Gainesway homebred Spendarella (Karakontie {Jpn}) looks to take her record to three-for-three in Saturday's GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland. A good-looking debut winner going two turns on the grass at Gulfstream Feb. 2, the $220,000 KEESEP buy wired the GIII Herecomesthebride S. in Hallandale Mar. 5, garnering a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.
Chad Brown can never be ignored in a turf stake and he enters European import Dolce Zel (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}). Graduating at second asking in France for her former connections, the bay was privately purchased by Michael Dubb, Robert LaPenta and Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables and transferred to Brown. She won her Stateside debut in Tampa's GIII Florida Oaks Mar. 12.
Shug McGaughey saddles an interesting contender in Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Off the board in her sprint debut at Belmont in October, the Andrew Rosen homebred rallied to victory in a two-turn event at Aqueduct Nov. 19 and captured a Tampa optional claimer Feb. 16. The bay fired back-to-back bullets in preparation for this event, most recently going a half-mile in :48 1/5 over the Payson Park turf Apr. 1. She gains the services of red-hot rider Flavien Prat for this step up in class.
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