Plenty of local flavor in Beverly D Stakes
Heading into this summer, veteran trainer Mike Stidham had started two horses in the Grade I Beverly D.
This Saturday, he will more than double that number.
Stidham has a trifecta heading postward in the $700,000 1 and 3/16ths mile turf event, which has drawn a full field of 14 fillies and mares.
Stidham will saddle Secret Someone (Robby Albarado), Zipessa (Joe Bravo) and French-bred Marypop (Flavien Prat) in the 27th running of the race honor ing the late wife of Arlington chairman Richard Duchossois.
Marypop is a Group III winner in France owned by Duchossois, who won the race in 2010 with German-bred Eclair de Lun, trained by Ron McAnally.
Marypop and Secret Someone are 30-1 in the morningline while Zipessa is at 15-1. They are all appearing in their first Grade 1 races.
Zipessa is coming off a two-length win in the Grade III Dr. James Penny Memorial in Philadelphia and has won four of her seven career starts.
With little speed in the Modesty on July 9 at Arlington, Secret Someone raced on the lead throughout before finishing third.
"Any time you step up to this level it's going to be tougher," said Stidham, whose Tizaqueena was fourth in the 2009 Beverly D while Upperline was fifth in 2011 and 2012.
"Zipessa has a front-running style. She is either on the lead or stalking. That's how she runs. We're not changing anything now.
"I expect Secret Someone and Marypop (fifth in the Modesty) to be sitting about mid-pack or further back."
Another local trainer, Chris Block, will make his second Beverly D start. The veteran conditioner, a native of Champaign and mainstay at Arlington, is sending out the 4-year-old filly No Fault of Mine, a 30-1 morningline choice who was fourth in the Modesty.
"It's a wide open race," Block said. "I really had no intention of running him in the race but after talking to Michael (Adolphson, the AP stakes coordinator) who was keeping me updated, I decided to give it a shot.
"He told me who he thought would be the top horses. And I have a lot of respect for all of them but thought my filly deserves a shot."
Block, one of the all-time leading trainers at Arlington, tried No Fault of Mine on the turf for the first time in an allowance win at Keeneland in April. Block has had plenty of success on the Arlington turf course, and has won more than 500 races overall in Arlington Heights.
"I love Arlington," he said. "I've got a filly here who I think fits and has a shot, so I am I very proud to run in this race."
The morningline favorite at 7-5 for the Beverly D. is French-bred Sea Calisi. Trained by Chad Brown, the 4-year-old daughter of Youmzain won a Group II in France before finishing third in a narrow loss in the Group I Darley Yorkshire Oaks.
The same connections also team up to send out Irish-bred Elusive Million who was lightly raced in France.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien and owners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith have a pair of 3-year-old Irish bred fillies with Ballydoyle and Coolmore.
Ballydoyle was a two-year-old Group I winner in France and, finished second in the Group I QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May.
Coolmore was third in the Grade I Belmont Oaks in July when her stablemate finished 13th as the favorite.
Trainer Graham Motion saddles Flaxman Holdings' 5-year-old Irish-bred Faufiler, winner of the Modesty after a fifth-place finish in the Grade I Just A Game at Belmont.
Also returning from the Modesty is 5-year-old Al's Gal, trained by Mike Maker for Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey.
The Valor Ladies (Megan Jones) will send out multiple stakes winner Irish-bred Tuttipaesi. Two starts back, the 6-year-old trained by Bill Mott won the Grade II Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita.
Grade I Del Mar Oaks winner Personal Diary, trained by Victoria Oliver, seeks her first stakes win in two years.
Argentine invader Pretty Girl is a Group I winner in her native country and is coming off a stakes victory in France.
Rounding out the field is Lots O' Lex, who is making her first start and looking for her first win against graded stakes company.