albarado	118		K G McPeek		10-1
8	Haka (KY)	G K Gomez	116		C Clement		12-1
9	Miss Catalyst (KY)	J R Velazquez	116		T A Pletcher		5-1
10	Miss Keller (IRE)	J Castellano	116		R L Attfield		3-1
Also Eligibles:
AE 11	Ivory Empress (KY)	J R Leparoux	116	I R Wilkes		12-1
AE 12	Gemswick Park (KY) (MTO)	R Maragh	123	T Albertrani		6-1
AE 13	McVictory (KY) (MTO)		116	T A Pletcher		5-2
AE 14a	Solo Piano (KY) (MTO)		116	W I Mott		10-1

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